American multinational company Walmart has launched two strategic initiatives in the Roblox metaverse
On September 26, Walmart launched two new initiatives – Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play – as part of the Roblox metaverse of 52 million passionate players.
“We’re making a big difference in building community, content, entertainment and games with the launch of Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play. Roblox is one of the fastest growing and largest platforms in the metaverse industry and we know our customers spend a lot of time there. So, now we are focusing on creating new experiences in the virtual worlds where our customers play, and not just in the physical world where they live,” said William White, head of marketing at Walmart.
Walmart has joined famous fashion houses Gucci and Ralph Lauren in leveraging Roblox’s massive fan base to advance its corporate marketing strategy. The company announced that it will introduce in-game 3D portals that will allow users to visit places like Gucci Town and Chipotle virtual restaurants.
Founders David Baszuki and Eric Cassel first conceived of Roblox in 2004 as a gaming hub that would feature games from various creators. The company officially started operations in 2006.
While not focused on profit
Walmart Land offers interactive, immersive experiences across islands, focusing on fashion, beauty, and entertainment businesses. Among the company’s offerings are music-focused Electric Island and Electric Fest, as well as Fashion and Beauty-related House of Style.
Users can also purchase virtual goods from the virtual store and participate in contests and games where they can earn in-game tokens.
At Walmart Play, users will be able to earn coins for collecting virtual toys, including characters from Jurassic World and Paw Patrol. Player avatars will be able to move around virtual worlds using hoverboards.
So far, the metaverse products will not be profitable for the company. All rewards in the metaverse will be used to purchase virtual goods.
Since the start of the pandemic, Walmart is trying to expand and find new areas for the sale of goods. In December 2021, the company also filed several patents related to the sale of virtual products, virtual currency, and NFTs. However, it is not known whether these patents will play a special role in Walmart’s plans to conquer the Web3 space.
Roblox as a retail metaverse
It looks like the popularity of the Roblox metaverse is on the rise. British shoe maker Clarks, Swedish music giant Spotify AB and American restaurant chain Chipotle have all ventured into this new industry, but have already gotten their hands on the Roblox vibe.
