Walmart teams up with Unity for interactive shopping experiences
Walmart and Unity Partner for In-Game Purchase of Physical Items
In a strategic move announced on Thursday, retail giant Walmart has formed a partnership with Unity, a 3D real-time content company, to allow developers to incorporate Walmart's commerce APIs into their games and apps. This novel integration enables creators to sell physical items within 3D experiences across more than 20 platforms.
Among the platforms where integration has been tested are House Flip, Avakin Life, and Zepeto. Developers who successfully integrate Walmart's API into their virtual environments can potentially earn commissions from select purchases made through Walmart.
According to a press release, more than 1.1 million developers utilize Unity's editor monthly, and apps developed using Unity have been downloaded 3.6 billion times worldwide each month.
This collaboration between Walmart, Unity, and other partners such as Spatial, represents an endeavor towards immersive commerce experiences. The partnership aims to bridge the gap between the virtual and physical shopping realms through immersive technologies such as VR and 3D visualizations.
The nascent immersive commerce platform might enable Walmart to create interactive, virtual shopping environments where users can explore products and interact with virtual representations of physical items. Seamless transactions could be facilitated through the integration of Walmart's commerce APIs, allowing users to make purchases directly within the game or app.
In addition to virtual gaming, Walmart has ventured into other technological frontiers, such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality. The company has already showcased its commitment to integrating shopping experiences into interactive environments, having debuted a back-to-school themed game on Roblox, and unveiling another Roblox experience, Walmart Discovered, the following month.
Tom Kang, vice president and general manager of Metaverse Commerce and Walmart's Store No. 8, stated, "We have an opportunity to connect the physical and digital realms in a way that only Walmart can, meeting our customers and members with authentic experiences where they already are. By opening up Walmart's commerce APIs to the Unity development community, we're empowering developers to offer a new mechanism to further drive user engagement while making it easy and convenient for players to complete a transaction for physical products without leaving the game, virtual world or app."
- The partnership between Walmart and Unity could potentially expand beyond gaming, as artificial intelligence (AI) might be used to create interactive, virtual shopping environments.
- In the field of sports, immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and 3D visualizations could revolutionize the way fans engage with their favorite teams or players, providing an environment where they can explore merchandise and interact with digital representations.
- With the growing interest in environmental conservation, users could explore eco-friendly gadgets within 3D experiences, making sustainable choices more accessible and engaging.
- In the realm of art, developers could collaborate with artists to create virtual galleries or museums where patrons can explore and purchase art, bridging the gap between the physical and digital world.
