Dive Brief:
- Walmart has teamed up with Unity, a 3D real-time content company, to allow Unity developers to add Walmart’s commerce APIs onto their games and apps, the retail giant announced Thursday.
- Creators can sell physical items within real-time 3D experiences across more than 20 platforms. The retailer has tested integration within multiple online games, including House Flip, Avakin Life and Zepeto.
- Creators who integrate Walmart’s API into their virtual environment can earn commissions from select physical purchases from Walmart. More than 1.1 million developers use the Unity editor on a monthly basis, and Made with Unity apps have been downloaded 3.6 billion times worldwide each month, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Walmart’s collaboration with Unity marks its continued experimentation with interactive shopping experiences and tech. The retailer’s Unity Software-Development Kit lets creators to integrate Walmart’s Commerce API into their projects, allowing players to buy physical goods within games and apps — without having to leave the game.
“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,” Tom Kang, vice president and general manager of Metaverse Commerce and Walmart’s Store No. 8, said in a statement. “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.”
Last August, the retailer debuted Supercampus on Roblox, a back-to-school themed game where players could solve puzzles and play using supplies from brands like Crayola, Bic and 3M. The following month, the company unveiled another Roblox experience, dubbed Walmart Discovered, where players can browse virtual departments like pets, beauty and sports.
In addition to virtual gaming, Walmart has invested in other technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality. Last October, the retailer said it plans to use AI and AR to improve its search functionality, help shoppers prioritize product features and browse review summaries.
