Walmart explores e-tail format

19 March 2021: US retail giant Walmart is exploring new e-tail opportunities with its 3D Virtual Shopping Tour. Freshly launched, this VR tool shows users a 360° image of a flat, inside which they can click and buy, choosing from nearly 70 products. The online tool can be used both with and without a VR headset.

The 3D Virtual Shopping Tour is available for the time being only for Walmart’s home decoration range, with a mix of proprietary and third-party brands. Yet, this user-friendly tool, smooth and very simple to navigate and with realistic visual images, could also be applicable to the apparel and beauty categories, for which the importance of the brand and purchasing experience is by now widely recognised.

The 3D Virtual Shopping Tour has been launched in parallel with another tool, simpler but no less appealing to the apparel sector. It is called ‘Buy the Room’, and it enables users to purchase all the elements of an interior décor set in a single click; another idea which could be used in the fashion industry, though limited by the need to choose sizes.

Through this option, Walmart is making it possible to add a group of items to cart to buy a complete look. Initially, they started out with five curated collections with each room featuring up to 20 of the most sought-after items college students search for and purchase.

Walmart has been laser focused on helping customers save time, effort and money. And when it comes to home shopping, that means making their affordable products more discoverable.