Walmart’s In-Store AR Experience Has Shoppers On the Hunt for Waffles + Mochi

Walmart has introduced a new augmented reality shopping experience in stores that encourages families to explore the aisles in search of Waffles + Mochi characters in order to unlock content. 

Based on the Waffles + Mochi Netflix children’s show, the AR gamification experience is currently available in all Walmart stores through early September. After scanning a QR code with their smartphones, image-recognition technology enables consumers to search for nine different characters hiding in the stores’ grocery aisles.  

This experience, which went live this week, is an extension of an interactive online website and content series Walmart launched earlier this year in collaboration with Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and Higher Ground Productions. Under that initiative, known as The Hidden World of Waffles + Mochi, consumers can interact with 20 different activities on the Walmart website to learn new recipes and play games — all intended to teach healthy eating habits while benefitting food insecurity.  

As shoppers locate each character in the store, they’re able to earn badges and unlock more games, recipes, stories and clips from the website.  

There are in-store standees at all stores nationwide that customers can scan to active the experience, a Walmart spokesperson told RIS, and downloading a mobile app is not required to participate.

Consumers can also activate the experience through The Hidden World of Waffles + Mochi website on their own at home using their smartphone’s camera.

Watch the video above to see how it works.