Walmart Is Making Its First Move Into the Metaverse With Virtual Worlds on Roblox (bloomberg.com) 27
Walmart is making its first move into the metaverse. Starting Monday, the retailer will unveil two immersive experiences on Roblox's virtual platform. Walmart Land will feature fashion, beauty and entertainment items, while Walmart's Universe of Play will showcase toys, the company announced. From a report: Walmart follows companies from Nike to VF in a bid to get consumers' attention via virtual universes, where elements of video conferencing, gaming, social media and e-commerce blend together. Roblox has a community of more than 52 million daily users, and many of them are younger people, who are particularly valuable targets for corporate powerhouses.
"This is the first major initiative that we have in the metaverse," William White, Walmart's chief marketing officer, said in an interview. "This is another step for us in reaching our customers in unexpected ways." Walmart Land will offer a virtual store where Roblox users can use badges and coins earned on the platform to buy merchandise for their avatars. There will also be a "physics-defying Ferris wheel" that provides a bird's-eye view of the virtual world, plus unlockable tokens and badges that can be earned in games and competitions.
"This is the first major initiative that we have in the metaverse," William White, Walmart's chief marketing officer, said in an interview. "This is another step for us in reaching our customers in unexpected ways." Walmart Land will offer a virtual store where Roblox users can use badges and coins earned on the platform to buy merchandise for their avatars. There will also be a "physics-defying Ferris wheel" that provides a bird's-eye view of the virtual world, plus unlockable tokens and badges that can be earned in games and competitions.
Re: (Score:2)
Roblox is an online platform that exploits [youtube.com] young game developers [youtube.com]
Roblox? What?! (Score:2)
Isn't that like Walmart trying to target Saturday morning cartoon viewers or something?
Re: (Score:2)
Seems to fit Walmart's MO. "Anything for a dollar." Addicting kids to consumer culture through the computer? Heck yeah, Wally World's all in.
Fashion? Beauty? Walmart...? (Score:2)
Ok, I guess virtual, Meta Walmart will be something 101% different than real life "meatspace" Walmart is...
No one goes to Wally World for "fashion" and "beauty".
You have seen those websites and videos of "the people at Walmart" haven't you?
Whew...I don't really ever go there to shop myself, but if bored and want some entertainment, it's hard to beat for people watching and some of the characters you see there, especially late at night.
wow.
Metaverse? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE CHILDREN (Score:2)
That's where the money's at - teach the kids who are already _in_ the metaverse to spend money in the metaverse.
Re: (Score:2)
They already know, Roblox is raking it in hardcore.
What puzzles me, besides Wal-Mart thinking they can sell "fashion", is Wal-Mart thinking that adults are going to come to Roblox to see it. Or are they just going to be advertising clothes to kids?
Meh, IKEA was there first ... (Score:2)
IKEA was there first and has infinitely more space ...
Walmart Making First Move Into the Metaverse (Score:3)
Subtitle: Shopping in Second Life
Incompetence (Score:3)
Walmart changes its website and apps daily. Every day they have different bugs for you to discover the workarounds. Don't look for great success in the metafarce.
Re: (Score:2)
nope (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't even like going to a real walmart, why the fuck would I want to visit a virtual one
Re: (Score:2)
I don't even like going to a real walmart, why the fuck would I want to visit a virtual one
Running around with a flint and steel? (Oh, this was Roblox, not Minecraft. Never let an inconvenient fact ruin a joke.)
A good fit (Score:1)
A lot of WalMart customers could already be represented well by large blocks, so could be a good fit for everyone, like the XXXL hoodie section at the WalMart.
People of Walmart (Score:1)
Roblox - unwanted & unneeded (Score:2)
Won't be the same... (Score:2)
What people fail to understand... (Score:3)
Roblox is where your children are spending their time. My children spend their time there, and so do I. It's a place to hang out with friends and do stuff -- if that stuff is play games, then great. A lot of online games these days are simply social interactions that have some item collection or "numbers go up" competition. If Walmart has some collectible items then I might stop by and collect a few.
Walmart is actually pretty smart to be doing this as it establishes a positive brand feeling on the next generation. Will it amount to more revenue for Walmart? Maybe in the long term. I don't think anyone in the USA is unaware of the existence of the big box stores / grocers -- Walmart, Target, Albertsons / Safeway, Kroger / Fred Meyer, Stop & Shop, Costco, BJ's, Seven 11, etc. I'm honestly surprised Amazon hasn't made a Roblox experience, yet.
Re: (Score:1)
Because Roblox is predatory garbage and not a metaverse. No child should spend any time there, and any adult who plays Roblox is probably a borderline (if not full-fledged) pedo.
Universe of commerce (Score:2)
The metaverse, a new universe that only companies are interested in.
Second Life in 2007 (Score:1)
This is like 2007 when companies like Nissan and IBM and Toyota and Sun were buying islands in Second Life to advertise to residents. Except with even fewer customers because you didn't need a headset to visit them.