WhyteSpyder acquires agency founded by former Walmart merchants
by July 21, 2021 11:57 am 2,352 views
Rogers-based SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder, an e-commerce software and digital merchandising company, is expanding with the acquisition of DotCom Partners.
Former Walmart e-commerce merchants founded the agency in 2020 to provide insights and guidance to help suppliers grow their online business.
WhyteSpyder founder Eric Howerton said the company is not discussing the financial terms of the deal. All eight DotCom Partners employees are joining WhyteSpyder, including founders Corey Hammond and Zach Toste.
DotCom Partners employees are in Hoboken, N.J., and the San Francisco Bay area. Howerton said that gives the company coast-to-coast coverage with headquarters in Northwest Arkansas.
Howerton said that in early 2020 the two companies began working together to launch a digital catalog program, a turnkey system designed to help suppliers in various ways. He said WhyteSypder companies manage all of that but stop short at brokering products and selling into Walmart.
“We realized when working together last year we had lots of synergies with common goals,” he said of DotCom Partners. “They were working on software and technology development similar to our system — SKU Ninja — and we saw an opportunity to bring them on board with us and help grow the combined businesses.
“They bring keen e-commerce, logistics and fulfillment insights to the table, having worked for Walmart.com as recently as January 2020. Seven of the 8 are former Walmart.com merchants.”
Howerton said the acquisition’s timing is also crucial as Walmart has recently consolidated its buyer teams for in-store and online businesses. That could mean more work for the buyer teams, who can also likely benefit from the combined services of the new partnership.
“DotCom Partners’ deep understanding of Walmart e-commerce has been an instrumental component of the digital catalog program. Their breadth of Walmart.com expertise is an invaluable addition across both product development and client services,” said John Scott Bull, CEO and co-owner of SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder.
Since its inception in February 2020, DotCom Partners has focused on providing solutions to Walmart.com sellers. DotCom Partners is one of the few official solutions providers specifically for Walmart e-commerce.
Hammond said the company is also hoping to help suppliers grow their online business on other marketplace sites.
“We are extremely proud of DotCom Partners’ success, as we’ve generated millions of dollars in incremental revenue for our portfolio of clients on Walmart.com in just over a year and a half. We’re excited to work even closer with SKU Ninja + WhyteSpyder to build innovative technology that helps brands succeed on Walmart.com and other digital marketplaces.” Hammond said in a news release.