Automation Engineer Intern - Supply Chain Automation

ShipStation launches Ship with Walmart. Walmart Marketplace sellers can access discounted shipping labels from trusted carriers and access seller protections - all within the ShipStation workflow October 6, 2026. 10:02 AM AUSTIN - ShipStation, a leading intelligent shipping and logistics platform for small and mid-sized businesses, announced the launch of Ship with Walmart, a new shipping solution that gives Walmart Marketplace sellers direct access to Walmart-negotiated shipping rates within the ShipStation platform. The integration allows sellers to purchase eligible labels, access seller protections, and manage Walmart Marketplace orders directly within their existing ShipStation workflow. Many Walmart Marketplace sellers manage orders across multiple selling channels, with ShipStation serving as the hub that brings those workflows together. Ship with Walmart extends that capability to Walmart Marketplace orders: sellers can activate it through ShipStation and purchase eligible labels alongside their existing carrier accounts, with no new integration to build. Ship with Walmart works alongside a seller's existing shipping setup as an additional option and activation is simple by design. "Sellers shouldn't have to choose between the tools they rely on every day and the benefits their marketplace offers them," said Matt Norman, vice president, Strategic Business Development, ShipStation. "Ship with Walmart closes that gap. Sellers get Walmart-negotiated rates and seller protections, including up to $100 of order protection, all within the ShipStation platform." With Ship with Walmart, sellers gain access to: Walmart-negotiated rates: Discounted rates from trusted domestic carriers. On-time delivery and valid tracking support: Ship with Walmart supports on-time delivery and valid tracking performance. Seller protection for lost packages: Eligible orders shipped on time can receive up to $100 in protection for lost-item claims, including lost-in-transit and after-delivery claims. Sellers can also access negative feedback review for approved lost-item claims. Delivery promise, connected to carrier choice: Simplified Shipping Settings surfaces Walmart-recommended carrier and service-level options directly in ShipStation, based on the seller's delivery promise. A unified, multichannel dashboard: Walmart Marketplace orders sit alongside Amazon, TikTok Shop, Shopify, eBay, and other connected storefronts in one place - sellers don't have to step outside the ShipStation workflow they already know to manage Walmart shipping. Purchase labels directly in ShipStation: After activation, sellers can purchase eligible Ship with Walmart labels within their existing ShipStation workflow. Walmart Marketplace sellers who are new to ShipStation can receive 20% off their ShipStation subscription for one year when they activate Ship with Walmart.* "For Walmart Marketplace sellers, every operational advantage matters, and shipping is one of the biggest levers they have to protect margins and delivery performance," said Norman. "Ship with Walmart delivers real, negotiated value inside the platform sellers already use." Ship with Walmart is available now to Walmart Marketplace sellers using ShipStation, and activation is simple. Ship with Walmart in ShipStation currently supports U.S. domestic shipments only. *The ShipStation subscription offer can be used alongside discounted Ship with Walmart label rates. Eligibility requirements and offer terms apply.

Walmart moves to grab a bigger chunk of the TV ad business. Oct 6, 2026, 6:00 AM PT Walmart is taking its ad business to the TV screen. On Tuesday, Walmart exclusively told CMO Insider that advertisers can now use its shopper targeting and measurement data on linear TV through a new partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is merging with Paramount to form Skydance. The move positions Walmart more favorably in its pursuit of the big brand budgets traditionally spent on TV, and beyond the performance marketing spend that typically accounts for the largest share of its Walmart Connect ad business. It's also the latest sign of retail media giants further expanding into new media beyond their own stores, sites, and apps. Walmart's pitch to advertisers is that they can reach its millions of shoppers and measure whether those ads drove purchases through its sales data. Those properties naturally have a finite amount of advertising inventory, so the company has been ramping up efforts to help advertisers target Walmart shoppers elsewhere. Walmart acquired the TV-maker Vizio in 2024, helping it tap into connected-TV ad budgets. This year, it scooped up the adtech firm Vibe.co, which also focuses on streaming TV, as part of a plan to pursue small- and medium-sized advertisers. Walmart's ad revenue reached $6.4 billion in 2025. Khurrum Malik, Walmart Connect VP of business and product marketing, told CMO Insider the WBD deal came about because advertisers and agencies had asked for the capability. Advertisers' audiences are split across CTV and linear, but advertisers want consistent targeting and measurement across both, he said. Walmart advertisers can access this linear inventory via a private marketplace deal on its demand-side platform. It includes WBD networks such as TBS, TLC, and TruTV, and can include live sports when those networks carry them. Walmart has experimented with linear TV before: In 2024, it partnered with NBCUniversal to make "shoppable" ads