News reports out of Arkansas over the past two weeks show just how close Facebook and Walmart have grown. The Bentonville retail giant is adding 2.3 million fans per month, according to social marketing analytics firm socialbakers, which helps explain why Walmart’s Facebook page is now at 23.5 million fans versus just 17 million a few short months ago. Walmart plans to triple Facebook impressions to more than two billion this holiday season and “align all our social media against our marketing platforms so we have a consistent message,” Walmart Chief Marketing Officer Duncan Mac Naughton told investors in comments quoted by Retailing Today.
In other words, Walmart is paying close attention to Facebook this holiday season and betting big on it. The company has some cause to do so; in recent years the discounter has built out individual Facebook pages for each of its stores and has seen sales lifts on individual items it highlights there. Facebook’s director of global vertical marketing has called Walmart “best in class” at “a whole range of things” it does on the social network.
If Walmart can show concrete return this holiday on its Facebook investment, which includes friend-based product recommendations and votes on what products to discount, it will go a long way toward dispelling the idea that its billions of dollars in annual ad revenues are just a temporary fluke. If not, Facebook’s New Year will be significantly less merry and bright.
