Immersive “alternative”: Walmart embraces social trends with game-based commerce

The center was described by Walmart senior vice president and chief marketing officer William White in a LinkedIn post as “a first-of-its-kind digital shopping experience with virtual stores run by influencers in immersive worlds.”

The first of these immersive worlds is three experiences that draw inspiration from trendy aesthetic styles that have gained popularity among creators and social media users this year: “So Jelly”, which invites users to “immerse yourself in a sea of ​​colorful, vibrant fun” ; “Y’alternatywny”, “where the wild west meets gothic glam”; and “Go Chromatic”, “molten metallic world”.

Each of the three experiences was designed using the technology of the Emperia virtual reality platform. Upon entering any store, users are transported to a 360-degree world with custom soundtracks and high-quality graphics, where they can explore the environment and collect “Sparks” – tokens shaped like a yellow, star-like Walmart logo that can be collected and redeemed for rewards – all the while discovering and purchasing Walmart beauty, fashion and home products that speak to a unique aesthetic in the world.

In “So Jelly”, users will find, for example, handbags in neon colors and a floor mirror framed in a wavy frame. Meanwhile, “Y’allternative” showcases a denim jumpsuit, bolo tie, and a makeup tutorial featuring recommended products to achieve a “dark, moody” look.

“It’s fantastic, it’s inspiring and, simply put, it’s great fun,” White wrote in his LinkedIn post. “At Walmart, we are committed to innovation with e-commerce experiences designed for the virtual world. This latest innovation is changing the retail landscape and we are excited to bring it to our customers.”

The products featured in the attraction have been hand-selected by creators whose personal branding or social content is related to one of the relevant themes. The “Go Chromatic” store was created in collaboration with fashion and lifestyle blogger Nava Rose, creative director and entrepreneur Mai Pham selected the products for “So Jelly”, and “Y’allternative” was created with the help of sister influencers Makenzie and Malia.

The project is “a great example of Walmart’s adaptive retail approach and finding new ways to connect with customers where we provide them with moments of surprise and delight,” says Justin Breton, the company’s director of brand experience and strategic partnerships.

The retailer is increasingly focusing on immersive commerce investments, Breton explains, as it sees Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers turning to immersive AR spaces and experiences, like those found on Roblox and Snapchat, both for inspiration and while shopping.

“When we think about … the customer base that we’re really going to engage with through this experience, we’re dealing with the next generation of buyers,” Breton says. “They spend a lot of time on social media platforms, but they also spend a lot of time on gaming platforms.” In the case of Walmart, Realm says, “We leaned into behaviors and experiences that are natural to them, that are familiar to them.”

Despite the fact that many consumer-facing brands have shifted their marketing strategies away from spatial gaming and metaverse-like technologies – which have taken the industry by storm in 2021 and 2022 – Walmart continues to find value in innovating in the immersive media space (though Breton adds, that the company doesn’t like to use the amorphous word “metaverse” to describe its activations).

For example, Roblox has proven to be a particularly promising environment for Walmart’s marketing and merchandising efforts. This makes sense given the platform’s growth trajectory. From 2022 to the end of 2023, the number of daily active users on Roblox increased from 56 million to over 70 million. Additionally, active daily users are deeply engaged, spending an average of 2.4 hours per day on the platform. Additionally, Roblox’s transformation from a virtual gaming site to a full-fledged e-commerce and advertising platform is indicative of broader changes in consumer behavior that are shaping today’s media landscape.

All of this represents a huge opportunity, according to Walmart. Last month, the company rolled out an e-commerce pilot directly to Roblox, allowing users to not only try out virtual items with their real-life counterparts, but also purchase products directly from within the gaming platform.

“Being featured on platforms like this really drives engagement with our brand,” says Breton. “By introducing new features like real-world commerce, we’re bringing these users closer to thinking of us as, hopefully, a retail store when it comes to buying deodorant or a sweater or a hair clip, whatever that may be.”

Beyond Roblox and immersive gaming environments like Walmart Realm, Walmart is increasingly evaluating opportunities in AR. “AR is not necessarily new, but it is much more advanced (than a few years ago). Platforms like Snapchat and Tiktok have made AR more accessible to a wider generation of users, so (we consider) “What is the use case for AR at Walmart?”

Ultimately, Walmart Realm represents just one piece of a broader story, Breton says, about how the retailer is using immersive technology to “shorten the distance (between) inspiration and commerce.”

As he put it: “It implements the concept that ‘adaptive retail’ doesn’t just mean we’re a store or just a website. This means we need to meet customers where they are online, and sometimes that means using new platforms and new technologies.

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