How Dreo Went From Marketplace Startup to Walmart Stores in 1 Year | "Don't Dip Your Toes—Jump In"
In this exclusive Omni Talk episode live from the Walmart Seller Summit in San Diego, Joshua Gunn, VP of Retail Sales and Marketing at Dreo, reveals the seller success story that earned him a stage shout-out in front of 2,000 attendees.
From marketplace launch to Walmart stores in just one year, Joshua breaks down how Dreo leveraged WFS, Walmart Connect, and human relationships to scale their fan, heater, and kitchen appliance business. Discover why he calls the Walmart marketplace experience "nothing short of fantastic" and his advice for sellers: "Don't dip your toes—jump in."
🔑 Topics covered:
- How Dreo went from marketplace to Walmart stores in one year
- Why WFS and Walmart Connect became game-changers for operations
- The power of human relationships with merchant and category teams
- Using marketplace as a testing ground before retail launch
- Why digital-first brands should "jump in" rather than test the waters
- The immense opportunity for startups on Walmart Marketplace
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#dreosuccess #walmartmarketplace #sellersuccess #wfs #walmartconnect #retailsuccess #omnitalk #appliances #sellerstory #marketplace #retailpodcast #sellersummit
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Transcript
Hello, everyone.
Speaker A:Welcome back.
Speaker A:This is omnitok Retail.
Speaker A:I'm Anne Mazinga.
Speaker B:And I'm Chris Walton.
Speaker A:And we're coming to you live from the Walmart Sellers Conference here at the Gaylord Hotel in sunny San Diego, California.
Speaker A:We are pleased to announce our next guest who is Joshua Gunn, the VP of retail sales and marketing at Dreo.
Speaker A:Joshua, welcome to omnitalk.
Speaker C:Thanks, Anne.
Speaker C:Appreciate it.
Speaker A:It's really good to have you.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's great to be here.
Speaker A:You got a big shout out on stage today earlier too.
Speaker C:We did, yes.
Speaker C:It was pretty awesome.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'll say.
Speaker A:I mean, 2,000 people in the audience, not bad to get a shout out from a big Walmart exec.
Speaker C:We love that publicity.
Speaker B:Yeah, right, Right.
Speaker B:So let's start out.
Speaker B:Josh, tell us a little bit about what Dreo is and also what your background and your role is too.
Speaker C:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker C:So my background and role, I actually manage our North America commercial operations for.
Speaker C:For Dreo.
Speaker C:And I oversee our global Walmart strategy.
Speaker C:You know, our brand is unique.
Speaker C:We play in some very busy spaces.
Speaker C:We make fans, heaters.
Speaker B:Oh, you're in that category.
Speaker B:I have a lot of experience in that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Kitchen appliances.
Speaker C:You know, our focus as a company has really been built around R and D, you know, consumer centric designs and a digital first mindset.
Speaker C:It's really what separated us, you know, from the pack.
Speaker A:Well, tell us a little bit about how you decided to sell your products on Walmart Marketplace.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker C:For a young brand like us, it was really about brand visibility.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:How do we, how do we grow our brand exposure?
Speaker C:That was a key, important part, especially as we launched on Marketplace one year after we actually launched into the Marketplace.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:So they've been a critical partner.
Speaker C:Walmart's been a critical partner for us to get our brand out there.
Speaker C:And consumers have responded very positively.
Speaker C:We're very excited about the feedback that we receive.
Speaker C:And obviously sales success has followed along with that.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:But, Josh, how has your experience been on Walmart's marketplace?
Speaker B:You as the seller, from the seller's perspective.
Speaker B:I'm curious there.
Speaker B:And is there anything that you see from the position of a seller that differentiates Walmart's marketplace, say, from other marketplaces?
Speaker C:Of course, our experience has been nothing short of fantastic.
Speaker B:Fantastic.
Speaker B:Okay, That's a big word.
Speaker C:And the reason I say that is Walmart Marketplace.
Speaker C:It provides you the backbone to be successful online.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:So whether it's WFS which streamlines operations, gets your product to the customer faster.
Speaker B:Walmart fulfillment services for those maybe that aren't as familiar.
Speaker C:Right, yes.
Speaker C:Or Walmart Connect.
Speaker C:WMART has allowed us to really target the right customers at the right time with the right product and increase our conversion rates.
Speaker C:All of it's been fantastic.
Speaker C:But kind of the bow on the package has really been our relationships with the merchant and category teams.
Speaker C:You know, we live in a world that's becoming more automated, more mechanized, more AI driven.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:So to have that human touch point has really been the game changer for our development.
Speaker A:Well, and your connection with those, those merchandisers, those merchants at Walmart has led to you now selling product in Walmart stores in addition to in the Marketplace.
Speaker A:Can you tell us a little bit about, you know, what that process looks like for those out there wondering or thinking about like, all right, Walmart Marketplace is one thing.
Speaker A:Now I'm in retail locations, what happens?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So, you know, that journey is hard fought.
Speaker C:You know, it's always nonlinear and it requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears on both sides to get from point A to point A.
Speaker C:But I will tell you that that journey really has been seamless.
Speaker C:And the reason it's been seamless is by being on Marketplace, we knew what Dreo products resonated and we were able to do all the testing price wise, feature wise, even before we launched in store.
Speaker C:So we knew what was going to win or what had a high probability to win on the shelf.
Speaker C:So that component as well as the ability to improve, where we could improve really helped set us up for success.
Speaker B:So, Josh, I'm curious then, what advice we'll get you out of here on this.
Speaker B:What advice would you have for other sellers maybe, or small businesses that are looking to grow their business in a similar way that you have?
Speaker B:Like, I mean, did you even jump feet first into stores?
Speaker B:Like how far did you, how did you do that?
Speaker B:How'd you approach that?
Speaker B:What's all the advice you have?
Speaker C:Yeah, that's exactly it, Chris.
Speaker C:Don't tip your toes, jump in, don't dip your toes.
Speaker B:Okay, all right.
Speaker C:Jump in.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker C:You know, Marketplace provides you that toolkit that's necessary for success, especially if you're a startup brand, a small business.
Speaker C:If you optimize those tools and maximize them and are really serious about growing your brand, Walmart Marketplace is the platform to do that.
Speaker C:And then the other part of that is again, is that human touch is your merchant teams, your category teams are going to guide you through that journey.
Speaker C:And if you follow those rules, there's an immense amount of opportunity for you on Marketplace.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:You should be able to sell if you've got a good product and you follow that path.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker A:Well, thank you so much, Joshua, for joining us.
Speaker A:We really appreciate it.
Speaker A:Congrats on your continued success on the Marketplace in Walmart stores.
Speaker A:Thank you so much to Walmart for hosting Chris and myself here today at the Walmart Sellers Summit.
Speaker A:We have lots of content coming your way all day, so stay, stop by if you're here or stay tuned because we have much, much more in store.
Speaker A:And until then, be careful out there.
