Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart Stores Inc. has made a major move signaling its intent to enter the VR retail space. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the big-box retailer has filed for two new patents, hinting that the company will one day offer virtual shopping to its customers.
The filings specifically reveal its aim to create “virtual show rooms,” and that a fulfillment system would connect shoppers using VR headsets with sensor-embedded gloves to place them within a 3-D representation of the brand’s stores, where they could browse aisles and “shop” from anywhere, reports Ad Age.
These patent filings add to more than a dozen VR patents the company has filed in recent years, though this revelation points to its intent to shift VR technology from its internal business to its consumer-facing one. Earlier this year, Walmart acquired Spatialand, a tech startup that now contributes to its in-house tech incubator, Store No. 8.