Walmart taps into ‘spicy’ BookTok trend

Walmart has launched a “Spicy Summer” promotion featuring a special hot sauce collection and other initiatives that connect with the rising popularity of romance fantasy novels on TikTok. These “spicy books” have become a prominent topic within BookTok, the TikTok community where users enthusiastically share their favorite reads.

“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 connection with them,” said Courtney Killingsworth, director of brand marketing at Walmart. “This campaign is the perfect way to reach and celebrate BookTokers and the community they thrive in.”

The limited-edition Spicy Books Hot Sauce set, designed to resemble a book, features five Melinda’s hot sauces, each corresponding to a level on the spice scale—from mild to burning—that BookTok users have humorously applied to their hottest romance reads. This unique set is available exclusively online at Walmart.com for $14.98 while supplies last.

In addition to the hot sauce collection, Walmart is offering spicy book-inspired merchandise, including apparel and accessories, along with the featured books. Available items encompass beach towels, bucket hats, sandals, pool floats, swimwear, beauty care products, and more. The book selection includes several “romantasy” titles by Sarah J. Maas, as well as works from The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, and titles in the “friends to lovers” genre by Emily Henry.

The retailer is kicking off the promotion with a live event on Tuesday in Los Angeles for the BookTok community, featuring spicy refreshments served poolside and “immersive moments” with Spicy Summer books.

The campaign has quickly gained traction on social media, with enthusiastic unboxing videos appearing on TikTok on the first day. The promotion has garnered over 1,000 “likes” on Instagram, with followers expressing their delight in comments such as “This is actually kinda hilarious, I love it,” and “This is genius,” accompanied by numerous flame and chili emojis. Paris Hilton also offered her approval with her signature remark: “That’s hot,” complete with three flame emojis.