Category: Blog

As brands look to future-proof their marketing strategies, Roblox has emerged as a game-changing platform for engaging a new audience. Obsess hosted a webinar recently on “Why Roblox is a Must for Your 2025 Planning,” where Obsess Founder & CEO, Neha Singh and COO Andee Olson shared key insights on how brands can leverage Roblox to build immersive, impactful and profitable experiences. Here are the highlights.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Platform Overview: What is Roblox?

Roblox is a platform with a marketplace of games and virtual goods where users can play, shop, socialize and express themselves through customizable avatars. With 89 million daily active users from over 180 nationalities, it is the highest-played UGC gaming platform. Available across devices, Roblox is free to play with in-app purchases, making it a highly accessible platform that fosters creativity and interaction on a global scale.

Who is on Roblox?

Roblox’s audience is diverse and expansive. Gen Z leads the charge, with over 53 million users spending more time on Roblox than on Instagram and TikTok combined. Brands should reflect on their marketing budgets: are they aligned with where their consumers are spending time?

Female users make up 39% of the audience, and the platform’s engagement metrics are staggering: users spend an average of 2.5 hours daily, contributing to $1.1 billion in platform spending in Q3 2024. Additionally, 82% of adult gamers on Roblox have spent money in games.

Gaming is no longer just a pastime—it has become a driving force in the future of entertainment and social interaction. Players are increasingly dedicating time to activities beyond gameplay in games, such as socializing, creating and shopping. This shift underscores why platforms like Roblox have prioritized integrating play with practical functionalities, including purchasing goods and engaging with branded content. Download our infographic on key gaming trends to know for 2025.

What are the core ways to activate on Roblox?

Brand Experiences:

Brands across various industries have launched activations on Roblox. To create a successful experience, it’s crucial for brands to strategically define their goals and understand the preferences of their target audience. Brands can choose from a variety of experience types, including standalone branded games, virtual stores or community hubs with engaging mini-games. Standalone branded games are particularly popular, with high-engagement formats such as obstacle courses (obby), business simulations (tycoon), and racing games (racer). For inspiration, check out 7 brands engaging Gen Zers with custom Roblox experiences.

Virtual Goods:

Another key entry point for brands on Roblox is through virtual goods, which can be sold via the Roblox marketplace or directly within a brand’s experience. Limited-edition digital wearables not only create a sense of exclusivity but also drive user engagement. Additionally, awarding virtual goods within games encourages active participation and generates organic advertising as gamers showcase branded UGC across various experiences.

Integrations:

This year, Roblox announced its partnership with Shopify, introducing a game-changing integration that enables physical commerce directly on the platform. This means gamers can purchase physical goods within branded experiences on Roblox, without ever leaving the platform. urrently in beta testing, this functionality is set to redefine the gaming landscape by bringing in tangible, sales-driven ROI for brands.

Brands are also able to integrate their loyalty programs directly onto the platform, rewarding players for their gameplay. Additionally, they can drive foot traffic to physical locations or streamline booking services by embedding QR codes and interactive features within these experiences.

Advertising:

Advertising presents a huge opportunity for brands on Roblox, even for those without their own platform experiences. Roblox offers diverse advertising formats that cater to various brand needs. Immersive ads, including image, video, and portal ads, enable dynamic and engaging interactions with users. Sponsored experiences receive prominent placement on the homepage, driving traffic and visibility. Search ads allow brands to promote their experiences within the platform’s search tool.

Key Takeaways

Gaming platforms have become indispensable for brands seeking to engage with large, diverse and tech-savvy audiences. With an estimated 3.32 billion gamers worldwide, staying relevant requires consistent and creative marketing approaches that resonate with today’s consumers.

Why Act Now? Platforms like Roblox create powerful, lasting connections with audiences by delivering engaging and memorable experiences. Early adoption offers brands a unique opportunity to maximize ROI, as they can organically scale their presence and impact while capturing the attention new consumers. Developing integrated, cross-platform strategies ensures gaming platforms not only drive purchases but also foster enduring brand loyalty.

