Walmart has filed two patents regarding virtual reality shopping. They describe a system in which users wear a VR headset and sensory gloves to get an in-store experience at home. Orders placed through the VR program would go to a fulfillment center, where robots would pull orders to submit for shipping.
The patents were filed in January but were not published until this month. This was a follow-up to a separate virtual reality experience that Walmart filed a patent for last December.
The previous VR setup involved special shopping stations set up like kiosks in a shopping mall. Users could enter and have access to a large Walmart store.
The new version with in-home shopping could help a wide range of people, particularly those who take advantage of the Grocery Pickup and same-day grocery delivery services. Busy parents, shift workers and people who simply do not have time to shop in stores can order their groceries online and have them delivered to their car in the Walmart parking lot or to their door in select U.S. metropolitan areas.
Walmart has not explained how they would get VR gear to customers, or what they truly intend to do with these patents. They could send out the gear for a small fee and offer a discount on the first purchase made through the platform—possibly buy the necessary equipment for $15 and get 10% off your first order. They could also send out the headsets and gloves for free, hoping to get their money back through increased sales.
I spoke with some Grocery Pickup users to see what they had to say about the potential for VR shopping from home. One respondent, Debra, suffers from severe social anxiety and asked us not to publish her last name. In response to the shopping though, she said, "That would be really awesome. That way I wouldn't have to scroll through 400 pages of an app. Just go up and down the aisles and pick up what I want. But it has to be cost-effective."
Megan Torres, a working mom of two, said, "If I want to buy clothes or makeup, I want to physically be there to try on the clothing or see the color or texture. If it's a brand I know and trust, I have no issue ordering online without the in-store experience."
Provided by LowCards.com
