Twitter is testing a “Livestream Shopping” event in the U.S. courtesy of a new partnership with Walmart. The retailer is the first partner for Twitter’s shopping program.
Walmart will start things off on November 28 (7 PM ET) with a Cyber Deals live event on Twitter, thus marking the platform’s debut of Livestream Shopping. This livestream event allows users to shop the products featured on the broadcast and even engage with audiences by tweeting about the event (via).
It’s worth noting that Walmart has previously run live events on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, so it’s not new to the concept. However, this will be Twitter’s first foray into live online shopping. The November 28 event will also stream on the retailer’s Walmart.com/live site and its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube pages.
The livestream will continue even during the checkout process
Shoppers will find live broadcasts on top of a Live Event page on Twitter. Additionally, it will include a Shop Tab and Shoppable Banner showcasing the products shown in the livestream. When the customer picks a product, they are redirected to an in-app browser for checkout.
Interestingly, the livestream will continue even within this in-app browser. Twitter claims this feature allows users to continue watching the stream even during checkout. A small text box appears at the bottom of the broadcast to tweet about the event with a suggested hashtag.
“We are honored to have Walmart onboard as the first-ever brand to host a Live Shopping event on Twitter. Walmart is renowned for bringing customers an immersive look into their products and we are excited to bring this experience onto Twitter with them, while helping them reach their business objectives,” Twitter’s chief customer officer, Sarah Personette said.
“This is just the first of many Live Shopping events we hope brands will be able to bring to market, and we can’t wait for people to watch, chat, and shop — all through Twitter.”
Twitter has signaled a growing interest in meshing its services with e-commerce. In July, the company unveiled a tool known as Shop Module. This allows retailers and businesses to highlight their products on their Twitter profiles.
Meanwhile, Walmart has offered live shopping events since last year, bringing its products to the most popular social media networks. Since the retailer has already partnered with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc, partnering with Twitter is the logical next step.
2021-11-25 15:07:28