Walmart will officially launch its VR training programme next month, having ordered 17,000 Oculus Go headsets, which it will distribute to its stores across the US. Staff will use the hardware to studycustomer service skills, compliance and the technology they will be using in their role.
Ten stores took part in a pilot test earlier this year, deploying VR training to teach staff how to prepare items for collection from the retailer’s Pickup Tower system, where customers can collect online orders via self-service. Once stores receive the new hardware from Oculus, associates can receive a wider variety of training without teachers.
Andy Trainor, senior director at Walmart US Academies, remarked:
“We’ve also seen that VR training boosts confidence and retention while improving test scores 10-15%. Even those who simply watched others experience the training saw the same retention boosts”.
Earlier this year, Meko’s Matthew Brennesholtz explored several trade shows dedicated to medical and industrial applications of AR/VR technology and reported on a training initiative by Walmart in preparing for peak sales.
