The "Internet celebrity economy" is rising rapidly! Walmart has also begun to layout this track!

It is learned that according to foreign media reports, Walmart is likely to launch a social media platform to allow Internet celebrities to assist the retailer and third-party sellers in promoting products and services.

According to application materials from the Trademark Office, Walmart has applied for trademarks for "Walmart Creator" and "Walmart Creator Collective." The former is intended to provide social media information, and the latter is intended to promote other people's products and services through Internet celebrities.

However, at this time, Walmart declined to comment on any plans for Walmart Creator and Walmart Creator Collective.

According to the media company Influencer Marketing Hub, the influencer economy will reach $16.4 billion in 2022. Walmart's competitors Shopify and Amazon already have their own social media influencer services.

It is worth noting that Walmart is now working with influencers to promote its grocery and clothing sales, as well as the Walmart+ membership program. These influencers working with Walmart have a large number of fans on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and they recommend products by posting links. When customers click on the links and make purchases, they can get commissions.

According to the financial report released by Walmart in February, Walmart Connect, Walmart's digital advertising business, had revenue of $2 billion in the previous fiscal year. On August 18, when Walmart's CEO released the Q2 financial report, he said that the number of advertisers has increased by 121% since 2021. It can be seen that in addition to the e-commerce business, the advertising business is also becoming one of the important sources of income for the retail giant.

Walmart's move has attracted the attention of many industry insiders. Matt Gilbert, CEO of business collaboration software company Partnerize, said that Walmart intends to use advertisers to spend more budget on the "Internet celebrity economy."

Danielle Wiley, CEO of influencer marketing agency Sway Group, said that many influencers now earn income from Walmart through "commissions." If the company can make it easier for influencers to promote and create content, both Walmart and influencers can benefit greatly.

Editor ✎ Nicole/

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