Walmart Strengthens TV-eCommerce Connection With Peacock Partnership

Walmart is expanding its shoppable TV footprint via a new partnership with NBCUniversal’s Peacock platform.

The collaboration lets fans of “Below Deck Mediterranean,” a reality series about the crew of a superyacht, buy products inspired by that program during “shoppable episodes” set to air Tuesday (Nov. 7) and Dec. 5 and 12, according to a Monday (Nov. 6) press release.

“When customers find something they love during an ad break, they can simply press arrows on the remote to browse the interactive onscreen product carousel and scan a QR code to easily checkout on Walmart.com,” the retailer said in the release.

The partnership comes from the blending of Walmart’s eCommerce capabilities and NBCUniversal’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which can identify objects within a scene of the show, per the release.

“So, after the chief stew serves the sit-down dinner using dishware, viewers will be served a shoppable ad unit where they can shop similar dishware on Walmart’s site…,” the release said. “Plus, items are paired with Walmart’s inventory, so viewers will only see options that are readily available to purchase.”

Walmart announced in June that it was working with NBCUniversal to test retail media-powered ads within live sports streaming, marking the first time the network’s live sports streaming inventory was made available through a retail media network.

Last year, the company joined forces with Roku on a partnership that lets viewers buy Walmart products from the streaming platform.

Walmart Chief Marketing Officer William White said at the time that the idea was to connect customers “where they are already spending time, shortening the distance from discovery and inspiration to purchase.”

The latest announcement comes as the company is furthering its digital presence on several fronts.

Walmart debuted 117 “digital-first stores” at the end of October, part of its $9 billion-plus investment in upgrading more than 1,400 stores around the country.

Included in these stores are “activated corners” featuring interactive displays that let customers engage with products. Larger pieces of merchandise have been removed from their boxes to give shoppers a better experience with these items. The company has also placed digital touchpoints around the store to give consumers more information on products and services.

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