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Branded experiences on Roblox are revolutionizing the way companies engage with younger, digitally-native audiences. For brands aiming to connect with the next generation, understanding and participating in this vibrant ecosystem is not just advantageous; it’s imperative. With over 70 million daily active users, Roblox presents a dynamic platform where the boundaries between gaming, social interaction and digital commerce blur—offering companies a vibrant space to engage a community of highly attentive consumers.

What Are Roblox Experiences?

At the heart of Roblox lies a diverse array of user-generated games and virtual environments, collectively known as Roblox experiences. These are not just games but immersive worlds where users can explore, create and interact. This dynamic blend of entertainment and creativity makes Roblox a unique platform for users and creators alike.

Why Brands Should Consider Roblox

Roblox presents an unparalleled opportunity for brands to engage with a vast, engaged audience. With millions of daily users, the platform offers:

Reach: Roblox’s massive, global user base comprises primarily Gen Z, Gen Alpha and younger millennials, providing direct access to hard-to-reach demographics that are less responsive to traditional media.
Engagement: The interactive nature of Roblox experiences fosters deep engagement, allowing brands to build stronger connections with their audience.
Innovation: Roblox is at the cutting edge of digital interaction, offering brands a space to innovate and experiment with new forms of engagement and storytelling.

Collaborating with a specialized partner like Obsess can help brands navigate Roblox’s complexities to create custom, branded experiences that resonate with audiences. By harnessing Obsess’s expertise, brands like Brooklyn-based haircare brand amika have successfully entered Roblox, offering engaging content that aligns with their brand narrative and overall marketing objectives.

Considerations When Building on Roblox

To maximize the impact of a Roblox experience, consider the following:

Engagement is Key: Design your space to encourage interaction and exploration, making it memorable and shareable.
Social Features Matter: Utilize Roblox’s social capabilities to promote community building and user-generated content, amplifying your brand’s reach.
Stay Authentic: Ensure your Roblox presence aligns with your brand’s values and aesthetic, creating a cohesive and authentic experience.
Take Advantage of UGC: Roblox allows brands to sell branded digital items for user avatars. Any avatar accessory (also called a “UGC” in Roblox) can be sold as a digital item in a brand’s Roblox experience—from clothing to shoes, handbags, hats, sunglasses, jewelry and even makeup looks and hairstyles. Once a Roblox user purchases an item, they can wear it to all Roblox experiences where other users will see their outfit, hence increasing brand awareness and encouraging others to purchase the same item from your store.

Why Build a Branded Experience on Roblox?

60% of Roblox users are Gen Z. The collection of apps on the platform enables highly engaging virtual gaming worlds, which brands can leverage to reach new audiences and increase loyalty.

Obsess works with Roblox to create shoppable, focused, high fidelity virtual stores that give brands a more seamless and manageable entry point onto the platform. While traditional Roblox worlds focus on incentivizing game play, Obsess-powered virtual stores in Roblox leverage gamification and tactical merchandising to promote purchases.

Examples of Roblox Experiences Created by Brands

Brands, such as Nike, Gucci, Forever 21 and Walmart have all created experiences in Roblox to extend their brand story to a new audience. See how these brands and more are engaging Gen Z with Roblox experiences: https://obsessar.com/blog-roblox-brand-experiences/.

How to Maximize ROI in Roblox

To maximize ROI on Roblox, brands can work with Obsess to create a data-backed store layout that encourages product sales—all based on Obsess’s 3D spatial data from over 300 other virtual stores. This is a new type of experience for the Roblox platform; one that prioritizes shopping and tactical merchandising.

Brands can also distribute their Roblox virtual store across multiple channels and devices. Every Obsess virtual store can be released across mobile and desktop on a brand’s website, plus spatial computing and VR/AR devices like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest.

Ready to Learn More? Book a demo with Obsess to learn more about how to get started with building a shopping-focused Roblox experience for your brand.

In the rapidly evolving world of retail, the integration of immersive experiences has emerged as a pivotal strategy to captivate and engage consumers. In Q4 2023, Obsess partnered with Coresight Research to conduct a study of 150 retail decision-makers, which sought to understand how retailers are thinking about immersive experiences—including how they are prioritizing investments, and which types of results they are seeing.

The full report is available to download for free here.

The report’s findings forecast the AR market to soar to $31.3 billion by 2027. Meanwhile, the VR market, though smaller, is set for significant growth, projected to escalate from $12.9 billion in 2023 to $20.7 billion by 2027. The growth rate of VR is notably 1.5 times greater than that of AR, highlighting a compelling trend in technological advancement and consumer adoption.

However, what makes this growth even more compelling is the insight derived from the survey conducted among industry respondents. More than half of all surveyed brands and retailers indicated that they would increase their investment in immersive experiences during the next three years. Likewise, an overwhelming 86% of respondents indicated a definite intent to increase their investment in immersive experiences over the next 10 years.

This high planned adoption rate within the next few years highlights an urgency around investing in immersive experiences. Despite economic challenges, surveyed brands and retailers have signaled that they will continue to invest in immersive experiences, emphasizing the value that companies believe they stand to gain from investing in this area.

Immersive experiences encompass a wide spectrum—from virtual stores and VR/AR-enabled try-on to AI-driven content for personalization and social shopping.

The impact of virtual stores is tangible, with an impressive 88% uplift in sales after investing in virtual stores. Likewise, brands partnering with Obsess witness up to 10X longer session times in virtual stores compared to traditional e-commerce platforms.

The survey identified seven types of immersive experiences, with four emerging as front-runners in revolutionizing consumer engagement within retail.

Interestingly, virtual try-on, virtual fashion shows/events, and livestreaming are already well-established immersive experiences in the market. The remaining four—virtual stores, gamified shopping experiences, social shopping, and data/AI-enabled content for personalization—are gaining traction among brands and retailers as innovative avenues to boost sales and enrich consumer interactions.

The survey delved into the considerations that companies planning to invest in each type of immersive experience deemed most critical within the upcoming 12 months. Notably:

Virtual Stores and Gamified Shopping Experiences: Retailers prioritize a seamless user experience, with a “user-friendly interface” ranking high. Additionally, the importance of “mobile responsiveness” underscores the shift towards catering to mobile-savvy consumers.
Data/AI-enabled Content for Personalization: Companies emphasize tailored engagement, leveraging data insights for personalization. Notably, “data analytics and insights” top the list for virtual stores, signaling a shift towards leveraging consumer behavior data, similar to the approach used in physical stores.
Social Shopping: Cost emerges as a critical factor, potentially attributed to expenses related to creator-generated content, celebrity endorsements, and user-community activities.

These insights underscore a strategic shift in how retailers perceive and approach immersive experiences. Beyond the technological novelty, companies prioritize aspects that directly impact consumer engagement and satisfaction, aiming to minimize friction and enhance the overall experience.

The report illuminates the evolving landscape of immersive experiences in retail, offering a roadmap for businesses aiming to navigate and harness the potential of new technologies. The integration of immersive experiences into retail is not merely a trend but a strategic imperative, aligning with the evolving preferences of modern consumers. As businesses invest in these technologies, they aim to not only boost sales but also glean invaluable insights into consumer behavior, enabling more informed marketing strategies and innovative approaches to store layout and inventory management.

Download the full report here.

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The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Brand on Roblox