available on its live Thanksgiving sports programming. Malik said he envisioned Walmart expanding into more non-digital channels. "We want to start slow and then go fast," Malik said. "I could see us scaling as the solution works for advertisers." Walmart isn't alone in chasing TV ad budgets in the fast-growing retail media space. Arch-rival Amazon - whose ad business reached $68 billion in 2025 - has spent years extending its trove of shopping data into streaming TV on Prime Video and through partnerships with Netflix, Disney, and Roku. Walmart is trying to differentiate itself by making its data available through competitor ad-buying tools, too. Also on Tuesday, Walmart announced that Yahoo DSP advertisers can target its audiences on Vizio and other CTV publishers through a partnership with the supply-side platform Magnite. Additionally, it announced a partnership between the Walmart DSP and Spotify across audio, video, and display ads. "We want to make it easier for them to buy how they buy today, instead of forcing somebody into one DSP that really conquers them all," Malik said. "I think about us as a friendly garden," he added. That's in contrast to "walled gardens" - like Meta or YouTube - that require advertisers to use the platform's own buying tools to access its ad inventory. Kevin Dunn, chief revenue officer of Experian Marketing Services, said he expects more retail media to move "offsite" into CTV and other web properties. "I expect the conversation to shift from 'which networks should we be in?' to 'how do we make them work together?'" Dunn said. The retail media space is growing rapidly, with spending set to top $203 billion this year, per Business Insider sister company EMARKETER. However, with more than 200 retail media networks worldwide, the space is becoming increasingly crowded, and some advertising pros have been calling for more consistent standards and language for measuring their effectiveness. A recent ISBA and MediaSense audit of five UK retail media networks found inconsistent metrics across them, including five different definitions of an "attributed sale." Malik said Walmart works with third-party measurement firms alongside offering its own first-party data. "As commerce media moves into a broader media mix, its accountability has to go with it," Malik said.

Walmart expands logistics dominance with $300M 'big and Bulky' fulfillment center in Ohio. Sagoh October 6, 2026 7 minutes read By Kelly Stroh | Published October 5, 2026 In a significant move to fortify its e-commerce supply chain, retail giant Walmart has announced a $300 million investment to establish a specialized fulfillment center in Turtlecreek Township, Ohio. The facility, which is set to become a linchpin in the company's Midwestern distribution strategy, will focus exclusively on the storage, handling, and distribution of "non-sortable" items - bulky goods that require specialized logistics, such as large-screen televisions, home furniture, and oversized appliances. The project, confirmed by the Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati, underscores Walmart's aggressive pivot toward optimizing its delivery speed for high-ticket items. By placing inventory closer to the customer, the company aims to reduce transit times and streamline the complexities associated with shipping large, cumbersome products. The strategic importance of the Turtlecreek facility. The decision to site the new facility in Warren County, Ohio, was not made in a vacuum. Walmart has been systematically acquiring land to ensure its logistical footprint can support the modern consumer's demand for next-day and two-day delivery of goods that were historically only available through brick-and-mortar storefronts. Specializing in the "non-sortable" Traditional automated warehouses are often optimized for smaller, uniform packages that can be easily handled by conveyor belts and robotic sorters. However, the rise of e-commerce has forced retailers to reconsider how they handle "non-sortable" inventory - items that are too heavy, too large, or too oddly shaped for standard automated systems. The Turtlecreek facility will be engineered specifically to address these challenges, likely utilizing specialized racking, heavy-duty material handling equipment, and, as is consistent with Walmart's current operational strategy, high-tech robotics systems designed to assist human workers in moving oversized cargo safely and efficiently. Regional integration. The new center is designed to function in tandem with Walmart's existing facility in Monroe, Ohio. By creating a hub-and-spoke dynamic in the Cincinnati area, Walmart effectively expands its total regional fulfillment capacity. While the Monroe site has served as a cornerstone of the company's regional presence, the addition of the Turtlecreek site allows for a division of labor: Monroe can continue to handle standard e-commerce orders, while Turtlecreek focuses on the logistical headaches of big and bulky items. This dual-facility approach reduces the pressure on individual sites and creates a more resilient supply chain capable of handling demand spikes during peak holiday seasons. A chronology of retail logistics evolution. Walmart's investment in Ohio is the latest chapter in a multi-year effort to modernize its supply chain. Since 2024, the company has been in a state of constant flux, balancing the construction of high-tech "next-gen" facilities against the closure of older, less efficient distribution centers. * Early 2025: Walmart