Dive Brief:
- Alongside other brands flocking to Roblox, Amika, a New York-based hair care brand, has partnered with the experiential e-commerce company Obsess to introduce a virtual experience within Roblox, according to a Wednesday press release.
- Within the “Amikaverse,” players can choose from various avatars, each of which has a corresponding mini-game to play. Players can also buy digital wearable items, including hair accessories, for their characters, according to the announcement.
- The brand is also working with Obsess to create a virtual store on Amika’s e-commerce site, which is set to debut this year.
Dive Insight:
Like Amika, multiple major brands and retailers have created virtual in-game experiences on Roblox in the last year or so, including Walmart, Threadless and Adidas.
In the Amikaverse, players can select one of three characters: the Stylist, Gardener or Recycler to guide them through an immersive, 3D experience. Depending on which character they select, they'll either have to find the right product to address another character’s hair issue, harvest ingredients to create Amika hair products or gather recyclable materials to create packaging based on Amika’s designs.
“Roblox is a natural place for us to continue building our community,” Shannon Otto, senior director of consumer engagement at Amika, said in a statement. “The Amikaverse is an ideal extension of our brand purpose, and a prime example of how we're meeting our next-gen customers where they are. Amika has roots in the salon community and we're a proud friend to the planet — using naturally derived ingredients and PCR packaging is table stakes for us. All of these things come to life in a beautifully immersive way in the Amikaverse, and we're excited to partner with Obsess as we build our community on Roblox.”
Like Roblox, Obsess has also attracted a variety of retailers and brands in recent years, such as J. Crew, Crate and Barrel, Crocs and Alo Yoga. In addition to collaborating directly with brands, the company introduced a tool in April 2023 to help brands develop their own virtual stores.
Meanwhile, some retailers are turning to an Obsess competitor, Emperia, to create digital representations of their stores and brands. In recent years, Emperia has partnered with brands the Japanese skincare company Tatcha, Bloomingdale’s and Lacoste.
