Ecommerce company Flipkart announced Flipverse, a metaverse experience in which users can experience and purchase things in three-dimensional virtual reality (VR) that can be accessed through any smartphone without the need for a VR device.

So far, more than 15 brands have signed on with the company to launch and exhibit about 100 products on Flipverse. This is the first time a regular ecommerce company has launched a Web3 service.

In the first phase, Flipverse will be available to all Android users via the Flipkart app for a week and will include companies like Puma, Noise, Nivea, Lavie, Tokyo Talkies, Campus, VIP, Ajmal Perfumes, Himalaya, and Butterfly India.

For the launch, Flipkart collaborated with Web3 companies such as eDAO, Polygon, and Guardian Link. In its initial iteration, brands can exhibit products and provide users with offers and collectibles in areas such as sports gear, wearable devices, fashion, home appliances, and cosmetics.

The company announced that its loyalty program Supercoins would be extended to Flipverse.

Flipkart and eDAO recently collaborated to create a digital treasure hunt during the Big Billion Days sale. Customers had access to digital items encompassing art, sports, gaming, and entertainment at the end of the 10-day sale. Polygon, a layer-II blockchain that is built on the Ethereum network, hosts the collectibles.

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Addressing a media gathering, Ajay Ponna Venkatesh and Sai Krishna VK, key executives of Flipkart Labs – an arm of the ecommerce company that tests with future technologies – stated that the company was not interested in monetising or driving user growth on Flipverse in the medium term. “The immersive technologies of today will influence the future growth of eCommerce, and metaverse is one of the biggest revolutions in this sector with great promise,” said Naren Ravula, VP and head of product strategy and deployment at Flipkart Labs.