# Social Media Shopping Wal-Mart Online Adds Small Town Appeal to the Big Box Retailer By Omar Yusuf | Published 2011-10-12 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wal-mart-online References: [gizmodo](http://gizmodo.com/5848549/wal) & [google](http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g3Oa-VLRwHDElixUykC4iuBR7Lag) While corporate megastores may have inched out smaller, charming branches, Wal-Mart Online will help the retailer return some of the small town appeal thanks to its newest initiative with Facebook. A longtime criticism of Wal-Mart has been that each of the 3,500 nationwide locations looked identical. So in an attempt to regionalize and personalize their outlets, a network of Facebook pages -- one for each store -- will be launched within days. 'Wal-Mart Online' will allow customers to touch base with their local retailer by receiving exclusive deals, information about sales events and even contests. A map of the individual store will help customers navigate directly to the items on sale! Wal-Mart hopes that eventually, your pattern of 'liking' different products will help them tailor a personal shopping experience -- a potentially creepy notion, but it may end up being practical. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.5/10 - Popularity: 23% | Activity: 75% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Regionalized Retail:** Creating personalized and localized shopping experiences through regionalized retail initiatives. - **Social Media Integration:** Integrating social media platforms like Facebook to engage customers and provide exclusive deals and information. - **Personalized Shopping:** Using customer preferences and data to tailor personalized shopping experiences. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Leveraging technology to enhance customer experiences and differentiate from competitors. - **Social Media:** Developing innovative ways to integrate social media platforms into business strategies. - **E-commerce:** Exploring new avenues to enhance online shopping experiences and customer engagement. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Digital Celeb Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/digital-shopping-experience.md) - [Imaginative Shopping Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-realm.md) - [Influencer-Led Virtual Shops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-realm-1.md) - [Digital Retailer Strategy Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-ecommerce-update.md) - [Text-Based Shopping Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-4.md) - [Smile-Detecting Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-joy-fully.md) - [Text-to-Shop Retail Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-text-to-shop.md) - [Personalized Customer Service Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-wallaby.md) - [Approachable Retailer Branding Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/walmart-brand-refresh.md)