Walmart, a leading global retail entity, recently announced a transformative move into the metaverse, offering twin shopping experiences for customers. With this new approach, shoppers can purchase items for their real-world homes and acquire similar items for their virtual properties within the mobile game House Flip.
Bridging the Physical and Virtual Realms
Walmart’s ambitious endeavor allows users to buy both physical and digital items using their Walmart accounts. For instance, if customers are interested in buying furniture for their real-life homes, they can simultaneously opt for a virtual counterpart for their House Flip digital property. This interconnection of physical and virtual worlds is designed to offer an enhanced, immersive shopping experience.
Furthermore, the company is introducing a virtual clothing line inspired by its brand, Scoop, which will be available on Zepeto – one of Asia’s predominant metaverse platforms.
Walmart’s Vision for the Metaverse
Emphasizing the importance of fostering deeper customer relationships, Walmart aims to leverage the metaverse – a 3D virtual realm where users can shop, game, and socialize. This move is consistent with the company’s actions from December 2021 when it registered numerous trademarks connected to the metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a revolutionary digital asset that validates ownership of specific online content like images or music.
According to Thomas Kang, VP & General Manager of Metaverse Commerce at Store No. 8 (Walmart’s innovation division), the company aims to become a key player in metaverse commerce. He quoted, “Walmart’s goal is to power commerce in the metaverse, wherever customers choose to enter it.” Kang believes in enriching the customer experience by bridging the real and virtual worlds. He emphasized the company’s capacity to offer dual experiences, citing the accessibility of Walmart to nearly 90% of the U.S. populace.
Kang further elaborated on the strategy, noting the potential of Walmart’s widespread physical locations to augment the metaverse experience. For instance, purchasing a physical item could also reward customers with a complimentary virtual gift.