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Retail · Corporate Innovation
Store Nº8, the incubation arm of the world’s largest retailer.
Walmart launched Store Nº8 to build the next wave of retail technology — voice and text shopping, conversational commerce, and the shopper experiences behind them. We designed the brand story, the content engine, and the protocol that decided what got said, when, and by whom.
The Opportunity
Where We Started & What We Delivered
Designing a brand strategy to match the innovative companies, products and customer experiences built by the incubation arm of the world’s largest retailer.
Walmart made an investment to launch Store Nº8, its incubation arm, to create the next wave of tech innovations. Our team worked with Store Nº8 and Walmart leaders to design a brand story, thought leadership content engine, brand video, and a refreshed website.
The harder problem sat underneath all of it. A portfolio company emerging from stealth touches Walmart Global Communications, the portfolio company’s own leadership, and often an outside technology partner — each with a different stake in the announcement. We partnered with the Store Nº8 portfolio company CEOs and Walmart’s Global Communications team to develop a protocol for de-stealthing portfolio companies, products, capabilities and shopper experiences. That work included a collaboration with Google to produce a video podcast episode announcing the investments Walmart and Google made in the conversational commerce space — voice and text shopper experiences.
- Where we started
- With the brand strategy. In collaboration with Store Nº8 and Walmart executives, we developed a strategy to update all existing digital channels and kick off a content and marketing engine.
- Agency partnership
- We led an RFP process to identify VML as an agency partner with the global resources to support UX/UI design and development of the site, and to produce animations for the brand video — run to Walmart’s partner guidelines.
- What we delivered
- A new and refreshed site; thought leadership content; internal and external brand communications; social strategy; and a brand video.
The Scope of Work
What We Built Together
Six connected workstreams — a brand story for an incubator inside a Fortune 1 corporation, the channels to carry it, and the launch protocol that let new ventures come out of stealth on schedule.
- 01
Brand Strategy & Positioning
A brand story for the incubation team, developed with Store Nº8 and Walmart executives — one narrative that could hold across every existing digital channel and speak to internal and external audiences at once.
- 02
Website Redesign & Refresh
A refreshed digital home for Store Nº8 communicating its impact on the future of commerce. We set the website strategy and copy, then ran the RFP that brought in VML for UX/UI design and development.
- 03
Thought Leadership Content Engine
A content strategy defining the incubation team’s mission and putting its leadership at the front of the conversation on conversational commerce and the future of retail — paired with the social strategy to carry it.
- 04
Brand Video
An animation-led brand film on the future of commerce. We co-developed the video strategy, wrote the scripts, and managed the RFP process with VML for animation production.
- 05
Internal & External Communications
Coordinated announcements across Walmart Global Communications, the portfolio companies, and outside partners — including the brand communications announcing Walmart’s MIT Media Lab membership.
- 06
Go-to-Market & De-Stealthing Protocol
A repeatable procedure for publicly announcing portfolio companies, products, capabilities and shopper experiences — developed with the portfolio company CEOs and Walmart Global Communications, and used to bring voice and text shopping to market.
Selected Work
The Work Itself
01 / 14Website — Homepage
The Outcome
What Store Nº8 Had in Place
A brand platform for corporate incubation inside Walmart — and a repeatable way to bring what it built into public view.
The work gave Store Nº8 a distinct voice for incubation inside a Fortune 1 corporation, the channels to carry it, and a launch protocol its portfolio companies could run against — rather than negotiating each announcement from scratch.
How We Got There
- Designed a brand story and refreshed website communicating Store Nº8’s impact on retail innovation and the future of commerce.
- Built a content and digital marketing engine to drive brand awareness and introduce new portfolio companies, products and capabilities.
- Developed the protocol for de-stealthing portfolio companies and shopper experiences with Walmart Global Communications and the portfolio company CEOs.
- Announced the voice and text shopping experiences built by Conversational Commerce, a Store Nº8 portfolio company — the capability that lets a Walmart customer shop by saying “add milk to cart” to a smart speaker.
- Co-produced a video podcast episode with Google announcing the investments both companies made in conversational commerce.
- Led the brand communications announcing Walmart’s MIT Media Lab membership.
Notable Collaborations
- VML — UX/UI design, site development, and animation production for the refreshed site and brand film.
- Google — co-produced video podcast episode on the voice shopping development journey.
- Walmart Global Communications — joint ownership of the de-stealthing protocol and portfolio company announcements.
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