eBay lost General Manager of Collectibles Mayank Hajela to Walmart last year as the latter company expands its collectibles category. On Thursday, Walmart live-streamed its first episode of “Collector’s Night,” its new Thursday-night series on Walmart Live.
Live commerce platform TalkShopLive is powering Walmart Live’s Collector’s Night in partnership with WeTheHobby, a sports card and collectibles community. Each episode includes live box breaks, giveaways, and exclusive drops.
Hajela said the collectibles category represents a critical and exciting area of investment and growth for Walmart. “With demand continuing to surge, we’re committed to building experiences that not only serve collectors but redefine what they expect from us. ‘Collector’s Night’ is a powerful step forward in making Walmart a true destination for this growing category.”
Collectibles is not a new category for Walmart, and last year, it ran a promotion tied to its announcement welcoming third-party sellers to sell used collectibles on its marketplace.
The comments in Retailwire’s coverage of the news are thought-provoking. For example, one commentor said Walmart doesn’t have to “compete” in live shopping, it can use it as long form communication introducing goods to small segments, while another said Walmart needed more than occasional streams to build something distinct.
The question for sellers is whether Walmart’s collectibles category presents a worthwhile opportunity.