Developing on Gaming Platforms with Obsess

With expertise in creating immersive, AI-powered virtual experiences, Obsess has successfully launched over 400 experiences across 14 industries. Our extensive data on how users interact, play and shop in 3D environments informs every activation we develop. From identifying the right type of experience to integrations and advertising, Obsess delivers end-to-end solutions that align with a brand’s unique goals. Whether building standalone branded games, virtual stores or community hubs, Obsess ensures seamless execution and long-term engagement that drives measurable results.

To learn more about creating a custom brand activation on Roblox, book a demo or email contact@obsessvr.com. 

Roblox experiences have become the go-to for brands searching to target young consumers in new and exciting ways—the interactive and immersive worlds of the gaming platform are a no-brainer when looking to maximize engagement. These gamified experiences empower brands to connect with a huge audience of hyper-engaged players, strengthening online communities. We sat with our resident Roblox expert and Director of Customer Success, Emiliana Santandreu, to answer top questions brands have about Roblox and discuss what brands need to know about successfully developing on the platform.

On December 11, 2024 at 12pm ET, Obsess will also be hosting a webinar (and short Q&A session) with CEO Neha Singh and COO Andee Olson to answer remaining questions and discuss why it’s increasingly critical for brands to have a presence on Roblox–the new “social media” platform–guiding your 2025 planning. 

What is Roblox? 

Roblox is an online platform with a marketplace of user-generated virtual experiences and digital goods where users can create, socialize, shop and play—it serves as both a game engine and a social hub, allowing players to engage with 3D virtual worlds. Accessible via multiple platforms, such as mobile devices, PCs and Xbox consoles, Roblox is free to download and use. 

Games on Roblox span genres and game styles, from role-playing and tycoon simulations to obstacle courses and social hangouts, there’s no shortage of activations brands can create. There’s even an incredibly popular game where users wait in line for the bathroom (with over 33 million visits since late August of this year)—the sky is truly the limit! Brands across verticals have activated on the platform, engaging the platform’s built-in audience with custom Roblox experiences. 

Who is the audience on Roblox? 

Roblox primarily attracts a younger audience, with most users aged between 9-24 years old, though its appeal is growing among older demographics. It has a global user base of almost 90 million daily active users, heavily concentrated in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and is fairly evenly gender-split, unlike a lot of other gaming platforms that lean more male. 

Engagement on Roblox is extremely high, with users spending an average of 2-3 hours per day on the platform—this is higher than Instagram and TikTok combined. Brands build on Roblox to reach and engage the large audience of Gen Zers through community integration, events and user-generated content that drives continuous engagement. Developing on Roblox is meeting your customers and target audiences where they are!

For more insight on gaming trends, download our infographic with key stats and insights on virtual experiences. 

How long does it take to build an experience?

The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the experience, but is usually only a few short months. Roblox development requires working within its proprietary engine, Roblox Studio, so it’s different to developing on other platforms or Obsess virtual stores. 

However, for brands who already have virtual stores with us, we can work with them to take their virtual store designs and concepts and use them for their Roblox experiences through Roblox Studio—creating one unified concept across the web and Roblox in a way that complements each platform and reduces the timeline to launch. Additionally, Obsess has been a part of the Roblox UGC program for the past four years, which allows us to sell digital goods through the Roblox marketplace, a key component of a successful Roblox strategy. We wrote this blog to answer some questions on how to build your brand on Roblox. 

Why should my brand be on Roblox? 

There are plenty of reasons why brands should consider activating on Roblox:

1. Reach a massive, diverse audience that is growing—it grew 12% from Q2’24 to Q3’24
2. Drive meaningful, memorable, long-term engagements
3. Roblox has the tools to launch extremely customizable brand experiences quickly—meaning your ROI will be high, and there are varying degrees of effort and investment, so you can show up in a way that fits your brand and budget
4. Gen Z’s growing spending power to buy from your brand
5. Advertising is quickly becoming a key tool on Roblox and presents an opportunity to advertise your brand, your product or your experience in the platform
6. Monetize your gaming investments
   1. Roblox announced Shopify as their first real-world commerce partner, enabling brands to sell physical items on the platform–coming in 2025. This partnership is already in beta testing in a few key experiences as of this week
   2. Opportunities for other integrations, such as loyalty programs (like in Slivingland) or others, such as Fandango (like in Wicked)!

To learn more about building custom brand activations on Roblox, book a demo or email us at contact@obsessvr.com.

