BENTONVILLE, AR - The convenience of online shopping but the confidence of brick and mortar—how do you bring the consumer both? Walmart seems to be en route to cracking the code, having rolled out a 3D shopping experience that allows consumers to view a life-like setting as they shop.

“Starting today, we’re testing a new experience that enables customers to take a virtual shopping tour of a curated apartment showcasing nearly 70 items from both national brands and our private label offerings. As they virtually explore the apartment, customers simply click on different products in each room to get more information,” Anthony Soohoo, SVP and Group General Manager, Home, U.S. e-commerce, wrote on the retailer’s website.

While the rollout is currently just for its new home digital shopping experience, I clicked on the sample and, wanting to see how food items might pop up, went right to the kitchen. Before me were two apples, one half sliced, and already I can see how this could span to a grocery format as well.

My hopes, and perhaps those of some in our industry, do not appear completely unfounded.

“While we are launching these new features for dorm rooms and small space living, we know that they could have applications elsewhere and will continue to listen to customer feedback to determine how to implement them more broadly on the site,” Soohoo stated.

In July, the executive said Walmart will introduce a completely new way for customers to buy an entire look quickly and easily, knowing many tend to buy certain items together. For the first time, the retailer is making it possible to add a group of items to the cart to buy a complete look, another interesting concept should it choose to broaden the program’s reach.

The announcement comes at a time when retailers are seeking technological advancements to enhance in-store and online customer experience, as Reuters observed in its coverage of the rollout. Among its recent investments in the field are Walmart’s move for a significant stake in Flipkart and the expansion of its online grocery capabilities through a partnership with DoorDash, not to mention heading up a blockchain between a number of giant companies to expedite identifying recalls and reduce food risks for consumers.

Will this tech, too, find its way into the company’s strategy to expand its e-commerce presence in the grocery sector? AndNowUKnow will alert the industry as soon as we find out.

Walmart