Get on Walmart's e-commerce site and maybe in stores

Walmart has begun the latest installment of its social media-inspired merchandising initiative known as, "Get on the Shelf."

The program, developed by the company’s digital think tank @WalmartLabs, affords entrepreneurs the ability to have their product featured on Walmart.com and possibly in select Walmart stores. The company issued an open call to anyone with an interesting product to enter between now and July 31 by submitting a video to https://getontheshelf.walmart.com.

"We're calling on entrepreneurs and inventors from across the country to help us discover the next big thing. In return, Walmart is giving them exposure to millions of potential customers," said Joel Anderson, president and CEO of Walmart.com. "Get on the Shelf taps into the spirit of American innovation and gives our customers a voice in selecting the products that will help them live better."

Businesses and product developers can submit entries for products that complement the assortment of items sold on Walmart.com, such as electronics, home, toys and apparel. All entries will be screened by Walmart merchants before the public is asked to vote on their favorite products later this summer. Then, Walmart merchants will select up to 20 product finalists that will be featured in an original web series produced by VIMBY, The Mark Burnett Digital Studio. The weekly web series will be available at https://getontheshelf.walmart.com and the public vote will determine each week's winning item.

Through this process, up to five winning products will be chosen to be sold on Walmart.com. One or more of these winners will be selected as a grand prize winner based on the number of online pre-orders from customers, and could potentially be sold in select Walmart stores.

By all accounts last year’s program was a success with more than 5,000 entries received and more than one million votes from across the country. Last year’s grand price winner was Humankind Water and runners up included PlateTopper and SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit.

The Get on the Shelf platform was created by @WalmartLabs, the technology arm of Walmart Global eCommerce which designed it to be scalable and robust enough to process a high level of product entries, votes and traffic. Since the initial U.S. Get on the Shelf contest in 2012, the platform was used to source greeting card designs, which were submitted and voted upon by customers.