Small Business Ecommerce: Growth on Amazon, Walmart & Wayfair

The big US retailers are rolling out the welcome mat for small business ecommerce sellers. For example, Amazon now reports that over 60% of the sales in its store come from independent (mostly small) sellers. Walmart’s marketplace has similarly expanded – its seller base grew by 20% last fiscal year – as the company launches programs to attract entrepreneurs. Even Wayfair, long focused on home goods, is actively inviting new suppliers to join its platform, touting access to “millions of customers” through its home-specialized marketplace. This surge of programs means small business ecommerce brands can tap into massive customer bases and support tools once available only to big companies.

Amazon’s Small Business Tools and Programs

Amazon continues to invest heavily in making its platform friendlier to smaller brands. At its Accelerate 2025 seller conference, Amazon introduced new AI and analytics tools designed to help sellers grow faster and cut costs. For example, an AI-powered Seller Assistant can offer strategy tips customized to each business, while Custom Analytics provides a unified data dashboard for sales, traffic, and inventory. Another new feature, Profit Analytics, helps sellers track all expenses (like ads and returns) to pinpoint profits. Amazon also streamlined its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service to save sellers money – for instance, it eliminated the requirement to put special stickers on products, which Amazon says will save sellers about $600 million per year. All these updates are aimed at helping businesses (including very small brands) “manage costs while growing” on Amazon.

These improvements matter because Amazon’s platform already offers enormous scale and logistics. More than 60% of Amazon’s US sales come from independent sellers, and since 2006 those sellers have shipped over 80 billion items through FBA. In other words, the same fast delivery and Prime branding that big brands use are now available to small businesses. A small home decor company can list on Amazon and rely on FBA for nationwide warehousing and 1-2 day delivery, leveraging Amazon’s massive audience for order volume.

Walmart’s Small Business Growth Initiatives

Walmart is also doubling down on small suppliers with the introduction to several programs to support them. Most notably, Walmart unveiled “Grow with US”, a 4-step initiative to train and mentor small entrepreneurs interested in selling to Walmart (in stores or online). The steps include:

Learn: Free tailored training via Walmart’s online Supplier Academy, covering basics like retail fundamentals and “Retail Ready” product standards.
Get Discovered: Showcasing products to Walmart buyers through opportunities like the annual Open Call events, the RangeMe product discovery platform, or Walmart’s online Marketplace.
Mentorship: Pairing eligible sellers with experienced merchants who advise on pitching products and navigating Walmart’s processes.‍
Financing: Accessing cashflow programs (like Walmart’s Early Payment Program or external lending partnerships) to help fund inventory and growth.

This structured support lowers the barrier for a small brand to break into Walmart. Beyond Grow with US, Walmart’s marketplace itself has made onboarding easier. A “reimagined Global Seller Center” with a mobile app now provides seamless onboarding and free translation tools so that businesses can list products in multiple countries effortlessly. Walmart’s marketplace has seen rapid growth as a result: leaders report “more independent sellers choose Walmart as a smart path for growth,” and overall marketplace sales are up over 30% YoY. Walmart leverages its omnichannel strength as well – for instance, thousands of its stores now accept returns of marketplace items, and even allow online tire sales to be fulfilled and installed at local Auto Care Centers – giving online brands the advantage of Walmart’s physical footprint.

Wayfair and Indie Home Brands

Wayfair has quietly been courting smaller home-goods brands as well. The retailer recently became profitable again (reporting its first profitable quarter since 2019), giving it financial momentum to expand its offerings. Wayfair’s platform is built just for home and home goods, making it an appealing channel for furniture, decor, and specialty housewares brands. Crucially, Wayfair explicitly invites new sellers to join: its “Partner with Us” page urges home goods manufacturers and designers to apply, promising that by selling on Wayfair they’ll “access our millions of customers” through a polished home-focused platform. In practice this means an indie bedding or lighting brand can tap into Wayfair’s curated marketing, easy drop-shipping fulfillment, and dedicated home decor audience. Wayfair also operates several online retail brands (AllModern, Birch Lane, etc.) under its umbrella, which can give small furniture makers broad exposure. For now, Wayfair is less in the spotlight than Amazon or Walmart, but its growth suggests it has room to add unique indie products.

‍

In short, small brands that partner with these giants have an opportunity to grow fast. Walmart and Amazon each cultivate communities and programs (like Walmart’s mentorship or Amazon’s Seller Assist) that help entrepreneurs navigate e-commerce complexities. As a result of these retailers lowering fees and barriers to entry, a niche brand can achieve scale without massive upfront investment. Walmart even offers 0% commission on some categories like collectibles to attract new sellers. Given these incentives, small home-goods brands in particular should watch Wayfair’s initiatives, while all small retailers benefit from Amazon’s and Walmart’s push for diversity in their inventory.

The shift toward small business ecommerce is clear: Amazon, Walmart, and Wayfair are each making strategic plays to onboard smaller brands. For small U.S. brands in home goods (or any category), this opens huge opportunities. By tapping into these large marketplaces’ customer bases, fulfillment networks and seller-support programs, a small business can punch above its weight. Savvy entrepreneurs should consider how to leverage Amazon’s seller tools, apply to Walmart’s new small-business programs, and explore partnering with Wayfair. In the new retail landscape, the small business ecommerce seller is no longer stuck on the sidelines – these giant platforms are actively rolling out the welcome mat.

Author

Digital Marketing Specialist & Analyst

Meghan Lowery

Meghan is a digital marketing specialist and analyst at Rebelution eCommerce, focusing on internal strategies. With a strong background in market analysis and initiative development, she enhances internal communications and ensures marketing efforts align with business goals. Her strategic approach improves the efficiency and impact of Rebelution’s marketing operations.