Walmart Labs buys Luvocracy social recommendation site

San Bruno, Calif. – WalmartLabs, the division of Wal-Mart’s e-commerce operation dedicated to developing new technology, has purchased Luvocracy, an online community that helps consumers find products recommended by family members, friends and online influencers. Founded three years ago, Luvocracy was one of the first companies to enable the entire social shopping experience, from discovery to commerce, to occur within its app.



Sixteen Luvocracy employees will join Walmart Labs, including CEO and co-founder Nathan Stoll, VP of design Brooke Thompson, creative director Christine Martinea and VP of engineering Ajay Agrwal.



“We’ve been spending a lot of time with Nathan, Christine, Ajay, Brooke, and the rest of the crew - what an amazing bunch,” said Ben Galbraith, VP of global products, Walmart Labs, in a blog post announcing the deal “I’m so delighted to have them join us, and now we’ll be working together to create more of these fantastic moments when customers find delightful products at great prices. We’re excited to have this super-talented team bring their knowledge and experience to help us redefine the shopping experience of the future. I can’t wait to see the ideas we’ve been cooking up together come to life in our properties around the world.”



This is Walmart Labs’ 14th acquisition since 2011. Terms were not released.