Walmart and Roblox team up for e-commerce

by | May 6, 2024 | E-commerce News

Walmart is now able to sell physical goods directly to users inside Roblox for the first time. The introduction of real-life e-commerce of tangible items is a milestone for the company on its way of becoming an all-encompassing destination for virtual life.

Here's how it works: 

  • Virtual users are greeted with a new storefront that showcases virtual copies of physical items sold at real-life Walmart stores.
  • The customer can try out the virtual item on their avatar.
  • Customers can then load an e-commerce experience that takes the form of a browser window inside Roblox that imitates the experience of shopping on Walmart's website.
  • From there they follow the traditional form of entering their payment and shipping details within the virtual checkout. (Missed opportunity! They should have had the virtual avatar fumble with a self-checkout kiosk while an angry Walmart employee avatar stares them down. LOL)
  • After purchasing, the customer receives an order confirmation e-mail from Walmart, which takes over the sale. 
  • The customer receives the virtual version of the item immediately, and the real one is sent in the mail. 

Roblox VP of Economy Enrico D’Angelo said, “We are excited to start testing real-world commerce as a key step towards enabling it in the future for our community of creators and brand. Shopping for virtual items is already an important element of how people engage and express themselves on Roblox daily, so our goal is to gather feedback, test the technology, and learn what resonates with Gen Z customers the most when it comes to shopping for physical items.”

Roblox also expanded access to its video ad inventory to all advertisers last week, following a six-month beta test. Advertisers can now purchase videos ads through Roblox's self-serve tool, with plans to allow advertisers to purchase ads through PubMatic in the near future.

Video ads in Roblox take the form of screens and billboards embedded within Roblox’s virtual worlds. The launch of video ads is part of Roblox’s aim to get brands to view it as a full advertising platform rather than a testing ground for their innovation budgets.

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