Twitter and Walmart to test live shopping

This Sunday, Walmart will be the first retailer to test Twitter‘s new live stream shopping platform. Users will be able to buy products that are featured during the live stream.

Cyber deals

On 28 November, Walmart will launch a live ‘cyber deals’ event on Twitter. Singer-songwriter Jason Derulo will be hosting the event: during a 30-minute show, he will highlight deals on electronics, home goods, clothing, seasonal decorations and more. Users can watch the event via Walmart’s Twitter account, buy the featured products and comment on the broadcast by sending tweets.

In July this year, Twitter already introduced a new shopping feature, allowing companies to feature their products directly on their Twitter profile. The trial was primarily intended to ascertain the potential for shopping via Twitter. The well-known gaming chain GameStop, among others, took part in the pilot project.

“Livestreaming on Twitter allows companies to connect with their most influential fans, and adding the shopping feature is a logical addition to attract and engage a receptive audience”, the platform said in a statement.

Over the past year, Walmart has invested in roughly 15 live events on different platforms, writes SiecleDigital. The first live shopping event took place on TikTok almost a year ago. It was a successful gamble for the retailer, getting seven times more views than expected and growing its TikTok follower base by a quarter. Although Walmart did not provide details of the revenue generated by the event, the continued investment over the course of the year and this partnership with Twitter demonstrate the power of the format.