Page 46 - HW Oct 2022

global eyes
Walmart
seeks Gen Z
in the Metaverse
Retail giant Walmart has joined other retailers in using the Metaverse
to engage with customers with
the launch of two new immersive experiences in the Roblox metaverse mega-platform which boasts over 52 million daily users.
Called Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play, the spaces offer unique interactive content and entertainment for “next generation” shoppers (particularly Gen Z), “bringing to life the best of Walmart in a virtual world.”
Walmart Land will bring fashion, style, beauty and entertainment items directly to the global Roblox community while Walmart’s Universe of Play – billed as
“the ultimate virtual toy destination in Roblox,” – comes just in time for those holiday wish lists.
Walmart Land will feature a variety of immersive experiences, including a virtual store of merchandise, or “verch”, for your avatar; a physics- defying Ferris wheel giving users a bird’s-eye glimpse of the world; and unlockable tokens and badges that can be earned in various games and competitions.
The Roblox partnership will serve as a testing ground for Walmart as it considers moves in the metaverse and beyond.
Users can freely access the Walmart Land experience on Roblox.com and Walmart’s Universe of Play on any device including PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon devices, Xbox consoles, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
www.roblox.com/games/10895555747/ Walmart-Land
www.roblox.com/games/10980366634/ Walmart-Universe-of-Play
Return towards business as usual for Bunnings ANZ?
ANOTHER AUGUST FINANCIAL report
for the record: having “continued
to navigate a challenging operating environment including ongoing COVID- 19 disruptions, high absenteeism and supply chain challenges,” Bunnings ANZ’s FY2022 year-end released at the end of August was labelled a “pleasing” result.
With second-half revenues +9.2% after slim pickings in the first half, the overall year-end ANZ revenue of AU$17.8 billion was +5.2% on FY2021, giving modest EBIT growth of +0.9% and an EBIT margin slightly down on FY2021.
Boosted by second-half growth of +7.8%, total store sales (excluding Trade Centres, Beaumont Tiles, and Tool Kit Depot) were +4.2% at year-end, after being +12.4% in FY2021 and showing a return to something like a pre-pandemic level of growth (FY2019 was +5.2%).
FY2022 same-store or like-for-like
sales were +4.8% (excluding store months closed by the pandemic), again something of a normalisation after the double-
digit like-for-like growth seen across FY2020-FY2021.
Online sales were +37%, helped somewhat no doubt by further updates to the recently launched consumer website including improved search performance and personalisation, as well as enhancements to the Product Finder App.
For commercial customers, Bunnings invested in a new e-commerce platform, making it easier to shop the full range online with PowerPass pricing, and the
option to arrange delivery direct to site. Talking of PowerPass, improved
functionality for the app led to a
38% increase in app transactions as commercial customers continued to use the pay as you go feature while shopping in-store.
Also noted was Bunnings ANZ’s “Ongoing normalisation of stock levels” and an almost 22% drop in capital expenditure, after the previous years’ efforts to cope with “extraordinary” levels of demand.
Commenting on the performance, Bunnings’ Managing Director Mike Schneider says: “Once again I am really pleased to share such strong results for the Bunnings business.
“It’s a testament to our hard-working team and supplier partners across Australia and New Zealand who have continued to support and drive our strategy through yet another challenging year.”
During the year, Bunnings expanded seven stores to improve the local offer and opened one net new store and two Trade Centres. At the end of the year there were 282 warehouses, 67 smaller format stores and 32 trade centres in
the Bunnings network, plus 11 Tool Kit Depot stores (with six new stores opened during the year) and 115 Beaumont Tiles stores.
As has been the case in the last few years, Bunnings’ New Zealand figures have not been separated out from the overall ANZ result.
www.wesfarmers.com.au
44 NZHJ | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz