Walmart expands shoppable video hub with celebrity cooking shows

Dive Brief:

Walmart and interactive video startup Eko this week introduced 22 episodes on Walmart Cookshop, the retail chain's shoppable video hub for home cooks. As part of the rollout, the Walmart Cookshop website was updated with new player controls, a "My Favorites" section to save recipes, a share function and more chances to shop for products, per an announcement emailed to Marketing Dive.
The Walmart Cookshop videos include a special starring actress Sofia Vergara and her son Manolo, along with new episodes of "Create Your Own: Tasty x Eko," "Veggie Boost with Jamie Oliver," "Over the Top with Patti Labelle," "Shortcut Chef" and "Mystery Basket." The videos let viewers order recipe ingredients and featured products for pick-up or delivery from Walmart.
Walmart Cookshop saw a clickthrough rate of 8.7% during tests, compared with the industry standard of around 2%, according to the company. Walmart in 2018 formed a joint venture with Eko to develop original interactive video content.

Dive Insight:

Walmart and Eko's introduction of more shoppable videos at the Walmart Cookshop hub indicates the retailer saw positive results from its interactive programming. The companies launched the shoppable video hub in November with plans to premiere 17 episodes by the end of 2020. The launch included the shows starring celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and singer Patti Labelle, along with blogger Ree Drummond in "Set the Table with The Pioneer Woman."

The expanded programming comes as people make more meals at home during the pandemic, which also spurred growth in online shopping and digital media consumption. E-commerce sales jumped 32% to a record $791.7 billion last year, far outpacing the 3.4% growth in total retail sales, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. adults last year spent 7 hours and 50 minutes a day consuming digital media, up 15% from the prior year, according to researcher eMarketer. The Walmart Cookshop marks a convergence of those consumer activities, providing new ideas for home-cooked meals and a way to order ingredients directly from a connected device.

Shoppable video has become a bigger priority for Walmart as the retailer's e-commerce revenue grows and it competes more directly with rival Amazon. To reach younger consumers during the holiday season, Walmart in December launched a shoppable livestream on social video app TikTok. The "Holiday Shop-Along Spectacular" featured social media personalities who showcased private-label and national brands, and let mobile viewers tap on the videos to see more product information and place an order. Before that, Walmart collaborated with online video network Tastemade on the rollout of shoppable streaming content that offered viewers ideas on what to cook during the holidays.

Walmart's expansion of its shoppable cooking shows comes as Amazon puts more effort into interactive video. The e-commerce giant in December partnered with Tastemade on an online cooking show that let viewers buy ingredients from Amazon Fresh, its grocery delivery service. Genesis Motor America sponsored the five-part "Origins" series that profiled chefs who discussed their backgrounds and demonstrated how to cook a signature dish.