Amazon Launches 'Phygital' Shopping Experience for Mobile Games

Amazon is enabling the sale of physical products, such as apparel and toys, within video games, mobile apps and interactive virtual environments with a new immersive shopping experience called Amazon Anywhere.

The e-commerce giant teamed up with Niantic (the makers of Pokemon Go) to launch the offering within Peridot, Niantic’s new real-world augmented reality game. The game features unique virtual pets powered by artificial intelligence, and it’s now available on iOS and Android devices.

Amazon Anywhere offers a “phygital” experience for Peridot users, who can access an in-game physical merchandise store as they care for “one of a kind” creatures and explore and play the game, according to a media release written by Steve Downer, vice president of consumer electronics at Amazon. Purchases can be made without having to leave the game or app. 

Users must link their Amazon account to Peridot in order to find Peridot-branded products such as T-shirts, hoodies, phone accessories and throw pillows featuring artwork of magical creatures from the game. Users can see the same product details, images, availability, Prime eligibility, price and estimated delivery date as they would in Amazon stores.

Users can tap the “buy” button to checkout within the game, and their products will ship like any other purchase from Amazon. Order tracking and management must still be done within the Amazon app.

“We’re creating a new landscape for shoppable entertainment and digital experiences while continuing to meet our customers where they are, with the products they love,” Downer wrote in the release. “Most shopping in virtual worlds is currently limited to purchases of virtual currency and in-game digital items, with no easy path to purchase physical products.”

“With Amazon Anywhere, we’re bringing the convenience and ease of shopping in Amazon stores to Peridot,” he added. “There’s a sense of excitement in discovering unique and relevant items within the game that you can get delivered right to your door.”

Amazon Anywhere is also for creators and developers of virtual worlds, video games or mobile apps looking to extend their digital experience into the physical world. The offering allows creators to curate products from Amazon’s selection, including a brand’s own merchandise.