It’s no surprise that Roblox has become one of the top platforms for brands looking to expand their digital presence—with nearly 90 million daily active users, the gaming platform is prime real estate to get more eyeballs and build communities, especially among younger generations. As Roblox continues to grow as a virtual world where millions interact daily, brands have increasingly sought opportunities for collaboration within this space. Of all the custom brand activations on Roblox, one type of experience stands out when looking to maximize engagement: tycoon-style games. 

What are Tycoon-Style Games & Why do they Resonate with Players?

Tycoon-style games have become a popular genre on Roblox, where players build and manage virtual businesses or empires, often aiming to generate wealth, expand their operations and achieve success. The genre encourages creativity and strategic thinking, as players build and optimize their businesses to maximize profits. The interactive nature of tycoon-style games underscores its impact on user engagement. In these games, players typically start with limited resources and work their way up by completing tasks, collecting items and managing in-game assets; the co-creation experience, sense of community and progression loop keep players coming back for more. 

These games, with their engaging mechanics and rewards-based progression, have not only captured the interest of players but have also emerged as a powerful tool for brand engagement and marketing—players feel more connected to a brand, as they actively participate in its virtual world. 

For example, Brooklyn-based haircare brand introduced this functionality into their Roblox world, the amikaverse. “Roblox is a natural place for us to continue building our community. It’s an ideal extension of our brand purpose, and a prime example of how we’re meeting our next-gen consumers where they are,” said Shannon Otto, Senior Director of Consumer Engagement at amika. 

With the Salon Tycoon game, players step into the role of salon owners to design their own spaces, serving customers, earning amikabux and expanding their salons. Players could continue to decorate and upgrade their spaces, with higher salon ratings unlocking even more customizable pieces. As players evolve into true beauty business “tycoons,” they build long-term interest and investment in the game. 

Tycoon-style games on Roblox offer brands on the platform a unique opportunity to connect with audiences in a fun, engaging and dynamic way. By tapping into the gaming platform’s vast community, brands can create memorable experiences and build long-term relationships with players. To learn more about creating custom Roblox activations for your brand, book a demo or email contact@obsessvr.com. 

Tech-giant and e-commerce leader, Amazon, recently ventured into the immersive retail space with the launch of Amazon Beyond, the company’s newly minted 3D virtual shopping division—a major milestone in the advancement of immersive retail. With 10+ virtual stores on their app and website, Amazon engaged shoppers and encouraged product discovery across multiple brands. But what do Amazon’s latest virtual storefronts mean for the future of virtual shopping? 

When industry leaders like Amazon invest in innovative technologies, it signals market acceptance and marks a clear path to going mainstream; brands and retailers are likely to follow suit as this technology gains mass adoption. The immersive retail industry is likely to undergo a rapid expansion as brands try to not lag behind, falling on the latter end of the adoption curve. This approach is set to become the norm, especially for brands looking to capture the attention of modern consumers. 

Debuting with a mix of 3D rendered and photographed experiences, Amazon launched multiple virtual stores (available in the virtual showrooms hub) that showcase compelling 3D visuals, interactive content, must-have product selections and playful animations. For the 2024 holiday season, the e-commerce giant sought to help shoppers find the perfect gift for everyone on their list with multi-brand experiences in the Virtual Holiday Shop and Virtual Toy Shop. The hub also includes curated single-brand showrooms and shoppable tours of influencer homes. 

In the Virtual Holiday Shop, visitors are greeted with a festive experience where they can explore 100+ gifts from brands like Kate Spade, Coach and more. The 3D experience features shelves in diverse store sections such as Gifts for the host, Perfect stocking stuffers, Next-gen gifts and more. Amazon plans to refresh the experience with new products throughout the holiday season, unlocking new surprises for gifting inspiration. The Virtual Toy Shop spotlights popular toys, games and activity kits from beloved brands like Play-Doh, Disney and more—visitors are immersed in a toy-themed 3D space with multiple animations, some of which show the toys in action. Amazon also released multiple single-brand virtual showrooms, creating 3D spaces dedicated to LEGO®, Samsung, Star Wars, SMEG and other notable brands. A few influencers even enabled Amazon to create shoppable tours of their homes to inspire shoppers on how to prep their homes for the holiday season. 

