Walmart creates shoppable carts with Patrick Mahomes, Barbie

Dive Brief: To connect shoppers with popular personalities’ favorite products, Walmart has partnered with NFL player Patrick Mahomes, singer Becky G and the Barbie brand to create shoppable carts where customers can view curated product picks, the retailer announced on Wednesday. The three listed a variety of party essentials, electronics and other items in their carts, such as a Bose portable speaker, an Igloo Cooler, a Better Homes & Gardens throw blanket and a wood-burning fire pit. As part of the digital shopping experience, Walmart is hosting a livestream shopping event to showcase Becky G’s favorite items. The event will take place on Walmart’s website, Facebook page and Becky G’s Facebook page on July 25, per the press release. Dive Insight:

Walmart noted in its announcement that the shopping carts are meant to be another product discovery tool for online shoppers who want recommendations from their favorite influencers.

The livestream shopping event with Becky G marks the retailer’s continued experimentation with livestream shopping. In March 2022, the retail giant expanded a previous partnership with Talkshoplive to launch eight livestream shopping experiences featuring personalities like Rachael Ray and Drew Barrymore. In 2021, the retailer tested out livestream shopping events on Twitter and TikTok.

Walmart is diving into the livestream market as it is projected to grow: Coresight Research released a report earlier this year projecting that the livestream e-commerce market could reach $31.7 billion by the end of the year. However, last August, Meta announced plans to shut down live shopping on Facebook, citing changing consumer viewing behaviors, but kept live shopping functionality on Instagram.

Walmart has been updating its website in recent years to improve the overall shopping experience for online customers. Last October, the retailer announced various website enhancements, including an augmented reality shopping feature and green tags to denote discounted items. In April, Walmart revamped its website and mobile app to make them easier to navigate.