Sept. 20, 2022
Consumers who turned to online shopping during the pandemic have chosen to stay there, with those returning to in-store relying on online research to guide their decisions. Consumers realized the importance of “connection” and were forced to adapt and connect in new ways including social feeds, livestreaming, mobile and more, specifically across video and connected TV. In fact, the predicted growth of social commerce from 10% of all e-commerce to 17% by 2025 will be driven by Gen Z and millennial consumers and nearly two-thirds (64%) of social media users — an estimated 2 billion social buyers — said they made a purchase on social media in the past year.
Walmart Connect is committed to improving and innovating new ways for suppliers and sellers to connect with customers throughout the shopper journey by creating a multilateral culture of experimentation. Walmart Connect recently announced the evolution of its Partner Program strategy to create a robust, diverse ecosystem that will expand advertiser support, increase services and deliver access anywhere advertisers need to have it. Today, we’re building on that strategy by announcing our Innovation Partners. 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.
These strategic partnerships provide ‘Test and Learn’ opportunities with social, entertainment, t-commerce and live streaming throughout the entire holiday season. The newly expanded offering includes additional touchpoints and channels to reach customers wherever they are with new ad formats. Together, we will work with each partner to more deeply connect advertisers with customers throughout key moments in the shopper journey in order to provide the best solutions for advertisers.
Our partnerships further underscore how Walmart Connect is committed to evolving our business and expanding our offerings to actively stay ahead of what advertisers need. There is no other platform that can extend to new formats where customers are engaging and interacting, and leverage Walmart’s unparalleled first party omnichannel data to deliver measurable sales performance. We are excited to test, learn and iterate on what drives performance for advertisers as we continue to break new ground with our partners.