“If Walmart was a person that played video games, what would they like?”
That’s what Riley Little asked himself when he took over Walmart Canada’s Gaming Twitter account more than three years ago. The lifetime gamer from Bracebridge, Ont., has been Walmart Canada’s Gaming Community Manager for over four years.
“Walmart Canada thought we could do a better job appealing to gamers,” Riley said. “I wanted to make the account more approachable and more interesting. Walmart was open to allowing me to do that.”
The Walmart team had a mission to create content that was relatable, funny and uniquely Walmart. Since the gaming community is active online, Twitter was a great place for Walmart to reach gamers.
“The more I tweeted, the more I saw it resonating,” Riley said.
Quirky posts about internet trends, funny memes and nostalgic throwbacks proved popular. Some of the biggest wins came with viral posts of video game characters wearing the Walmart vest. The lighthearted content captured new followers and media attention, which helped grow the account.
The account exploded in popularity from 400 followers to more than 175,000 today. There was help along the way with the highly anticipated console launches of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S and Sony’s PlayStation 5 in late 2020.
Limited supply during the pandemic left many gamers on the hunt for these next-generation consoles. Exclusive restocks were posted by Walmart Canada Gaming on Twitter, directing customers to purchase these consoles at Walmart.ca before they’d sell out in minutes due to high demand.
For gamers in Canada, one of the best ways to find a new Xbox or PlayStation was to follow Walmart Canada Gaming on Twitter.
“We can’t achieve our goals without the support of our retail partners and for gamers, we know the retail experience starts long before they walk into stores,” said Christina Verdurmen, Director, Xbox Global Integrated Marketing. “Walmart Canada is providing a master class on how to reach gamers with the @WalmartCAGaming channel on Twitter. They are providing gamers with the information they need and content that they love. They’re an important part of the gaming community here in Canada.”
With friendliness, consistency and strong products, the channel is putting Walmart customers first.
“We want to connect with our customers and provide them with a one-stop shop for everything from industry news and updates to fun and engaging content,” said Rob Thompson, Senior Omni Channel Merchant, Video Gaming. “It’s been fun watching the account grow.”
With Black Friday and the holidays fast approaching, Canadians will be watching the account for news, updates and promotions.
“We’re going to have some kick-butt deals,” Riley said. “It’s going to be a great holiday season.”
Walmart Canada’s Black Friday event runs from Nov. 9 to 27.
