Walmart Partners with Roblox for Virtual E-commerce Pilot Test

Walmart's Roblox e-commerce experience is a new virtual storefront within the Roblox platform, where users can purchase select physical items sold at real-life Walmart stores. After trying out virtual versions of these items on their avatars, players can use a browser window inside Roblox to shop on Walmart.com. The experience allows for a traditional checkout process, and once completed, users receive their items by mail, while the virtual twin is granted immediately back on Roblox.

To shop for real-life items in Walmart Discovered on Roblox, users enter the virtual storefront and interact with virtual twins of physical products. They can try these items on their avatars, and when ready to purchase, they access an e-commerce experience resembling a browser window inside Roblox. This virtual interface imitates shopping on Walmart's website, where users can complete a traditional checkout process, including providing their name, address, and credit card information, all handled securely by a Walmart API.

Walmart's Roblox e-commerce experience launched later on the day the announcement was made and is specifically available to users aged 13 or older in the United States. The commerce feature within Walmart Discovered is gated to this demographic to ensure a secure and age-appropriate shopping experience.

The goals of Roblox's e-commerce tests, including the pilot test with Walmart, are to gauge users' willingness to purchase physical goods on the platform, to gather feedback, test the technology, and learn what resonates with Gen Z customers the most. Roblox aims to enable real-world commerce for its community of creators and brands, and these tests are key steps towards achieving that vision. The tests also help Roblox evolve into a full-fledged digital platform beyond gaming, potentially offering a new revenue stream for brands with their own Roblox worlds.

The potential future of Walmart's e-commerce presence on Roblox, if the May pilot test is successful, includes not only maintaining the e-commerce storefront inside Walmart Discovered but also expanding its presence. Walmart aspires to potentially become the default commerce provider for experiences across the gaming platform, using learnings from the pilot to inform a future roadmap and optimize the e-commerce experience.