Walmart To Serve as Test Case for TikTok’s First U.S. Shoppable Event

Walmart will be the guinea pig for TikTok’s first shoppable livestreaming event in the United States.

The event, taking place Dec. 18 on Walmart’s TikTok profile page, will enable consumers to purchase Walmart items from 10 TikTok creators without needing to leave the platform. The one-hour variety show will be called “Holiday Shop-Along Spectactular” and will feature TikTok creators, including include Michael Le with nearly 43 million followers, showing off their favorite fashion items from the No. 1 retailer.

Consumers can tap on a product during the event to have it added to their cart and then check out right in the app.  

While this is not Walmart's first foray into social commerce, it is for livestreamed social commerce. A Walmart spokesperson told RIS the company is excited to see what it learns and that it will consider more shoppable events on the platform if it does well.

“We’re focused on building relationships with our customers and meeting them where they are — and more and more, that’s on social media,” said the spokesperson. “We’ve been on TikTok for more than a year. We’ve built up a solid following and have had some big wins with our hashtag challenges. We feel like we’ve reached a maturation point and are ready to go beyond simply engaging on the platform to working with TikTok to offer a seamless shopping experience. We’re excited to be at the forefront of this shoppable innovation.”

William White, chief marketing officer of Walmart U.S., wrote in a company blog post that it will give the retailer a new way to engage with users and reach potential new customers, while bringing its own brand of fun to the platform.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to innovate the shopping experience for our customers. We’re moving faster than ever to find new and improved ways to better serve our customers and meet them where they are,” he said. “We created this event for, about and by our community, reflecting the lives, passions and styles of a diverse set of creators, so everyone watching will feel represented, no matter who they are or how they outfit their closet."