Innovation of the Week is a subscriber-only series highlighting retail initiatives that have caught the eye of our team. Every week, we will bring you new ideas and case studies that link to the trends in our Retail Horizon 2024 reports – across consumer, technology, sustainability, economy, policy and industry.
What is it?
Shopify is partnering with online gaming platform Roblox to bring commerce to immersive spaces and reach a global audience of nearly 80 million daily active users.
The collaboration aims to further entrepreneurship for creators and brands on the platform, particularly for Gen Z consumers who are most likely to use Roblox. This also expands on Roblox’s growth as an ecommerce platform.
Shopify will soon pilot its checkout into Roblox, with a larger launch expected in early 2025. The introduction of the checkout will allow developers, creators and brands on Shopify to sell physical items directly within games, meaning they never have to leave the Roblox platform.
Why does it matter?
The partnership is Roblox’s first commerce integration partner and also marks the first time users can sell physical merchandise directly on the platform.
Shopify wants to lead the way in immersive commerce and shopping by creating new spaces for users to find new opportunities in entrepreneurship.
With nearly 1.6 billion virtual fashion items sold on Roblox in the first three quarters of 2023, this brings an opportunity for Shopify sellers to get the best out of the platform.
Strategic implications
Immersive retail continues to be an experimental tool for brands and retailers. The collaboration between Shopify and Roblox will help reach more sellers and buyers through a ready-made audience on the gaming platform. The introduction of Shopify’s checkout will also make the experience seamless.
Winning strategies
- Elevated customer experience
- Focus on innovation
Retail Horizon 2024 is Retail Week’s exclusive strategic toolkit for subscribers.
Across four in-depth reports, Retail Week research director Lisa Byfield-Green and our team of analysts explore the most significant trends that will shape the sector in the year ahead across consumer, technology, sustainability, and industry, economy and policy.
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