As back-to-school season approaches, Walmart has launched Walmart Realm, an immersive shopping experience aimed at college students. The platform, in collaboration with virtual reality tech developer Emperia, offers an innovative way for students to shop for their dorm room essentials. The Your Dorm Your Way experience features five virtual dorm rooms, each equipped with a mini game, social content from Walmart’s creators, and surprises for shoppers.
This initiative is the second phase of Walmart’s immersive shopping platform, which was first introduced in May. The virtual rooms are designed to appeal to a younger audience and provide a unique shopping experience. By leveraging the metaverse, Walmart is able to engage with college students in a creative and interactive way.
Justin Breton, director of brand experiences and strategic partnerships at Walmart, highlighted the benefits of Walmart Realm, stating that it allows the retailer to create immersive commerce experiences that inspire customers and make online shopping more engaging. The addition of mini games, such as Byte-sized Crush and surprises like a doll house in the Royal dorm, adds an element of fun and excitement to the shopping experience.
Emperia’s virtual reality technology has been instrumental in bringing Walmart Realm to life. The platform has previously worked with brands like L’Occitane, Lacoste, and Tommy Hilfiger to create immersive online experiences. Emperia’s Creator Tools for Developers enable brands to convert 3D designs into virtual worlds, making it easier and more cost-effective to create engaging experiences for customers.
While Walmart has been successful in deploying immersive commerce experiences in the past, the retailer has faced challenges in the metaverse space. Concerns around privacy and marketing practices have led to the closure of certain virtual experiences, such as the Universe of Play on Roblox. However, Walmart remains committed to innovation and continuously seeks to improve its virtual shopping experiences for customers.
Overall, Walmart Realm’s Your Dorm Your Way is a testament to the retailer’s commitment to providing unique and engaging shopping experiences for its customers. By leveraging virtual reality technology and gamification elements, Walmart is able to create a fun and interactive platform that appeals to college students and makes back-to-school shopping more exciting.