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In August, reports surfaced that Walmart filed trademarks for Walmart Creator and Walmart Creator Collective, hinting that it was launching a creator platform. Fast forward to now, Walmart announced the beta launch of Walmart Creator, its brand-new creator platform. How Walmart Creator Works Creators who sign up will have access to tens of thousands of products, including recommended products based on their interests and affinities. They can grab affiliate links for the products to share across social media and other digital experiences and earn 5% to 16% commissions on sales that they drive with no cap. Creators can also track and view performance in the platform’s analytics dashboard to see how audiences engage with their product links. There is the ability for creators to be discovered by Walmart's community of brands, apply for upcoming brand campaigns, and receive invites to private Walmart invites. Plus, there is an education component, as creators can learn best practices and tips and tricks from top creators across different categories, including the Walmart Creator Collective, a group of creators the company is launching the platform with. The Power Of Social Commerce Walmart's investment in its own creator platform illustrates its belief in the power of social commerce and its role in the future of its business, including its battle with Amazon, which has a creator program of its own. Walmart has been one of the most active companies in influencer marketing, often running hundreds, even thousands of programs a year with brand and agency partners. Now, Walmart Creator brings its creator initiatives to a centralized location with the potential for massive scale. With an affiliate marketing structure at the core and the ability for anyone to sign up, from creators that are already monetizing their work to those just getting started, Walmart can turn its millions of customers into always-on brand advocates. Having its own ecosystem of creators enables the retailer to be able to activate and deploy creators on an ongoing basis to support initiatives and tentpole moments throughout the years, including back-to-school, holiday shopping, and Walmart+ Day. In a time when third-party cookies are becoming extinct and audience targeting via paid media is more difficult, creators are a way for brands like Walmart to reach the right audiences in the places they spend time and in a way that resonates. By combining creators, content, and commerce, Walmart can accelerate the move between inspiration to purchase for consumers. Expect More Brand Creator Platforms Retail giants like Walmart and Amazon aren’t the only companies investing in their creator platforms. Earlier this year, Shopify launched Shopify Collabs, and this week, buy now, pay later company Klarna launched the Klarna Creator platform. Both are focused on helping merchants connect with creators to drive lower-funnel actions. As creators continue to prove to be one of the most powerful customer acquisition channels, companies will invest more in creator platforms to leverage their power systematically and creatively. In the coming year, expect to see more of these creator platforms, especially those that democratize being a creator and let everyone be an active member of the creator economy.
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