Walmart's Justin Breton reflects on five years of pushing boundaries with Emperia and TalkShopLive

Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, has taken to social media to discuss five years of working at the US retail giant.

Breton, who is included in the latest RTIH Top Retail Technology Influencers List, joined Walmart during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a LInkedIn post, he said: “Like so many others, I was navigating a new role and a new way of working, building relationships, earning trust, and learning the ropes, all from behind a screen. It wasn’t easy, but I showed up every day fuelled by excitement, optimism, and a genuine belief in the work we were doing.

He added: “Fast forward to today, I couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come. I’ve evolved my scope from a singular focus to both digital and emerging, with my team’s impact and reach expanding year after year as we tested, learned, optimised, and, most importantly, innovated.”

Breton went on to list five highlights “that will forever have a place in my heart”:

Launching Camp by Walmart with eko: an interactive summer camp experience for families during the pandemic, featuring celebrity hosts like LeBron James, Drew Barrymore, amd Jennifer Garner.

Scaling Walmart Live: taking shoppable livestreams across TikTok, YouTube, X, and Facebook as well as building a persistent home for them on Walmart.com in partnership with TalkShopLive.

Establishing Walmart Discovered on Roblox: Creating a lasting presence on the platform with a 96% approval rating, plus expanding the retailer’s platform strategy onto ZEPETO and Minecraft Java Edition.

Launching Walmart Realm with Emperia: a social inspired, influencer curated shopping experience with mini-games and new ways for customers to discover and engage with products.

Creating Walmart Unlimited on Spatial: Walmart’s first ever owned gaming title, featuring three episodic games with characters inspired by the Spatial community, and a virtual commerce hub with real suppliers.

He continued : “None of these launches would have been possible without the people I work alongside every day. I am endlessly grateful for my amazing team, who inspire me constantly. I’m equally thankful for our platform and agency partners who champion innovation and believe in testing and learning.”

“I’m reminded every day that the work we do is bigger than any one project or launch. It’s about bringing new experiences to our customers, pushing boundaries, and building what’s next. It really is true what they say: Time flies when you’re having fun. Cheers to the next chapter and to all the new adventures still to come in my career! And thank you for following along on LinkedIn and being part of my journey.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Immersive experiences will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.