- Walmart is set to integrate the Metaverse into the everyday shopping experience via the House Flip virtual world, which is an immersive virtual reality platform.
- Customers would be able to see and even test some of the products available digitally and decide whether to make a purchase or not.
With the advent of the metaverse, numerous companies are exploring ways to incorporate it into their operations. They recognize the significance of engaging a broader audience through this technology.
One such example is the Walmart Metaverse experience, which aims to transform retail commerce by integrating virtual elements into the purchasing process for customers.
They plan to make this possible by allowing their customers to use physical versions of items they use within its House Flip virtual world. The new plan from Walmart wants to ease making purchases in their store.
It appears that they are aiming to establish a virtual platform that offers customers a comprehensive understanding and feel of their preferred products, as well as the ability to purchase them online. This means that individuals can forego physically visiting a Walmart store and instead conveniently shop on the Internet.
How Will This Happen?
While speaking to VentureBeat, Walmart General Manager of Metaverse Commerce Thomas Kang illustrated how their new plan will work.
The retail company aims to create a seamless online purchasing experience for customers. This goes beyond traditional methods of online shopping.
Walmart's Metaverse offers an immersive environment where customers can interact with products as if they were in real life. This allows for a more informed decision-making process when shopping in a virtual environment.
"We have a chance to reshape and reinvent retail in ways that are good for the customers," Kang said.
The software development for this project has already begun. The development team partnered with FUN-GI, a game developer, for House Flip.
The House Flip is a virtual environment available on iOS and Android that allows players to renovate and sell virtual homes. But, they will make some modifications to enable Walmart to integrate their ideas.
Walmart Takes Their New Plan into the Fashion Sector
Through the new plans, Walmart will completely introduce its ideas into the fashion industry. Apparently, the retail store plans on allowing customers to outfit avatars with virtual clothing within Zepeto, Asia’s largest metaverse platform.
Depending on what they see and their preferences, they can also decide to buy these fashion items after having an experience of how they would look digitally. While speaking about the current situation, Kang said that they want to help brands across the fashion world sell more items. Furthermore, the Walmart store is fully committed to exploring the metaverse space for as long as possible.
"We want to help companies and brands sell their products in virtual worlds. We see limitless potential with this emerging technology, and we’re excited to explore its possibilities. We believe in digital citizenship and want to make sure that we are creating safe spaces for everybody. We want to be leaders in trust and safety in that environment," Kang added.
Walmart's advent into the crypto world, precisely the metaverse, is not a first of its kind. Reputable companies like Starbucks have also taken advantage of metaverse utilities to offer better services to their customers — of course, in a more immersive style.