The ‘Spring Shop-Along: Beauty Edition’ – kicking off at 9pm EST on Thursday 11 March – will give TikTok users the chance to shop live for items featured in creator content within the app, without having to leave the platform.

During the one-hour livestream on Walmart’s TikTok channel, creators, including @GabbyMorr, will share their favourite Walmart beauty picks and demo their skincare, makeup, and hair routines using those items. While creators are demoing, viewers will be able to shop from a range of brands featured including NYX, Maybelline, The Lip Bar, Bliss, Kim Kimble, Marc Jacobs fragrances, and more.

To shop for items, viewers will be able to tap on product pins and add these items to their cart, where they can check out during or after the event.

“We will continue to bring more shopping experiences to TikTok in the coming months by partnering with creators to highlight different products via different formats,” said William White, Chief Marketing Officer at Walmart US. “We are excited to test, learn and iterate on what’s best for users as we innovate and chart new territory in social commerce.”

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SuperCoin Pay enables retail outlets from across fashion, groceries, food & beverages, travel, and health & wellness to register to begin accepting SuperCoin payments. Customers will be able to pay the full value of their bills, both online and offline, at the over 5,000 stores.

“Over the past year, SuperCoin has developed into a highly successful rewards programme, with over 10bn SuperCoins earned by millions of Flipkart customers. Building on this success, and with the intention to create a larger and more inclusive ecosystem, we are thrilled to announce the launch of SuperCoin Pay,” said Prakash Sikaria, Vice President of Growth and Monetisation at Flipkart.

“The lines between online and offline shopping are becoming increasingly blurred and our intention is to make the consumers’ shopping experience more rewarding, no matter where they shop. Being a part of the SuperCoin programme enables our partners to reap the benefits of Flipkart’s 300m customer base through a truly integrated rewards initiative.”

Customers can pay using SuperCoins via the Flipkart app when in physical stores. Using the app, they can scan the QR Code displayed at partner stores and select ‘Pay with SuperCoins’. If there is any balance still to be paid, the customer can pay using Netbanking, cards, or UPI before showing their payment code to cashier. The app can also be used to view the entire list of stores accepting SuperCoin payments.

Walmart-owned Flipkart will continue to make its rewards programme free for any of its customers.

The introduction of SuperCoin Pay comes following the recent introduction of SuperCoin Exchange, which enables customers to exchange SuperCoins for rewards points at partner brands and vice versa.

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‘The Instagram Christmas Edit: Supporting Small Businesses’ features gifts from businesses across fashion and beauty to food and homeware, with creators including LGBT activist Tanya Compas, body positivity champion Megan Jayne Crabbe, and fashion stylist Monikh Dale offering up product suggestions from their favourite small businesses.

Brands include black-owned, vegan hair and skincare brand @okin.epidermis, eco-friendly drinks brand @punchydrinks, homeware brand @daphine, and luxe shirt brand @withnothingunderneath. All of the products featured in the catalogue are linked to the brand’s Instagram page and instantly shoppable.

“Small businesses are an integral part of the Instagram community and over the last few months we’ve seen over 1.5m mentions, posts and comments from people in the UK, showing their support for small businesses and buying local,” said Eva Chen, Vice President of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram. “That’s why we have teamed up with a group of amazing Creators to create The Instagram Christmas Edit, a shoppable catalogue packed full with some of the much-loved and unique British brands on Instagram, just in time for Christmas.”

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Online sales are forecasted to grow by between 35 and 45 per cent between 23 and 30 November, according to online retail industry association IMRG. And, so far this year, online retail has grown by 34.9 per cent, compared to a growth of just 6.7 per cent in 2019.

Despite this, there is still a slight chance that Black Friday online spend doesn’t reach the predicted levels.

