Walmart Ignites a Red-Hot Trend with “Spicy Summer” Campaign

Inspired by the “BookTok” Community, Walmart Creates a Curated Experience that Includes a Limited-Edition Hot Sauce Set

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--From zesty drinks to fiery red manicures and BookTok’s latest list of “spicy books”, heat and spice are having a moment right now and Walmart is here for it. The retailer is launching a “Spicy Summer” campaign to ignite excitement and become a go-to destination for summer’s hottest books and looks. And, Walmart is rolling out a special, limited-edition “Spicy Books” Hot Sauce Set so customers can create their own Spicy Summer moment at home.

What are “Spicy Books”?

BookTok is a rapidly growing community on TikTok with more than 250 billion views from a passionate group of readers discussing their favorite books. Spicy books, commonly of the romantasy genre, have emerged as some of the most beloved on this platform. The community has even developed a “spice scale” to rate the spiciness of their favorite reads.

How is Walmart Celebrating “Spicy Summer”?

Walmart is bringing the worlds of spice and summer reading together with a campaign that merges the sizzling heat trend with the vibrant BookTok world. Here’s what’s heating up:

• Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set:
  • To celebrate the BookTok community, Walmart created a limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce set. Packaged to look like a book, this bespoke collection features five Melinda’s hot sauces, each corresponding to a level on the spice scale – from mild to burning.
  • Spicy Books Hot Sauce will be available on walmart.com/spicysummer for $14.98, while supplies last.
• Shop Your Spicy Summer
  • In addition to Spicy Books Hot Sauce, Walmart’s dedicated Spicy Summer landing page will allow customers to “Shop Your Spicy Summer” and discover the hottest summer books, fashions and accessories, with collections inspired by popular Spicy Books.
• Spicy Summer Soirée
  • To really heat things up, we’re throwing a hot event in LA for the BookTok community. Book lovers will enjoy spicy refreshments and light bites poolside while they experience immersive moments with their favorite Spicy Summer reads and taste test our Spicy Books Hot Sauce.

“Customers are at the center of everything we do at Walmart, and we look to places where they are spending their time to create genuine moments of connections with them. This campaign is the perfect way to reach and celebrate BookTokers and the community they thrive in,” said Courtney Killingsworth, director of brand marketing, Walmart – who is currently obsessed with the Spicy Summer read, “Just for Summer” by Abby Jimenez. “We’re giving a wink to BookTok fandom with our Spicy Books Hot Sauce, and then expanding to a larger customer base by bringing some spice to all summer must-haves.”

To get your limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set and Shop Your Spicy Summer, visit walmart.com/spicysummer.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter) at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.