Cynthia Maller: Helping People Live Better and Renew Planet at Walmart

By Luke Lightning

September 14, 2022

In this week's episode of the Future Construct Podcast (32 min interview), we are excited to feature Cynthia Maller, Head of 3D Creative Technology at Walmart (@Walmart), and our host Amy Peck (@AmyPeckXR). Cynthia Maller is also the Head of 3D Creative Technology at three of Walmart's digitally-native brands: Hayneedle, Art.com and Allswell.

Click to listen to our interview with Cynthia on Apple, Spotify, or Google, or watch on our Facebook or YouTube channels.

She is a Certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Practitioner. Her focus is strengthening and scaling the three pillars of 3D in retail: inspiring aesthetics, visual integrity and operational excellence. She believes that every one of us has the talent and capability to add value to immersive commerce, and to be a builder, a citizen and a purveyor in the Metaverse. This drives her commitment to peer education, advocacy and invention. When she’s not at work, she’s on the ice, feeding her passion for figure skating. Her drive to try new things, to push herself, both in commerce technology and on the ice, is guided by the words of Erin Hanson, “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, What if you fly?"

Highlights of Cynthia’s interview with host Amy Peck (@AmyPeckXR) include:
- How Cynthia developed Walmart to be "plug-and-play" and not vertical-specific in the world of 3D and visualization.
- The evolution of Cynthia's role becoming the go-to resource for Walmart about the metaverse
- How consumers can utilize 3D on a daily basis, and how they can become more involved in the conversation about integration
- The concept of gamification and developing more comfort about its adoption

In 1999, Cynthia began working as a Creative Director for Yahoo, and for the next 15 years, she held that same roles for large companies including Gyro International, Johnson and Johnson, PayPal, Sam's Club and Adobe. In 2015, she started shifting her focus towards user experience at Touch of Modern, where she led the UX team across all platforms, led a team of 18 photographers, stylists, and editors, and led brand development, creative, and packaging for 4 private label brands
She was able to sell through excellent design and strategic innovations to an approval council comprised of four founders, she created the first-ever 360 review process for HR. Cynthia, then took her talents and accomplishments to Munchery. She has acquired a wealth of knowledge in creative technology, and continues to expand her expertise in her role at Walmart. Walmart aims to build a better world — helping people live better and renew the planet while building thriving, resilient communities. For them, this means working to create opportunity, build a more sustainable future, advance diversity, equity and inclusion and bring communities closer together.

Click to listen to our interview with Cynthia on Apple, Spotify, or Google, or watch on our Facebook or YouTube channels.

Show Notes

0:12  - Amy Peck introduces Cynthia Maller, Head of 3D Creative Technology at Walmart.

06:09  - You were a visionary when you saw this evolution of 3D coming, and now it's metaverse everything. We're moving from 2D screens to 3D. How has been becoming the go-to resource for the entire company [Walmart] about the metaverse?

18:26  - Now hand in hand with the metaverse, another term we keep hearing about is this "creator economy," and it's similar to what you're doing at [Walmart]. How would people use 3D to do what do on a daily basis, and how do you engage consumers in that conversation of integrating that?

23:42  - You mention gamification, and that can have a positive or negative connotation, depending on who you talk to. So, how do we become more comfortable with the concept of gamification?

27:30  - If you could project yourself 20 years into the future, and if you could have any product or service or gadget or thing, that for you, would make your life better or make you personally happy, what would it be and what would it do?

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