Retail's Future Is Social Commerce, Says Walmart on 1st Twitter Livestream

After launching its first shoppable livestream event on TikTok in December, Walmart is holding more than 30 shoppable livestream events over the 2021 holiday season, blogged Walmart U.S. Chief Marketing Officer William White Monday. Since then, the retailer has tested 15 live shoppable events across five platforms, bowed Walmart.com/live and worked with more than 20 creators and hosts to pilot social commerce livestream events, White said. Its “next act” is to kick off Cyber Week Sunday with social media celebrity Jason Derulo for the first shoppable livestream on Twitter, White said, saying he’s excited to bring customers deals "on a platform they already love.” The 30-minute variety show will highlight electronics, home goods, apparel and seasonal decor and will feature surprise special guests, he said. Walmart sees “high return” from the Twitter platform across “top- and middle-of-funnel content," said White, calling the shopping capability a “natural next step.” The livestreamed shopping event will also be available on Walmart.com/live, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, he said. Other Walmart shoppable livestream events this season will appear on buywith, BuzzFeed, Facebook, IGN, TalkShopLive, Tasty, Twitter and YouTube “to make sure we are meeting our customers where they are,” White said. The events’ success so far shows “we’re headed down the right path,” he said, allowing customers to “shop seamlessly while also being entertained.” Retail's future “lies in social commerce,” White said.