Do You Really Want Walmart on Your Facebook Wall?
Sure, shopping at Walmart (WMT) is your guilty pleasure, but do you really want to share with all your Facebook friends which store in the 9,700-unit chain is your very favorite?
The world's biggest retailer hopes you do: It's launching more than 3,500 store-specific Facebook pages, plastering the social networking site in much the same way it carpeted the nation with its stores.
A new MyLocal Walmart Facebook application will enable shoppers to track what's in their local stores and when. It will offer up locally-relevant information on new products -- from LED TVs to organic dog food -- as well updates on big discounts, or in Walmart speak, "hot rollbacks."
Walmart "fans" will get Facebook updates on savings, and be kept in the loop on in-store events. Shoppers planning their holiday shopping for Black Friday, for example, will be able to print their store's map on Facebook.
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The app reflects Walmart's bid to bring its "store of the community" strategy to what has become the biggest online community.
"Our innovative approach with Facebook allows us to bridge the gap between local and social, giving millions of customers the localized shopping experience they expect from Walmart," Stephen Quinn, vice president of global marketing, in a statement.
Adds Carolyn Everson, vice president of global marketing solutions for Facebook: "People on Facebook want to connect with the brands that they love."
But it's no secret that not everyone is in love with the retail behemoth. Being the diverse social community Facebook is, those 3,500 new Walmart pages on Facebook are just a click away from all the Walmart haters on the site.
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