Retail giants Amazon and Walmart are embracing leading edge technology in a very “old school” way: through print catalogs. Their holiday toy catalogs feature games children can play on the “metaverse” gaming platform Roblox.
Amazon’s 2022 “Holiday Kids Gift Book” features an adventure on Roblox called “Amazon Trip Around the Blox.” Amazon explained in a blog post, “Customers can take a pit stop on the book’s holiday road trip to play games on Roblox and earn points for free wearable items to dress up your own avatar. Amazon is also offering a free virtual item.”
“Millions of customers have already received their copy of Amazon’s Holiday Kids Gift Book in the mail,” Amazon said. “Customers can also shop the digital version. For the first time, the digital version is also available in Spanish.”
The cover of Walmart’s 2022 toy catalog is called Universe of Play. Walmart explained in a press release last month that Universe of Play was one of two new immersive experiences on Roblox. William White, Chief Marketing Officer of Walmart U.S., said, “Roblox is one of the fastest growing and largest platforms in the metaverse, and we know our customers are spending loads of time there. So, we’re focusing on creating new and innovative experiences that excite them, something we’re already doing in the communities where they live, and now, the virtual worlds where they play.”
A site called the Krazy Coupon Lady broke down some interesting statistics about Walmart’s holiday catalog, including pointing out that half of the toys were under $50, and over half of the toys were Walmart exclusives.
Walmart said people can collect “verch” on Roblox – short for virtual merchandise. Clearly retailers are using toy catalogs to drive customers to new experiences found online – you can learn more about Walmart’s presence on Roblox in this Fortune article.
If you’ve played around with “verch” on the “metaverse,” let us know!
