Game news Doing your shopping directly in Roblox is now possible and it's frankly worrying
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As of Monday, Walmart is now able to sell physical goods online… directly on Roblox. The introduction of real-world e-commerce represents a real turning point for the game's ambitions, which aims to transcend its condition to become a true commercial platform.
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Shopping on Roblox
Roblox and Walmart's e-commerce experiencesoberly named Walmart Discovered has just been launched, and it offers users the possibility of actually have items shipped, right to their door. To do this, and after having tried the virtual objects on their avatars, players can load a trading interface which takes the form of a browser window, aping a shopping experience on the Walmart website. To avoid risks, this function is only accessible to users aged 13 or over, and remains for the moment confined to the United States.
There is a traditional type of payment flow where you provide your name, address, and credit card information. All of this is powered by Walmart's own program that manages all information extremely securely – it's very safe! – Justin Breton, Walmart Director of Brand Experience and Partnerships (press release)
To promote the experience, the brand collaborated with three Roblox content creators – Sarabxlla, MD17_RBLX And Junozyin order to reproduce versions “robloxified” of three physical Walmart products, namely a bag, a stainless steel cup and wireless headphones. The experience Walmart Discovered is currently in testing and will last throughout the month of May, evaluating users' willingness to purchase physical goods on the platform.
Two behemoths in unison
In its desire to evolve into an advertising network by partnering with various brands, the game's expansion into e-commerce highlights aspirations to transcend its origins. Roblox seeks to become a true digital platform in its own right, like Facebook or Amazon.
Our vision of shopping as part of the Roblox economy: it will ultimately model the physical world, with the capacity to go beyond physical limits and offer added value for shopping on the platform – Enrici D'angelo, vice president of economics at Roblox (press release)
But beyond Roblox, Walmart also has its own aspirations. In fact, and if the test goes well, the retailer intends to expand its e-commerce presence on Roblox, making no secret of its ambitions to become the default commercial provider of the title. Breton declares, regarding the game, wanting “learn together and optimize together”, to head towards “a future state in which Walmart will power the Walmart Discover portal, but also other experiences”.