Walmart is teaming up with TikTok to sell products on the app months after agreeing to acquire a stake in the video-based social media platform

• Walmart will now allow TikTok users to buy its products directly on its live streams.
• "Naturally, when TikTok began exploring a new shoppable product, we jumped in to pilot the solution," Walmart Chief Marketing Officer William White wrote in a statement sent to Business Insider.
• Walmart tentatively agreed to acquire 7.5% of TikTok Global's operations after the social media platform came under fire from United States President Donald Trump.

Like so many influencers before it, Walmart is taking to TikTok to sell its wares. The Arkansas-based retail giant announced Thursday that it will now allow app users to shop "fashion items featured in content from some of the app's most popular creators without ever having to leave the platform" during Walmart live streams.

"We're excited that we have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this innovation in a shoppable live stream - a first on TikTok in the US," Chief Marketing Officer William White wrote in a statement sent to Business Insider. "It gives us a new way to engage with users and reach potential new customers, while bringing our own brand of fun - with the help of fashion-loving TikTok creators - to the platform."

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Walmart's latest e-commerce partnership comes after the retailer, along with technology firm Oracle, agreed to buy up stake in TikTok Global from its parent company ByteDance. A spokesperson for the retailer said that the company has "tentatively agreed to purchase 7.5% of TikTok Global "as well as enter into commercial agreements to provide our ecommerce, fulfillment, payments and other omnichannel services to TikTok Global." In August, United States President Donald Trump had ordered ByteDance to divest its US operations. Meanwhile, Walmart has recently launched new partnerships to test and expand its e-commerce capabilities, including an extensive program with recipe platform Sidechef.

The company has experimented with working with online influencers since at least 2018. In April 2020, Walmart switched things up by suspending its influencer affiliate programs with the e-commerce platforms MagicLinks and Rakuten. MagicLinks told Business Insider that its partnership with Walmart has since resumed.

Walmart's first TikTok shopping experience will launch on December 18 at. 8 p.m. ET, with a live stream "Holiday Shop-Along Spectacular" featuring TikTok creator Michael Le. Known for his dancing, Le has around 43 million followers.

"With millions of our customers on TikTok, we've continued to grow our presence, creating big moments with our hashtag challenges," White said. "Naturally, when TikTok began exploring a new shoppable product, we jumped in to pilot the solution. I'm thrilled to close out 2020 innovating on behalf of customers in our fastest growing social community."

White wrote that TikTok users will be able to "tap on a product" whenever they see a "Walmart fashion item they like during the event." Customers can add the product to their cart and purchase it without leaving TikTok. White said that events will feature products from companies like Kendall + Kylie, Jordache, and Champion, as well as Walmart owned brands like Free Assembly, Scoop, and Sofia Jeans.

"We're excited to engage with TikTok on this new experience and learn what's possible for shopping on a platform that brings its community so much joy," White wrote. "We can't wait to see what we learn. And we can't wait to see what you like, comment on, share - and shop - from the show."