Walmart expands its virtual presence with Roblox

Retailer debuts on the online gaming platform.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As part of its ongoing quest to meet its customers wherever they are, Walmart on Monday launched two new immersive virtual experiences on Roblox, a metaverse gaming platform.

Called Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play, the spaces are meant to offer unique interactive content and entertainment for Gen Z shoppers, allowing them to access the best of Walmart in a virtual world, the company said. That includes fashion, style, beauty and entertainment items delivered directly to the global Roblox community of over 52 million daily users. The retailer said it will continue to bring the fun with Walmart’s Universe of Play – the ultimate virtual toy destination in Roblox — offered just in time for those oh-so-real holiday wish lists.

“We’re showing up in a big way – creating community, content, entertainment and games through the launch of Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play,” said William White, chief marketing officer for Walmart U.S. “Roblox is one of the fastest growing and largest platforms in the metaverse, and we know our customers are spending loads of time there. So, we’re focusing on creating new and innovative experiences that excite them, something we’re already doing in the communities where they live, and now, the virtual worlds where they play.”

Walmart Land will feature a variety of immersive experiences, including a virtual store of merchandise, or “verch”, that customers can acquire for their avatars, the company said as well such experiences as a physics-defying Ferris wheel giving users a bird’s-eye glimpse of the world; and unlockable tokens and badges that can be earned in various games and competitions. Walmart Land debuts with three big experiences, designed specifically with the next generation of customers in mind:

Electric Island: Inspired by the world’s greatest music festivals, Electric Island includes an interactive piano walkway, a dance challenge, a Netflix trivia experience featuring Noah Schnapp and a DJ booth where users can learn to mix different beats.
House of Style: Featuring a virtual dressing room, a strike-a-pose challenge, an oversized cosmetics obstacle course (obby) and a roller-skating rink, House of Style will offer products from af94, UOMA by Sharon C., ITK by Brooklyn & Bailey, Lottie London, Bubble and more.
Electric Fest: New in October, users can jump back into Electric Island for ‘Electric Fest’, a motion-capture concert celebration featuring performances from popular artists such as Madison Beer, Kane Brown and YUNGBLUD.

The year’s best toys will have busted loose and turned up in Walmart’s Universe of Play, the retailer said. The Roblox community can explore different toy worlds to earn coins for cool virtual goods, or complete epic challenges to build a personal trophy case, unlock secret codes and more. Universe of Play includes:

Immersive games: Users can dive into five new games that offer experiences featuring products and characters from L.O.L. Surprise!, Jurassic World, Paw Patrol, Magic Mixies and Razor Scooters.
Sought-after rewards: Users will get the opportunity to try and collect as many virtual toys as they can to earn coins redeemable for their avatar verch. Toys will hang all around, and a Walmart blimp will regularly drop toys throughout the experience.
Virtual adventures: Universe of Play will also feature e-mobility items like hoverboards, which an avatar can use to travel through the universe faster. Users will encounter a Sharper Image drone that helps them discover the hottest toy world of the season.

Users can access the Walmart Land experience on Roblox.com and Walmart’s Universe of Play on any device including a personal computer, Mac, iOS device (iPhone or iPad), Android, Amazon devices, Xbox consoles, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.