Shopping had evolved pretty radically over the last 100 years. At the turn of the 20th century, options were pretty limited, comparatively speaking. The local general store was the go-to place to find a handful of brands to choose from.
But now we live in a time of over-abundance. Thanks to online shopping, you can find at least 5 kinds of anything with the click of a button. One thing's for sure, our great-great-grandparents would be gobsmacked if they could see the vast number of choices we make in our day-to-day shopping.
With seemingly limitless options, the trial-and-error process of finding the best products for your dollar can get exhaustive. As the diversity in buying power increases, the marketing for products has become more individualized, thanks in part to the rise of the influencer.
An influencer's job is to influence the things that people buy or do. Using their lifestyle, personality, and style, influencers work with brands to either market or review products. The idea of the modern-day influencer was born of the mommy blogs of the early 2000s. In the 2010s, social media made accessing an audience much faster and more engaging. Once Instagram introduced paid advertising, influencers could easily go full-time getting paid to promote products through the app.
Brands have long been well aware of the benefits of teaming up with influencers to get products in consumer hands. Now Walmart (WMT) is joining the ranks of Disney (DIS), Amazon (AMZN), Sephora (LVMHF) , and other companies who work directly with influencers and provide them with resources to expand their audiences.
Getty Images
Walmart Creator For Influencers
Walmart will now be hosting its own influencer platform. Creators who participate can use the platform's content creation tools to choose from tens of thousands of Walmart products. Influencers will be able to earn commission from sales with no cap.
The platform will also let users easily upload product links to major social media platforms. They'll also receive personalized product recommendations, and can use the platform's performance tools to track data about their commissions, viewership, and engagement.
“We know our customers are inspired by the content and stories they see from their favorite influencers in their social feeds every day,” said William White, Walmart's chief marketing officer. “This next step in our strategy will help fuel inspiration for our customers by connecting their favorite creators directly with our brand and the brands they love at Walmart.”
Walmart Creator is also keen to open the door to influencers who are just getting started. No minimum number of followers needed to join the platform, and it looks like it has some kind of its own filming and editing capabilities. Creators who are interested can find more details and apply for beta access at WalmartCreator.com.
Beta Launches Just In Time For Holiday Shopping
Walmart Creator will be in beta phase until sometime into 2023. The full launch date will likely depend on reported bugs or tweaks needing to be make before the program goes fully public. But in order to find any opportunities for improvement, Walmart is launching the program just in time for retail's busiest time of the year.
This year's holiday shopping season is predicted to be a little bit slower than we're used to. Perhaps the company's holiday will be a little jollier than predicted thanks to a new wave of influencer marketing.
