Walmart and Mattel test out virtual toy store KidHQ
Walmart and Mattel are “leasing floors” in a new virtual store called KidHQ, which lets users browse toys and merchandise in videos with various choose-your-own-adventure formats.
In Walmart’s Toy Lab, for example, people can examine, test and watch children (played by actors) play with various different toys. On Mattel’s Barbie DreamFloor, they can help Barbie create her own video blog while browsing products. A “grownups only” floor allows parents to view their children’s wish lists and buy toys through Walmart.com.
"Being a retailer isn't simply about selling items anymore – it's about creating an experience for our customers," says Anne Marie Kehoe, Walmart's VP of Toys. "The Toy Lab is a way for us to create a digital experience for kids to really see our top rated toys in action as we enter the holiday season."
"Increasingly, we are looking to give kids new ways to create an imaginative world around their beloved Mattel brands and characters," adds Janet Hsu, Chief Franchise Officer at Mattel. "The Barbie DreamFloor at KidHQ does just that, putting kids in the driver's seat so that they can create their own Barbie interactive experiences."
KidHQ was built by Eko, a startup that received $250 million in funding from Walmart last year to create a joint venture for interactive programming. The pair experimented with an initial version of a Toy Lab that they say generated eight million interactions.
The minimum commitment for a floor in the new KidHQ is seven figures, according to a person familiar with the matter. The videos for Mattel and Walmart were produced by BuzzFeed as part of a larger content deal between Eko and the publisher.
