Walmart's Interactive Cooking Show Is a Star-Studded, Shoppable 'Choose Your Own Adventure'

If you’ve ever wanted to cook alongside actor Sofia Vergara or music legend Patti LaBelle, you’re in luck. After testing an interactive cooking show for three months, Walmart has officially launched—and extended—Cookshop, its “shoppable interactive video hub for cooking enthusiasts” on the platform Eko. The show's lineup has also expanded, adding Vergara and her son to an already star-studded roster that includes LaBelle, as well as food personalities Jamie Oliver and Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman. (Coincidentally, each also sells their own line of products at Walmart.) Interactive, shoppable content The initial 17 episodes are grouped in categories like Over the Top with LaBelle and Veggie Boost with Oliver, as well as Shortcut Chef and Mystery Basket. Cookshop viewers can interact with episodes, “enjoying full control over ingredients and outcomes." Viewers are also asked to choose between several options, which dictates the direction of each roughly five-minute video. In LaBelle’s episode on Maxed-Out Mini Sweet Potato Pies, for example, viewers must first choose whether they want to go elegant and pretty or over the top. In the latter option, they can then choose between candy or a milkshake. The sweet potato pies are, of course, from LaBelle’s line of baked goods. Oliver gets a little more personal with viewers in his Greens Mac and Cheese episode, asking why they are looking for ways to add more vegetables into their diets. Then viewers are asked to choose: broccolini or asparagus? Peas or kale? Rosemary breadcrumbs or sliced almonds? Viewers can then download the recipe and shop for the ingredients. Walmart automatically selects each one so they can add everything to their carts with a single click. Per Walmart, the initial videos included more than 275 possible outcomes and yielded an 8.7% clickthrough rate among viewers (although overall viewership rates are unclear). A 22-episode expansion brings further opportunities for product integration from LaBelle’s pies to cookware. ‘A more personalized experience’ Cookshop will be integrated into the Walmart app later this year. It will also be promoted across Walmart’s social channels and on some of the retailer’s owned and operated channels, although it wasn’t clear which channels those will be. The retail giant hopes the content, which is focused on healthy eating and family meals, will also drive grocery and houseware sales. Walmart did not respond to a question about why it opted to use Eko in this capacity, but it invested in the platform in 2018. It has also worked with Eko on an interactive toy catalog. “Eko is creating interactive experiences that turn buyers into shoppers, and being able to ‘choose your own adventure’ as you interact with the content makes it feel like a more personalized experience," an Eko spokesperson told Adweek. "It's an experience in which the customer is both entertained and engaged, and [provides] a seamless path to purchase.” Read More: Shoppable Walmart Fashion Is Getting a Runway Moment on TikTok