“We’re always innovating to enhance the shopping experience and empower customers to discover products in easy and fun ways,” said Carmen Nestares Pleguezuelo, Amazon VP of North America Marketing and Prime Tech, in a statement. “With the Virtual Holiday Shop, we are excited to transport shoppers into a new immersive experience where they can browse over 300 of the most coveted gifts and toys of the season.” 

Available on the Amazon website and the Amazon mobile app, each immersive experience showcased functionality found in Obsess-powered virtual stores: 3D 360 views, point-based navigation, product hotspots, high-res zoom in, add-to-cart capabilities, interactivity, animations, music, media content and more. As the world’s largest retailer, Amazon’s adoption of virtual stores affirms our mission at Obsess to create the next-generation e-commerce interface—immersing consumers in highly interactive and unique creative experiences targeted to product discovery and brand storytelling. Over the years, Obsess has partnered with the world’s leading brands and retailers in fashion, beauty, CPG, home and beyond to implement the virtual store technology on their own e-commerce websites and apps, with the same performance, quality and ease of access.

Obsess is the leading virtual store platform and has gathered robust spatial data from 400+ AI-powered virtual stores and experiences to optimize immersive retail environments that cater to the expectations of today’s consumers. Adding interactive, gamified elements into 3D virtual shopping experiences enhances customer engagement and amplifies product discovery; 80% of consumers game on a regular basis, and spend multiple hours a day in immersive environments such as Roblox. Personalized experiences are also important for modern consumers. AI-driven personalization remains at the forefront of virtual shopping, with features such as AI-powered virtual assistants making online experiences more tailored than ever. 
To learn how to set up a virtual store, book a demo or email us at contact@obsessvr.com.

Shopify and Roblox unlock a new quest for innovative brands: real-world commerce capabilities on the ultra-popular gaming platform—coming in 2025. Blurring the lines between gaming and e-commerce, this new partnership enables brands on Shopify to sell physical items directly within their custom Roblox activation. While the ability to purchase real, physical items in an immersive (and/or gamified) experience is not new (peep virtual stores) this integration is a huge leap for commerce in the immersive media space. 

In a world where consumer attention spans are ever-dwindling, gamified experiences reign supreme due to the heightened level of interactivity; brands build on gaming platforms such as Roblox to deepen consumer connections and build brand affinity. With 80 million daily active users and counting, Roblox brand collaborations are a natural tactic to build online communities and cultivate brand loyalty, especially amongst young, gaming-native generations. At 2.4 hours spent daily per user—more daily time spent than YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Netflix combined—brands are able to reach new and existing customers at scale. 

Learn how to Build Your Brand on Roblox. 

New in Retail Technology: Roblox as a Shopping Platform 

Brands can leverage Roblox’s deeply-rooted social and gaming elements to not only build community among the platform’s hyper-engaged user base, but also incentivize product discovery and encourage purchases with the launch of real-world commerce capabilities. Introducing Shopify checkout functionality into Roblox enables brands on the platform to blend entertainment and commerce. 

With the Shopify integration, Roblox becomes an innovative shopping platform for cutting-edge brands to seamlessly sell physical and digital goods—diverging from traditional e-commerce interfaces into immersive 3D environments. Rather than developing Roblox activations as solely immersive brand marketing or loyalty experiences, brands will be able to adopt gaming as a way to expand their virtual online selling channels. This integration offers brands an opportunity to tap into the lucrative (and growing) gaming market with a clear ROI: driving revenue. 

Virtual Online Shopping on Roblox: Physical vs. Digital Goods

Without real-world commerce functionality, brands on Roblox are limited to selling digital products for user avatars called UGCs. These popular, digital items range from branded clothing, shoes and accessories to custom hairstyles and makeup looks, and empower user personalization. As players purchase and wear these items across brand worlds, it increases product visibility to the platform’s large, built-in user base. 

By selling physical merchandise alongside digital goods, brands can drive revenue from both realms through their Roblox activations. This is especially significant as many Roblox users emphasize the importance of digital self-expression, and how it relates to their personal, physical style. In a survey conducted by Roblox of 1,500+ Gen Z members, 84% claim their physical style is inspired by their avatar—these respondents reported they were more likely to purchase from a brand in the physical world after trying on their items in a virtual space. 

