#34: Walmart Sells Physical Goods in Roblox

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TL;DR

1. Walmart: Partners with Roblox to Sell Physical Items on Platform

2. Versace: Enters LensCrafter’s Roblox for One Month Experience

3. Hugo Boss: Launches Virtual ‘BOSS House’ Alongside IRL Event

4. Gatorade: Collabs with NFT Basketball Game Rumble Kong League

5. Prada: Releases Latest Limited-Run Shirt for ‘Timecapsule’ Project

Around the Block…

1. Walmart: Partners with Roblox to Sell Physical Items on Platform

• Walmart has teamed up with Roblox to test the sale of physical goods through the gaming platform

• The test will run the month of May & includes three items (a tumbler, purse, & headphones) available for purchase directly on Roblox

  • Buyers will receive both the item in real life & a virtual Roblox version for their avatar

  • Roblox shoppers can try on the virtual item before buying

  • When clicking to purchase, a Walmart window pops up within the Roblox experience offering product details, then standard transaction & shipping forms

• Walmart teamed up with three Roblox creators (MD17_RBLX, Sarabxlla, & Junozy) to create the digital representations of the physical items  

• The purchase feature is only available to US users aged 13+

• The Walmart Discovered Roblox experience currently has over 20M visitors; it reached this milestone in late March, six months after its launch in Fall 2023

• Sources: Roblox (Walmart Discovered) / Digiday

2. Versace: Enters LensCrafter’s Roblox for One Month Experience

• Versace got in on the Roblox action during a 4-week period spanning from mid-February to mid-March

• Their activation took place in ‘LensCrafters Eye Odyssey’ world, where Versace branding was added to the virtual store windows & in-store signage supporting its men’s eyewear campaign

• Visitors were able to play a Versace-themed mini-game with a chance at earning three of their eyewear styles as Roblox UGC virtual items

• The LensCrafters Roblox experience launched in October 2023 & has nearly 375K visitors to date

• Sources: Roblox (LensCrafters Eye Odyssey) / Essilor Luxottica / LensCrafters

3. Hugo Boss: Launches Virtual ‘BOSS House’ Alongside IRL Event

• Hugo Boss created a virtual experience with Emperia to coincide with its IRL media, VIP, & influencer event called ‘BOSS House Bali’ supporting the launch of its Spring/Summer 2024 collection

• The virtual experience is an extension of the real-life event, allowing people from across the globe to visit the ‘BOSS House’ & explore it in an immersive format. Visitors can also browse & shop the latest collection, as well as book a stay at the physical ‘Boss House’ location

• Sources: Hugo Boss (BOSS House Bali) / Hugo Boss / Emperia

4. Gatorade: Collabs with NFT Basketball Game Rumble Kong League

• The sports drink brand announced an integration with Avalanche-blockchain based NFT game, Rumble Kong League

  • Rumble Kong League is a 3-on-3 basketball game where players collect NFT characters who compete on the virtual court - the game is currently web-based but is targeting app roll-out this summer

• Gatorade’s integration infuses them into the game story while rewarding players with digital wearable skins

  • Players can interact with the game to earn ‘G-Coins’ that can be redeemed for rewards in the ‘G-Machine’

  • Gatorade also has prominent branding in the game & on Rumble Kong League social channels

• Sources: Rumble Kong League / X (Rumble Kong League) / Decrypt

5. Prada: Releases Latest Limited-Run Shirt for ‘Timecapsule’ Project

• Prada has kept up its Timecapsule collection, which originally launched in December 2019

  • The collection includes a web-exclusive cotton printed camp shirt featuring a unique design on the first Thursday of every month - available for only 24 hours

  • The project is currently at drop #52 - priced at $1,590 per shirt

  • Each shirt comes with an Ethereum NFT that includes the serial & item number of each piece, as well as verified access to select channels in the Prada Crypted Discord

• Sources: Prada / Prada Crypted / Prada Time Capsule

Chain Reactions!

• Roblox Has Buzzworthy Week for Marketers

  • In addition to Roblox rolling out IRL e-commerce functions with Walmart, Roblox announced they will be launching digital billboards featuring video ads within the platform served to users over the age of 13

    • Roblox originally started testing video ads in November

    • The offering will be a new source of revenue for the company, which is looking for additional income streams outside of collecting a portion of each virtual good purchased on the platform

    • Source: Reuters

• Gatorade Collab Feels Right

  • Digging into the Gatorade x Rumble Kong League collaboration, I’m impressed with this one. The partnership feels natural & well-aligned from an audience perspective

    • Gatorade is synonymous with sports & sporting events so integration aesthetically fits, as well as having a natural storytelling angle

    • From the outside, the audience feels like a match for both brands too, along with beneficial elements on both sides:

      • Gatorade = gets exposure & brand engagement among a sports, tech, & gaming audience without creating a new experience from the ground up

      • Rumble Kong League = is likely monetarily benefiting from the partnership & forming a potential path for more brand collaborations in the future. Additionally, they get to create a new storyline to keep users engaged & collecting perks

DISCLAIMER: This content does not contain investment, tax, legal, financial or other advice & is not intended to be used in this way. It includes the opinions of the author & is strictly for informational purposes. Please do your own research.