Walmart Bundles Products, Services and Content to Monetize Pickleball Craze

Walmart has launched products, services and content focused on pickleball.

The retail giant has partnered with racquet sports booking platform Break the Love to create this bundled program centered on this recreational sport for “the everyday athlete,” Walmart said in a Tuesday (April 4) press release.

“We are always looking for ways to create meaningful experiences that encourage our customers to interact with Walmart in new ways,” Walmart U.S. Vice President of Brand Marketing and Strategy Casey Schlaybaugh said in the release. “Walmart is dedicated to supporting its customers and their communities, helping them find and access everyday opportunities to create moments of joy and connection in their lives.”

With the new partnership, the companies have collaborated to create a curated shopping experience that includes pickleball merchandise, short-form video content and 25 community events across the country that will feature programming and giveaways, according to the release.

In addition, they will offer 125,000 comped reservations at pickleball venues to Walmart customers and associates, the press release said.

Members of Walmart’s paid subscription service, Walmart+, will also have first access for peak reservation times at pickleball venues, co-branded swag, meet and greets with pro players, and other exclusive offerings, per the release.

Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal said in the release that pickleball caters to all skill levels and communities.

“We’re so proud to have built a footprint large enough to be able to partner with a brand as prolific and iconic as Walmart,” Goyal said in the release. “The company is well recognized for delivering a shopping experience that serves anyone and everyone who walks through their doors.”

Pickleball is also the fastest growing sport in America, athletic footwear company Skechers said in July. At the time, the firm had recently launched a footwear line called Viper Court that is designed specifically for those who play pickleball.

As PYMNTS reported in September, both Walmart and its rival Amazon are trying out new ways to build customer connections.

For example, both companies are boosting the sports programming they offer as well as the merchandise and content that complement it and help them connect with customers between games.