How Walmart is unleashing an army of micro-influencers – its own workers

The idea that employees play a vital role in the customer experience is nothing new in commerce, but US retail giant Walmart is taking the notion one step further – by turning its workers into small-scale influencers, Modern Retail reports.

In a nutshell

• The company’s Spotlight programme, which launched this autumn, already has 500 staff members posting on social media and Walmart plans to ramp up the programme among its almost 1.5 million staff over the next few years.
• Staff use Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to offer a behind-the-scenes look at Walmart, along with advice about services, products, alongside fun stuff.
• Spotlight has its own app, and most campaigns tie in with important retail dates. Questions are used to encourage staff posts and social media conversations, such as, “What do you like to cook on Thanksgiving?” Other prompts might be a dance challenge on TikTok.
• Spotlight influencers select specific skills in their profiles, along with character traits and hobbies, allowing Walmart to recommend target individuals with campaigns.

Key quote

“Our vision is to grow this into the world’s largest employee-influencer programme” – Jeff Zilberman, vice president of client services at Brand Networks, which manages Walmart’s My Local Social and Spotlight programmes.

Sourced from Modern Retail