• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 20, 2022

Walmart on Tuesday introduced a series of “Innovation Partners” that can support advertising and marketing services across social feeds, live streams, video, mobile, and connected TV (CTV).

TikTok, Snap, Firework, TalkShopLive, and Roku are among the companies included in the program.

“As the media funnel continues to collapse, advertisers are realizing the opportunity to reach shoppers on leading platforms where they are increasingly spending their time,” Seth Dallaire, executive vice president and CRO of Walmart, wrote in a post.

Gen Z and millennial consumers will drive 17% of social commerce by 2015 -- up from 10%, according to Accenture. About 64% of social media users -- an estimated 2 billion social buyers -- said they have made a purchase on social media in the past year.

The pilots between Walmart Connect and TikTok will provide advertisers an opportunity to serve in-feed ads on TikTok.

More than 50% of TikTok users say they watch ads on their feed instead of scrolling past them. The partnership combines TikTok's full-screen video format with Walmart Connect's targeting and measurement.  

Snap brings advertisers Snap Ads, Collection Ads, and Snap AR with Walmart Connect geo-based measurement of omnichannel sales lift.

This is the first-time advertisers can buy Snap advertising units through Walmart Connect. Seventy-five percent of Snap users are between the ages of 13 and 24 in the U.S. This group holds more than $1.9 trillion in spending power, according to Dallaire. 

Firework will enable supplier-funded shoppable live streams and short shoppable videos on Walmart.com/live.

Walmart Connect is testing how brands can leverage Firework’s capabilities to create premium, engaging, mobile-first video experiences and to start, has partnered with J&J, L’Oreal, P&G, and Unilever. 

The TalkShopLive partnership enables supplier-funded shoppable live streams on Walmart.com/live, Walmart Connect is testing how brands can amplify their content and connect with shoppers. Live streams are running J&J, L’Oreal, P&G, and Samsung, among others. 

Walmart recently announced a partnership with Roku to make TV streaming the next ecommerce shopping destination.

As the exclusive retailer enabling streamers to purchase featured products fulfilled by Walmart on Roku, the new experience offers product discovery and checkout experience. This new experience will be funded by advertisers through Walmart Connect and Roku Advertising.

Walmart Connect will connect brands to customers through the T-commerce platform on Roku. Advertisers will receive insights on effectiveness with Walmart Connect measurement.