Walmart sets the stage for another live TikTok event

After growing its TikTok user base by 25% with the success of its last shoppable event, Walmart is launching another live stream event on its TikTok channel on March 11. The event is the “Spring Shop-Along: Beauty Edition,” and will feature new content creators from the channel and new private brand and branded items to buy right then and there.

In a blog post from William White, Walmart U.S. chief marketing officer, the retailer said it netted 7X more views than anticipated and grew its TikTok followers by 25%, saying that level of demand urged them to launch another live stream shopping event.

This newest event will feature Gabby Morrison (@GabbyMorr) and her reach of more than 3.5 million followers and other content creators on the platform showcasing their favorite Walmart beauty finds, demonstrating skincare products and routines, makeup and hair routines and why they love the products. The 60-minute interactive tutorial will showcase private brand products, Black-owned beauty brands and national brands. 

A Walmart spokesperson told Store Brands that items will spread across skincare, cosmetics, haircare and fragrance and that products were not dictated to the creators. "They shopped our entire assortment to select items that they wanted to specifically feature in the event," the spokesperson said. 

This is the second major event Walmart will host since taking a 7.5% stake in the U.S. operations of the app. The retailer, even before that, had been one of the heavier retail users of the app when Store Brands talked private brand usage on TikTok last year.

Purchasing through the event is a direct link to shoppers though, and White said in the post that TikTok users can tap on any product pin to add items to a cart while watching and check out at the end. He said there will be more shopping experiences to come in the coming months, too, as they test and learn more about social commerce and TikTok.

Blake Chandlee, president of TikTok Global Business Solutions, said about the event, “With the shoppable livestream experience, it's exciting to see how the TikTok community loves engaging with their favorite creators and discovering new products. We look forward to continue building innovative ways to power the path from discovery to purchase, and seeing brands like Walmart bring their creativity to users."