Walmart to host historic Twitter livestream shopping event
Walmart is continuing its aggressive growth in shoppable livestreams with a first-ever step by a U.S. retailer on Twitter.
The discount giant is kicking off Cyber Week (the week after Thanksgiving) with a 30-minute livestream shopping event on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. ET that will be fully accessible on Twitter’s new livestream shopping platform. It will be the first time that a U.S. retailer has leveraged Twitter for livestream shopping.
In addition, the event will be available on Walmart’s Facebook and YouTube pages and the Walmart Live proprietary livestream shopping platform. The event will also be viewable (but not shoppable) on Walmart’s Instagram and TikTok sites.
Singer, songwriter and social media influencer Jason Derulo will host the event, which will feature products in categories including electronics, home goods, apparel and seasonal décor, as well as surprise special guests.
Since hosting a successful holiday-themed shoppable livestream event on TikTok in December 2020, Walmart has tested 15 shoppable livestream events across five platforms. These have included multiple events hosted on the TikTok short video platform, as well as partnering with social/TV influencer Ree Drummond, also known as “Pioneer Woman,” and her daughter Alex Scott to demo some of their favorite products from the Walmart-exclusive Pioneer Woman collection in a livestream shopping event on Facebook.
Walmart was also the first retailer to pilot livestream shopping on YouTube, and has launched its own Walmart Live livestream shopping platform. During the upcoming holiday shopping season, the retailer plans to host more than 30 additional shoppable livestream events across eight social media platforms including BuyWith, BuzzFeedm Facebook, IGN, TalkShopLive, Tasty, Twitter and YouTube.
“We believe the future of retail lies in social commerce, which is why we’re focusing on innovating in the space as we continue to offer our customers ways to live better – whether online, or in store, the future of holiday shopping remains bright at Walmart,” said William White, chief marketing officer, Walmart U.S., in a corporate blog post. “The success of these livestream events and growth of our business are telling us that we’re headed down the right path. We will continue to curate special experiences for our customers who live in dynamic, immersive environments and allow customers to shop seamlessly while also being entertained.”
According to TechCrunch, Walmart’s Twitter livestream broadcast will stream at the top of a Live Event page. Products will be featured in a shoppable banner and shop tab, with viewers able to switch between a “Latest” product preview tab and the shop tab. Customers will be able to make purchases via an in-app browser, where they can still watch the livestream while buying items. Viewers will be able to post tweets about the livestream in a text box at the bottom of the page.
“We are honored to have Walmart onboard as the first-ever brand to host a Live Shopping event on Twitter,” said Sarah Personette, chief customer officer, Twitter, in a statement. “Walmart is renowned for bringing customers an immersive look into their products and we are excited to bring this experience onto Twitter with them, while helping them reach their business objectives. This is just the first of many Live Shopping events we hope brands will be able to bring to market, and we can’t wait for people to watch, chat, and shop — all through Twitter.”