Say what you will about the so-called retail apocalypse, but Walmart ($WMT) seems to have things figured out, at least for now. The world's largest retailer's revenue is expected to grow by at least 3% this year to a massive $128.6 billion while other big retailers like Kmart and Sears struggle to remain relevant let alone survive.

In today's digital-first economy, retail relevancy has a lot to do with social media, and Walmart is doing something right. In fact, the company just hit its highest daily mentions on Facebook — ever.

Walmart "Talking About" count on Facebook — a count of how often the brand is mentioned in Facebook status updates on a daily basis — has nearly doubled since October, and appears to be poised to hit its highest levels yet as we enter the holidays.

On October 12, 2019, Walmart saw around 446,000 mentions on Facebook. This week, that number is above 800,000. This beats its previous high of 767,000 in September 2017.

Walmart's Facebook popularity isn't part of a wider big-box retailer trend. Target ($TGT), which is also fighting the good fight in the daily battles of the retail apocalypse, continues to average around 100,000 daily mentions.

Walmart has become as American a shopping experience as Sears once was, having moved past simple big-box items and into groceries and pharmacies. A map of the current Walmart locations reveals a virtually plastered North America.

Walmart's social-media run isn't limited to Facebook. It recently surpassed 1 million followers on Twitter.

Given Walmart's dominance on digital along with its real-world ubiquity paints a positive picture for the retailer for some time to come.

About the Data:

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

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