According to Roblox, 43% of Gen Z users on Roblox want to see brands create twinning items in the physical and digital worlds. This appetite for consumers to match their avatars will help inform brand strategy as the Shopify X Roblox partnership continues to be adopted; brands are likely to tie UGCs with physical goods so that shoppers are able to wear both in real life and virtually. Launching real-world commerce capabilities from Shopify makes this endeavor a seamless experience as players are able to purchase a physical copy along with the digital.

What The Shopify X Roblox Integration Means for the Future of Immersive Retail

As this integration unfolds, we can expect to see innovative retail strategies that redefine the future of commerce. For brands looking to expand their Roblox presence, the Shopify partnership will shift their metaverse strategy to include more shopping focused Roblox experiences: immersive product launch campaigns, virtual experiences for exclusive collectibles, virtual pop-up shops and more. And brands previously reluctant to develop an experience on the platform will be more open as the partnership yields a tangible ROI, with easy-to-digest KPIs.

As major players in their respective spaces, the Shopify X Roblox integration signals a rise in appetite for the immersive commerce market, bringing awareness to what’s possible even outside of the platform. Brands will eventually want to bring the gamification element inherent to Roblox back to their own websites. More control over the look and feel of brand worlds will entice brands to create their own immersive retail experiences such as virtual stores. 

How Brands Can Capitalize on Immersive Commerce

Obsess is the leading immersive shopping platform, building shopping-focused experiences for brands on Roblox. Each Obsess-powered virtual store on Roblox encourages product sales, leveraging custom branded mini-games and tactical merchandising to promote physical and digital purchases. From layout to merchandising, each aspect of design is based on 3D spatial data from over 350 virtual stores. Brands can also extend ROI and distribute their Roblox virtual store across multiple channels and devices: web-based browser experiences, spatial computers like Apple Vision Pro and VR headsets like Meta Quest.  

Whether you’re a brand looking to expand your reach or a player eager to explore new shopping experiences, this collaboration marks an exciting new chapter in the evolution of online commerce in 3D. To learn more about creating shopping-focused experiences on Roblox, book a demo or email contact@obsessvr.com. 

Virtual experiences for holiday help brands and retailers transform the online shopping experience into an interactive retail environment. An immersive VR holiday shopping experience is a 360, digital, interactive shopping destination dressed for the holidays to drive shopper engagement, sales and strengthen online communities during the busiest retail season. 

With immersive holiday activations, brands have the opportunity to create innovative, 3D activations that leave a lasting impact during the busiest time of the year. Virtual retailing solutions increase shopper engagement, expand brand relevance and elevate product education to inform buyer decisions—which is especially impactful in driving sales during the hyper-competitive holiday season. Showcase brand moments and seasonal collections in a dynamic and highly-visual environment. As a one-stop shop to discover, research and purchase gifts, VR holiday experiences have helped brands drive impressive results in engagement, reach, conversion and ROI on holiday marketing campaigns. Brands can boost engagement during peak shopping season by including elevated features such as personalized quizzes to offer tailored gift suggestions or gamification that promotes product discovery.

3D e-commerce experiences transform how shoppers interact with brands and products, deepening consumer connections—such as with curated gift guides fit for the holidays. Expand brand relevance during the holiday season by including immersive technologies that resonate with consumers, such as virtual holiday pop-ups. Launch virtual holiday pop-up shops to build buzz around curated seasonal collections and brand moments. Brands can pair virtual pop-ups with physical activations to amplify reach and extend ROI through an omnichannel experience. 

Immersive virtual holiday experiences offer brands a unique opportunity to empower consumer purchasing decisions through visual shopping functionality such as 3D product customization. Brands can also improve conversion in virtual holiday experiences by embedding interactive videos and multimedia content that enhances product education and storytelling opportunities. 

Download the Virtual Experiences for Holiday one pager to learn more about how VR holiday experiences boost engagement, expand brand relevance and elevate education for new product launches. 

Leading brands in fashion, beauty, CPG and beyond have leveraged Obsess-powered virtual holiday experiences to maximize impact during the busy retail season. Book a demo or email us at contact@obsessvr.com to engage holiday shoppers in interactive and immersive VR holiday experiences.