initiates a strategic review of its domestic warehouse portfolio, identifying legacy facilities that lack the infrastructure for modern automation. * Mid-2025: The retailer announces a series of facility closures in Massachusetts and Illinois as part of a "network optimization" strategy, aimed at reallocating capital toward automated, high-throughput sites. * Late 2025: Plans for a 1.5 million-square-foot facility in New York are filed, signaling a move to capture deeper penetration in the Northeast market. * Early 2026: A $330 million upgrade for the Opelousas, Louisiana, distribution center is confirmed, featuring advanced robotics and AI-driven inventory management. * October 2026: The $300 million Turtlecreek Township investment is finalized, marking a significant milestone in the company's commitment to the Midwest. Supporting data and market dynamics. The retail sector is currently witnessing a "Big and Bulky" arms race. As consumer behavior shifts permanently toward buying furniture and large electronics online, retailers are finding that the cost of shipping these items is a significant barrier to profitability. The competitive landscape. Walmart is not acting alone. The entire retail sector is pivoting to address this niche: * Amazon: During the 2026 Amazon Accelerate conference, the e-commerce titan highlighted that "Big and Bulky" is currently its fastest-growing merchant category. Amazon has rolled out specialized regional pricing and delivery services specifically for these items, forcing competitors to respond with similar investments. * Costco: The warehouse club has seen consistent growth in its "Costco Logistics" arm, which specializes in the white-glove delivery and assembly of furniture and appliances. This service has become a major differentiator for the retailer, turning a logistical challenge into a customer service strength. For Walmart, the Turtlecreek facility is a direct play to defend its market share against these competitors. By controlling the logistics of these items, Walmart can control the cost and, more importantly, the customer experience. Official responses and economic impact. The project is expected to create over 300 permanent, full-time jobs for the residents of Turtlecreek Township and the greater Cincinnati area. Local economic development officials have lauded the investment as a major win for the region. "This investment is a testament to the strength of our region's supply chain infrastructure," said a representative from REDI Cincinnati. "Walmart's decision to plant a flag here not only brings immediate employment opportunities but also signals that the Cincinnati area remains a vital nerve center for national commerce." While Walmart has yet to release a detailed construction timeline or the final square footage of the facility, the land acquisition of nearly 100 acres in Warren County suggests a site of significant scale, likely designed for long-term expansion. Implications for the future of retail. The implications of this investment extend far beyond the borders of Ohio. As Walmart continues to pivot toward a more digitized, automated, and hyper-efficient model, several trends are becoming clear: 1. The death of the "one-size-fits-all" Warehouse. Walmart's move to build specialized centers for non-sortable items suggests that the future of logistics is segmentation. Instead of trying to force all items through a single, massive, automated process, retailers are building "bespoke" warehouses that are optimized for specific product categories. This allows for higher efficiency and lower error rates. 2. The proximity imperative. The focus on "positioning inventory closer to customers" is the defining mandate of modern retail. In the era of instant gratification, the warehouse is no longer a storage locker; it is a forward-deployed fulfillment point. By placing the Turtlecreek facility in the heart of the Midwest, Walmart ensures that it can reach millions of customers within a single day's drive. 3. Automation as a necessity, not a luxury. The integration of robotics is no longer just about cutting costs; it is about managing complexity. Handling heavy furniture and bulky appliances is dangerous and physically taxing for human workers. By using technology to do the "heavy lifting," Walmart is creating a safer, more sustainable work environment, which is crucial for employee retention in a tight labor market. 4. The sustainability factor. While the company hasn't explicitly highlighted environmental impacts, decentralized, regionalized logistics networks are inherently more efficient. By shortening the "last mile," Walmart can reduce the carbon footprint associated with long-haul trucking, aligning its logistical strategy with broader corporate sustainability goals. Conclusion. Walmart's $300 million investment in Turtlecreek Township is a calculated, strategic maneuver that addresses one of the most difficult challenges in modern retail: the efficient delivery of big and bulky items. As the company continues to shutter inefficient legacy sites and replace them with high-tech, specialized hubs, it is clearly signaling that it is prepared for the next decade of retail competition. For the residents of Ohio, this means 300 new jobs; for the retail industry, it means the bar for logistical excellence has once again been raised. As the company continues to refine its network, the success of the Turtlecreek facility will likely serve as a blueprint for future regional expansions across the United States. Subscriber