In a collaborative effort with metaverse platform Emperia and experience design agency Sawhorse, Walmart has debuted three virtual spaces within the Realm that blend e-commerce with social elements.

Each virtual store highlights fashion, beauty and home decor products that have been hand-picked by the respective creator. Gamification elements are said to allow visitors to interact with products, themes and earn rewards.

The Walmart Realm spaces include:

  • Y’allternative by Makenzie and Malia – A western goth-inspired land merging the Wild West with dark aesthetics.
  • Go Chomatic by Nava Rose – A world made of bold, melted metallic, where it is all about modernity.
  • So Jelly by Mai Phammy – An underwater kingdom that invites guests to dive into a sea of colourful, bubbly styles.

Walmart Realm is described as a completely new approach to immersive virtual retail that invites customers to interact with the retail giant and creators in a social atmosphere, ultimately “shortening the distance” between inspiration and commerce.

At the NRF State of Retail $Consumer 2024 event, the CEO of Walmart said that harnessing data and technology while remaining flexible will be key to navigating inevitable supply chain distribution in the retail sector going forward.