Retail technology innovation of the week: Walmart and Emperia put fresh spin on back to college shopping

Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a series brought to you by RTIH and sponsored by 3D Cloud, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.

Every week, we will showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, alongside the publication of the 2024 report.

So far, we’ve flagged up sterling work being done by Ocado Retail, Decathlon, Lacoste, Downtown Spirits, TalkShopLive, Huck’s, Rovertown, Wing, Nobody’s Child, IKI, Pixevia, A.L.C., Archive, Therabody, Outform, Kingfisher, PMC, Boots UK, Ocula Technologies, Grace O'Malley Irish Whiskey, Metacask, Ikea, Carrefour Belgium, Matalan, and McDonald’s.

And this week we’re focusing on Walmart Realm, Walmart’s immersive commerce experience, which is enabling college students to explore and shop five virtual dorm rooms inspired by social trends and curated by their favourite creators.

These trends, inspired by Pinterest Predicts and TikTok, include:

Sanrio curated by @jellybean.celine – a fantastical cotton candy and rainbow escape

Serene Retreat curated by @studymoofin – a cozy and comfortable soft living oasis

Royal curated by @trinityanitahh – serving smart and eclectic with a preppy, regal twist

Y2K curated by @thebeekid – a throwback to trends and products from the early 2000s

LoFi curated by @august (NPC RA) – a gamer’s paradise inspired by neon lights and arcades

Each dorm also includes a mini game, such as Byte-sized Crush in Y2K, surprises, like transporting inside a doll house in Royal, and native social content from the aforementioned creators, including @jellybelly.celine highlighting her curated products in Sanrio.

College students can also find and take advantage of a limited time Walmart+ student offer.

In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, said: “We’ve also simplified the discovery and shopping experience based on real customer feedback, including improved commerce and engagement interaction points, new “Room Shuffle” feature to drive deeper discovery, and new “Recommended Products” feature to help customers find their thing. The Discover feed has also been updated with new products.”

He added: “Walmart Realm, powered by Emperia, continues to embrace the limitless possibilities of virtual technologies, allowing us to create stunning immersive commerce experiences to inspire our customers and shorten the distance between inspiration and commerce as they shop online. I’m excited to hear what they think!”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Immersive experiences are a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.