Walmart, Unity Team on Immersive Commerce

Walmart has announced a partnership with real-time 3D (RT3D) platform Unity to give an estimated 1.1M gaming and app developers the ability to integrate Walmart e-commerce APIs directly into their products.

Think of it as m-commerce meets the interactive metaverse. RT3D tools rapidly generate fully interactive, 3D models, environments and virtual worlds that can be deployed on mobile devices, laptops, augmented reality and virtual reality devices.

The partnership will enable app creators to sell physical items from Walmart in RT3D experiences across more than 20 different platforms, connecting customers’ “virtual and physical lifestyles” and establishing new monetization channels in games and experiences made with Unity software, Walmart said in the announcement.

“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,” said Tom Kang, vice president and general manager, Metaverse Commerce, Walmart’s Store No. 8, 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,” Kang said.

Walmart’s immersive commerce initiative coincides with a pivotal moment that is expected to dramatically expand the audience for virtual reality (VR) experiences: Apple is about to launch its new VR headset, which will go head-to-head with Meta’s headset.

Walmart cited three immersive commerce pilot projects it has completed during the past year, including House Flip, a mobile game that enables users to renovate, decorate and sell virtual homes. The integration of the Walmart API enables uses to purchase products they are using in the game.

Avakin Life, developed by Lockwood Publishing, is deploying the Walmart API to give players the ability to purchase virtual twins of their latest apparel or receive the virtual item free with the purchase of the physical item.

Zepeto, a rapidly growing 3D avatar-based social platform, is featuring two of Walmart’s virtual clothing brands, Scoop and CoreMood Collective. The virtual brands will connect with physical products with the integration of immersive commerce capabilities.

Walmart said in its release that game and app developers will receive affiliate commissions from certain physical purchases on their virtual apps that are enabled by the commerce API.