Walmart is expanding its metaverse presence through a new collaboration with the 3D development platform Unity.
The partnership enables Unity developers to integrate Walmart’s commerce APIs into their games and apps, facilitating the real-time sale of physical items in 3D experiences across over 20 platforms.
Creators can also boost their revenue streams by earning affiliate commissions from specific physical purchases powered by Walmart.
As a result, players can now enhance their purchase experience, seamlessly completing transactions for real-world products without leaving the metaverse, game, or app environment.
This strategic collaboration with Unity builds on Walmart’s September 2023 initiative, where it solidified its metaverse presence by allowing in-game purchases of physical items and expanding its virtual fashion offerings through a partnership with game developer FUN-GI.
These moves complement Walmart’s broader metaverse-related efforts over the past two years, including the launch of two metaverse experiences on the Roblox platform in 2022 — Walmart Universe of Play and Walmart Land.
The retail giant aims to transcend the metaverse’s entertainment aspect, intertwining physical and virtual realms to enhance the overall shopping experience for consumers. This strategic approach aligns with the expected surge in global spending on VR/AR, the foundational technologies of the metaverse, projected to increase from $12 billion in 2020 to $72.8 billion in 2024.
