Nestlé Purina Petcare Takes Category Management Strategy Into the Metaverse

By Bobby Carlton

Leading U.S. pet care company drove innovation using 3D visualization for category management strategy

As retailers look to improve the customer experience and increase the number of products they offer, they are also looking to implement a variety of category management solutions that can help them manage their inventory. Through the use of 3DVR Solutions’ virtual reality technology, Nestlé Purina Petcare has been able to create a more effective and personalized shopping experience for its customers.

The leading pet care company in the US, Nestlé Purina, provides over 20 brands to its retail partners. Through its planograms, which are designed to help retailers create a personalized shopping experience, it can also help its associates replicate the tasks that would typically be performed in-store. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and the travel restrictions, it was not feasible for its associates to travel to the various regions of the country to carry out these tasks.

To help retailers create a more effective and personalized shopping experience, 3DVRS partnered with Blue Yonder, a leading provider of planning and merchandising software, to develop a virtual reality headset solution that combines the two companies’ data. This integrated solution allows retailers to create a whole new way to enhance their customer experience. Through the use of this technology, they can now bring people from different parts of the globe into a common virtual reality experience.

Thanks to this integrated solution, Purina has achieved some key benefits:

• Removed the need to be in a physical store to make shelfing decisions by bringing people together in the metaverse, which has in turn reduced environmental impact from less travel and decreased training costs.
• Reduced time to merchandise a shelf via an interactive planogram before moving real product.
• Incorporated true-to-life factors into shelf planning.
• Partner with retailers to enhance the customer journey in store and share global best practices.

“3DVRS’ integration with Blue Yonder delivers flexibility, speed and scale, giving us the ability to effectively deploy across the business. The evolution from virtual reality on the desktop to network avatars in the RVS VR Headset solution has been seamless. We can now hold meetings virtually in the metaverse, interact with layouts, products, and store innovations, allowing us to be right at the cutting edge,” said Gene Feldman, training manager, Nestlé Purina.

Through the combined capabilities of 3DVRS and Blue Yonder, retailers have been able to make faster and more accurate space allocation decisions, which have helped them improve the customer experience.

“Purina is a fantastic partner to innovate with as they are always looking to the latest technology to give their business the edge. The challenges they presented pushed technological boundaries. Our integration with Blue Yonder gives us the platform to support large enterprises such as Purina. It’s great to bring new tech to the market that makes a real difference. It’s amazing what we have achieved together already, but I sense there’s a lot more to come,” said Nigel Hemer, CEO and founder, 3DVR Solutions.

Through the integration of 3DVRS and Blue Yonder, Nestlé Purina Petcare was able to bring the capabilities of both companies to life in the metaverse, allowing retailers to create and manage interactive planograms that are designed to meet the needs of their customers. One of the first organizations to benefit from this technology was Purina.

Phil Teschemacher, Blue Yonder’s corporate vice president, said that, through its culture of innovation, Purina is creating a great place for its associates and partners.

Nestlé Purina Petcare is just one of many companies turning to XR technology for data, training, and engagement. Walmart is another company that has been using VR as part of their employee training.