Walmart Plans First Social Commerce Livestream On TikTok

Retail giant Walmart is teaming up with the social media platform TikTok to offer shoppable product offerings directly within the app’s chat window.

During a Walmart livestream scheduled for Friday (Dec. 18) at 8 p.m. est., the TikTok community will be able to shop for Walmart fashions from some of the app’s most popular creators, William White, chief marketing officer, Walmart U.S., said in a blog post. 

He added that Walmart is “excited to be at the forefront of this innovation in a shoppable livestream,” which is a first for TikTok users in the U.S. It also gives the retail giant a new way to engage users “while bringing our own brand of fun.” 

Friday’s livestream will feature 10 TikTok creators — including dancer and influencer Michael Le (@justmaiko), who has nearly 43 million followers — in a 60-minute shoppable variety show called the “Holiday Shop-Along Spectacular.” During the show, TikTok creators “will reveal their favorite Walmart fashion finds in a way that’s uniquely their own,” White said. TikTok users can experience a living room runway show or peek into an influencer’s closet, for example.

“We are showcasing a mix of national brands, like Champion, Jordache, Kendall + Kylie and some of our own private brands, including Free Assembly, Scoop and Sofia Jeans,” White said. “It promises to be a fun and interactive event, and because it’s TikTok, we’ll have a whole bunch of creative surprises up our sleeve.”

During the livestream, TikTok users can click on fashion products they like and seamlessly check out without leaving the platform. 

White said that Walmart is always on the lookout for new shopping experiences for customers that “meet them where they are.” He said the event is “for, about and by our community,” and will reflect the diverse styles of individual creators “so everyone watching will feel represented, no matter who they are or how they outfit their closet.”

Pending government approval, Walmart said in October that it was looking to buy a 7.5 percent stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations. TikTok first started shopping around for a buyer of its U.S. operations after the Trump administration threatened to ban the Chinese app.