Walmart launches influencer-curated virtual shopping platform, Walmart Realm

Walmart has launched a new immersive online shopping platform designed to gamify consumers' shopping journeys.

Dubbed Walmart Realm, the virtual platform features three different shopping environments that are driven by social trends and curated by social media influencers. The online shopping ‘realms’ include the underwater world of So Jelly, curated by @Maiphammy, a homage to vintage Americana at Y’allternative, curated by @makenzieandmalia and a discovery of beauty and fashion at Go Chromatic, curated by @the.navarose.

Built leveraging technology from Emperia, Walmart Realm aims to revolutionize the shopping experience by immersing customers in imaginative virtual environments. Within these fantastical worlds, shoppers can engage with products and enjoy nostalgic online games, transforming the shopping journey into an interactive and entertaining adventure.

In a LinkedIn post, William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer, wrote that Walmart Realm “pushes boundaries as a first-of-its-kind digital shopping experience with influencer-led virtual shops in immersive worlds. It’s fantastical, it’s inspirational, and simply put, it’s a lot of fun.”

“At Walmart, we’re embracing innovation with e-commerce experiences designed with the virtual world at the heart,” continued White in his post. “This latest innovation is reshaping the retail landscape, and we’re thrilled to bring it to our customers.”

The launch of the Walmart realm comes nearly ten months after the US retailer launched its Supercampus back-to-school adventure on Roblox, followed by an announcement from executives in September 2023 to explore various virtual world experiences that integrate seamlessly with in-store commerce.

Earlier this year, Walmart and Unity collaborated to integrate Walmart’s commerce APIs into Unity’s game and application development platform. Through this integration, Walmart empowered developers to facilitate the sale of physical products within real-time 3D (RT3D) experiences across more than 20 platforms, thereby enhancing user engagement through seamless in-game purchasing capabilities as the retailer continues to explore the options of virtual reality shopping.