Observed Signal · Aug 5, 2026 · Product Launch · Source: Modern Retail · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Gorilla Commerce Launches Gorilla Grip in Walmart Stores
Gorilla Commerce, a home-goods company that launched in 2014 and built a nine-figure business on Amazon, has expanded into physical retail by placing its Gorilla Grip bath mats in more than 2,600 Walmart stores. The brand previously sold on Walmart's third-party marketplace for two years and used marketplace launches (including Amazon Canada) to validate logistics and packaging changes before pursuing in-store distribution. CEO CJ Bilangino cites rapid response to customer feedback and in-house product development and advertising as drivers of the company's growth. Marketplace agency BellaVix noted Walmart marketplace demand typically lags Amazon, but sellers can use marketplace success to pursue store rollouts.
Shows a D2C brand using marketplace success to secure in-store distribution at a major retailer (Walmart), illustrating a repeatable marketplace-to-physical retail path that could influence retail media and brand distribution strategies.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Gorilla Commerce launched in 2014 with a single product, the slip-resistant Gorilla Grip bath mat.
- CEO CJ Bilangino said the company’s revenue is in the "couple hundred million dollars range."
- In July 2026, Gorilla Commerce launched Gorilla Grip bath mats in more than 2,600 Walmart stores after selling on Walmart’s third-party marketplace for two years.
- Gorilla Grip has more than 1,000 reviews on Walmart.com and a 4.6 rating, and was recognized by Walmart as "Outstanding Home Seller of the Year" in 2025.
- Will Haire, co-founder and CEO of BellaVix, said Walmart marketplace demand is typically 10–20% of Amazon or DTC sales (with some exceptions up to ~30%).
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“It launched its Gorilla Grip bath mats in more than 2,600 Walmart stores after previously selling through the company’s third-party marketpl...”
“Gorilla Commerce built a nine-figure business on Amazon and earlier used Amazon Canada to prove logistical readiness for new marketplaces....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Walmart Embraces Emerging Premium, Digital-Native Brands
Walmart has shifted beyond a low-price image to actively recruit and scale emerging, digitally-native and premium brands across its physical and digital channels. The retailer launched its Walmart Start accelerator in 2022 for emerging beauty brands and reported strong category gains driven by brands new to Walmart; its third-party marketplace posted nearly 50% sales growth in the first quarter. Recent brand rollouts include new private-label and exclusive home and hardware assortments and multiple DTC or digitally-native brands (Viking Revolution, Liquid Youth, Scarlet by RedDrop, Dabble & Dollop, TAL Hydration) launching in hundreds of stores. Founders and CEOs quoted by Modern Retail say Walmart is providing prominent shelf placement, large-scale reach and a route to higher-income shoppers while expecting brands to continue investing in marketing to drive retail sales.
Walmart Expands Walmart+ and Retail Media Globally
Walmart is taking a more international approach to its higher-margin businesses by launching Walmart+ in Canada — the membership’s first availability outside the U.S. — and promoting U.S. executives to global roles overseeing memberships, retail media and marketplaces. Walmart+ Canada offers benefits including unlimited same-day delivery on orders over $35, free shipping with no minimum, discounted Express Delivery and an ad-supported Crave subscription. Walmart is rolling out cross-border fulfillment for third-party sellers and building systems to track tariffs and taxes. The company reported strong recent growth in advertising and e-commerce and is pushing Walmart Connect into more channels (notably CTV after acquiring Vizio in 2024).
Walmart Expands Walmart+ to Canada, Scales Retail Media
Walmart has launched Walmart+ in Canada — its first international rollout of the paid membership — and is scaling higher-margin businesses such as advertising, memberships and its third-party marketplace globally. The Canada offering mirrors many U.S. benefits (unlimited free same-day delivery on orders over $35, Express Delivery discounts, free shipping online with no minimum and an ad-supported Crave subscription). Seth Dallaire has been elevated to global chief growth officer overseeing Walmart+, Walmart Connect, Sam’s Club MAP, Walmart Data Ventures and the global marketplace; Deepak Maini leads Walmart+ and Manish Joneja now oversees global marketplaces and fulfillment services. Walmart is enabling cross-border fulfillment (sourcing inventory from Vietnam and China), building tariff/tax tracking systems for global shipping, and leaning on Walmart Connect — including inventory from its 2024 Vizio CTV acquisition — to boost retail media reach. Recent growth metrics cited include double-digit membership growth, stronger ad and e-commerce performance in the U.S., and global ad and e-commerce gains quarter over quarter.
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