“We were anticipating a huge surge online this peak, and circumstances have conspired to ensure that is the case; the stores are closed, furlough has been extended and shoppers are being advised to get the bulk of their Christmas shopping done before December,” said Andy Mulcahy, Strategy and Insight Director at IMRG. “There is a possibility that could mean people buy spend more in the early weeks of November, pulling some of the volume away from the Black Friday week – that seems the only realistic reason why the online spend for that period could come in lower than +35 per cent.”

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Customers in G-Star stores can use their iPhones to scan QR codes or tap NFC-enabled information tags on one of the shop windows or in-store mannequins to gain information about outfits on display. Information given includes the price, different colours, and different sizes available both in the store itself and online. Users can also order online and pay using Apple Pay via the app clip.

“The G-Star Raw app is very popular as it offers, among other things, look books and inspiration. Our brand stores in turn yield other advantages: consumers can touch and try on clothes here, with personal advice from our stylists,” said Klaas Buist, Digital Director of Operations at G-Star Raw. “With Apple’s new App Clips, we connect the best of both of these worlds. As the digital product information from the App Clips is available in physical stores, consumers can easily see what a garment looks like when worn by a model. They can then try the item on themselves in store or purchase it online, in any size or colour. In this way, we gain the full potential from our omnichannel strategy.”

G-Star’s app clips offering, powered by Highstreet Mobile, has been first made available in G-Star stores in Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

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The transaction will see Alibaba claim 70.94 per cent of equity interest in A-RT Holdings from France-based Auchan Retail. Currently, A-RT owns around 51 per cent of the equity interest in Sun Art.

Alibaba first invested in Sun Art in 2017. The company paid approximately $2.88bn to Ruentex for an ‘aggregate direct and indirect’ stake in the Group. This gave Alibaba 36.16 per cent of Sun Art.

The initial investment was part of an alliance between Alibaba, Auchan, and Ruentex to introduce omnichannel integration and a more personalised experience at Sun Art stores. Now, all of Sun Art’s 481 hypermarkets and three mid-size supermarkets have been integrated with Alibaba’s Taoxianda and Tmall Supermarket platforms, offering one-hour and half-day on-demand delivery.

“Alibaba’s strategic investment in Sun Art in 2017 was an important step in our New Retail strategy. The alliance we formed with Auchan Retail and Ruentex was instrumental in building a robust infrastructure to create opportunities and value in China’s retail sector,” said Daniel Zhang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Alibaba.

“Led by Chief Executive Officer Peter Huang, Sun Art has achieved impressive results in its digitalisation, and pursued promising synergies with businesses across the Alibaba digital economy. As the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the digitalisation of consumer lifestyles and enterprise operations, this commitment to Sun Art serves to strengthen our New Retail vision and serve more consumers with a fully integrated experience.”

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From mid-October, the search giant will make it free for retailers to list their products on the Google Shopping tab through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, meaning search results on the Shopping tab in these regions will be primarily made up of free listings and offer shoppers more options.

Businesses already using Merchant Center and Shopping ads will automatically see their listings show up at no cost.

According to Google, free listings and ads have got an average of twice as many views and 50 per cent more visits in the US since launching there earlier this year, with small and medium-sized businesses seeing the biggest increases.

In addition to free listings, Google is launching ‘Local Services Ads’ in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK. This product helps people to connect with trustworthy local professionals who are backed by the Google Guarantee badge. Searchers are able to see license information and reviews from previous customers, and can also compare and contact providers.

Professionals using Local Services Ads only have to pay when they are contacted by a customer and will not be charged just for people clicking on the ad.

Finally, Google will roll out Google for Small Business and Grow My Store – which helps local retailers drive customer traffic – to more countries by the end of this year. Google for Small Business was launched in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK earlier this month; while Grow My Store was recently expanded to Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain.

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Worldwide spend on platforms such as Amazon, Tmall, Rakuten, Walmart, Carrefour, TikTok, and Pinduoduo will grow 30 times faster than the wider online ad market this year, according to Warc, while the overall advertising industry is expected to see a fall in spend of 8.1 per cent.

