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Walmart goes big with virtual reality for employee training

September 25, 2018

Walmart is distributing 17,000 virtual reality headsets as part of its training strategy as the Oculus Go gear is proving to boost store associate retention and confidence.

The program began last year, according to a Business Insider report, and the headsets were first used in special training centers to teach retail skills. Over one million employees will use the VR technology at more than 4,700 Walmart stores.

"The great thing about VR is its ability to make learning experiential," Andy Trainor, senior director for Walmart's US Academies, said in a press release, according to BI. "When you watch a module through the headset, your brain feels like you actually experienced a situation. We've also seen that VR training boosts confidence and retention while improving test scores 10 to 15 percent — even those associates who simply watched others experience the training saw the same retention boosts."