In 2022, Walmart’s relationship with young adults (Gen Z, 17-24 years old) was in a spectacular place, with nearly 80% of this group having a favorable opinion of us.[1] It’s where they could find everything they needed to satisfy any need, want or whim. However, while they had love for Walmart, the relationship was largely transactional – based on getting goods at a low cost. This presented a huge problem when rising inflation and global supply chain issues brought commerce to a grinding halt. With these issues leaving our relationship in a vulnerable position, it was imperative to nurture our bond in a completely new way.
To grow love for Walmart, we set out to transform the brand from a supplier of things to a supplier of experiences – and to do it in a way that connected with our audience authentically. So we engaged them on Roblox - a place that offered limitless experiences and where young adults were the fastest growing group[2].
It’s there where the Walmart leapt into the metaverse, launching Walmart Land, a first-of-its-kind, programmable, continually evolving experience that would change the way young adults experienced the brand!
[1] Morning Consult, “Gen Z’s Favorite Brands 2022”, 2022
[2] Roblox, “A Year In Roblox 2021 Data”, 2022
Walmart Land offered young adults a new path for discovering everything they love.
From learning to DJ, exploring fashion trends, meditating, or finding their new binge-worthy show on Netflix trivia, Walmart made all their favorite things accessible – and supplied a healthy dose of rewards – without it costing them a dime.
We even tapped into their passion for music and gave them free front-row seats to a ground-breaking music festival, Electric Fest, featuring the hottest artists performing live on a virtual stage.
Then we turned the volume up to eleven.
We enlisted the help of Roblox influencers to introduce Walmart Land to their fanbase. These gaming gurus streamed on their social accounts and teased the ultimate prize for many players -- free avatar accessories, giving them access to exclusive virtual merchandise when they completed secret tasks.
We amplified our reach by partnering with one of the most popular Roblox games, Livetopia, connecting their millions of players to our experience with mini-games and portals that took them directly to Walmart Land.
We dropped a series of “hype” videos targeting young adult gamers with YouTube pre-roll, pumping them up with a high-energy preview of everything there was to experience in Walmart Land, while companion banners linked directly to Walmart Land’s Roblox homepage.
Walmart Land created tremendous buzz and business results!
Within the first two weeks of launch, Walmart Land was featured in over 500 pieces of press and saw 4.9 million visitors.[1][2]
More importantly, the program didn’t just maintain the positive perception of Walmart held by young adults, it actually increased love for the brand with those who interacted with the experience.
Walmart Land Post-Exposure Brand Health Results:[3]
Brand Affinity: +10% (1% over benchmark)
Purchase Intent: +17% (4% over benchmark)
Likely to Recommend: +21% (10% over benchmark)
As of January 31st, 2023 Walmart Land continues to see success, with 12.3 million total visitors and averaging over 102k daily visitors.56
[1]Roblox, 2022-23
[2] RoMonitor, 2022
[3] SUZY Brand Lift Study, 2022
