Looking for your very own “red light, green light” doll from Squid Game? While I can’t tell you you won’t get a few nervous eye raises from all your future visitors, I can tell you that you might just be in luck. According to The Washington Journal, Netflix is teaming up with Walmart to create a digital storefront on the retailer’s website that sells various merchandise from hit Netflix original series, such as Squid Game and Stranger Things.
While several stores already carry merchandise from Netflix shows (and Netflix even has an online store of its own, Netflix.shop), this deal marks the first time that Netflix has created an official storefront with a national retailer. TWJ said the partnership is “part of Netflix’s broader strategy to develop new revenue streams beyond its core subscription business and market its content away from its own platform.” Josh Simon, Netflix vice president of consumer products, all but confirmed this reasoning, saying this is part of the company’s goal to “meet fans wherever they are.”
“We want to continue to meet fans wherever they are, whether that’s through our biggest online marketplace at Walmart, or the more boutique and curated Netflix.shop [..] The real value is in reinforcing fan love for the shows and films they see on Netflix.”
Some of the Netflix Original items confirmed to be coming to the storefront include Squid Game shirts, Nailed It! baking kits, and a Stranger Things Bluetooth cassette player. Beyond that, not much of Netflix and Walmart’s partnership has been revealed, including just how large it might be. However, based on the size of the two larger-than-life companies, we wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to go big with their e-commerce endeavor.
