Walmart enlists social media influencers to help sell everything

Bloomberg

Walmart Inc is starting a platform for social media influencers — a bid to get help from online content creators to sell everything from food to apparel.
The program, called Walmart Creator and accessible via an internet browser, is
designed to make it easier for influencers to recommend company products, the retailer announced in a statement. Influencers will have access to tens of thousands of goods and can earn commissions on sales they refer.
Walmart is looking to cash in on social media as more customers look to celebrities and content creators for cues about what to buy. Influencers can use Walmart Creator to share product links, get merchandise recommendations based on their interests and collect feedback on sales performance.
“We are following our customers in the places where they spend their time, and increasingly people are spending more time in the social space,” said William White, chief marketing officer at Walmart’s US operation. “We have seen this rise of social influence, social discovery, where customers are inspired about what they see in those platforms.”
Access to the program will be limited at first, as the retailer monitors its impact during the busy holiday season.
A broader rollout is planned for next year, White said.