Alibaba, the world’s third-largest ad business after Alphabet and Facebook, is forecasted to make $23.5bn from selling its eCommerce ad inventory this year – its ad income rising 6.6 per cent. Meanwhile, Amazon is set to see its advertising income grow by 35.6 per cent to $18.1bn.

“With ad investment flat or falling across most media in the wake of COVID-19, eCommerce platforms – which have seen penetration balloon – are in a strong position to capture reallocated budgets by using sales data to demonstrate ad performance during a volatile economic climate,” said James McDonald, Head of Data Content at Warc Data and research author.

The rise in eCommerce ad spend coincides with the big increase in online purchasing seen this year. Consumers are expected to spend an additional $183bn online this year, as total eCommerce sales rise by 30.4 per cent to $2.9 trillion globally. eCommerce sales are predicted to account for 88 per cent of global retail growth this year.

Elsewhere, livestreamed commerce through platforms such as TikTok, Taobao, and Kwai will more than double in sales value to $171bn, representing 10.2 per cent of all eCommerce sales today. It’s expected that this commerce avenue will grow to $421bn in value in the next two years, bringing its share of total eCommerce sales to 20.3 per cent.

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Walmart+, which will become available to customers on 15 September, will cost $98 a year or $12.95 a month following a 15-day free trial period. Members will have access to unlimited, free same-day delivery on everything from groceries to technology items. This service was previously called ‘Delivery Unlimited’ and existing subscribers will automatically become Walmart+ members.

On top of the free delivery, members will unlock the ‘Scan & Go’ checkout-free option within the Walmart app. This will enable them to use the app to scan items as they shop and pay using Walmart Pay, without ever having to go through the physical checkout process. There’s also the opportunity to save up to five cents a gallon at almost 2,000 Walmart, Murphy USA, and Murphy Express fuel stations, with Sam’s Club fuel stations being added soon.

“Walmart+ will bring together a comprehensive set of benefits where we see the greatest needs from our customers and where our scale can bring solutions at an unprecedented value,” said Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer at Walmart. “Life feels more complicated than ever. Walmart+ is designed to make it easier – giving customers an option to not have to sacrifice on cost or convenience.”

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The ‘#AySauce’ campaign, created in collaboration with Byte London, features a dedicated branded hashtag challenge, in-feed ads, a bespoke music track, and an interactive augmented reality (AR) experience with TikTok’s branded effects. Talent involved in the campaign includes Holly H, Luke Trotman from Love Island, the Neffati Brothers, Loren Gray, Micheal Le, and Jordan Fisher.

“We’re always evolving our content, social media strategy and channel focus to ensure we’re staying relevant to our fashion-loving 20-something customers,” said John Mooney, Brand Creative Director at ASOS. “TikTok is a growing part of that mix, and we’re excited to see how our social content team can engage our customers in new ways through the #AySauce hashtag challenge over the coming weeks.”

Starting today, all TikTok users in the UK will be greeted by ASOS content when opening the app. Then, from 31 August, the #AySauce challenge will ask target audiences to showcase three outfits of their choice in 15 seconds. Those participating in the challenge will be able to explore more ASOS content via an extra ‘Explore’ tab on the challenge page.

In-feed ads will run throughout the campaign to reach users in their personalised ‘For You’ feeds. And ASOS has commissioned and produced its own track with KARM and co-created a branded effect AR experience with Byte.

In the US, ASOS will run in-feed ads from 31 August until 14 September alongside creator content.

“TikTok’s format and joyful tone encourages brands to be authentic and creative in a fully immersive, no judgement world,” said Inam Mahmood, Managing Director of Global Business Solutions UK at TikTok. “The team at ASOS has really leaned into this and shown with its campaign that it understands what makes the platform unique – community, music and creativity. We’re excited to see the results we can help to deliver for ASOS across the UK and US.”

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