Brand Engagement in the Metaverse: September 2023

Published 29 September 2023

Author
Brynn Valentine
3 min read

This month’s metaverse highlights span a fashion week multiverse spectacular, a multi-brand e-commerce debut and Gen-Z-targeting dress-ups. Gucci celebrates new creative director Sabato De Sarno with a catwalk simulcast on Roblox, Zepeto and QQ (and IRL); India’s Flipkart creates a permanent metaverse home on its app/e-commerce site; and Vitaminwater hosts a week of fashion charades on Fortnite.

  • Gucci’s Multiverse Celebrations: Coinciding with Sabato De Sarno’s first collection, Gucci presented four catwalk shows for Spring/Summer 2024 Milan Fashion Week: one in real life and three (simultaneously) in virtual worlds Roblox (US), Zepeto (South Korea) and QQ (China).

    Recognising global metaverse enthusiasts’ desire to explore new cities (36%) and engage with culture (28%) via virtual worlds, Gucci’s permanent digital realm on Roblox, Gucci Town, was redesigned for Fashion Week and renamed Gucci Ancora (De Sarno’s new slogan, meaning “Gucci Again”). The virtual space replicated Milan’s creative Brera district, the original outdoor location for the real-life catwalk show, until the weather forced a change of venue.

    Marking a departure from Roblox’s conventional third-person view, where users observe their avatars from a distance, attendees had a first-person perspective (through their avatars’ eyes), watching catwalk avatars wear virtual representations of Gucci’s S/S 24 collection. This shift may help address the concerns of 55% of global consumers who say the metaverse can’t replicate in-person experiences. Players could also interact with street art to unlock free digital (Roblox) wearables, including a trucker hat and ice cream cone.

    On Zepeto – known for its tool that transforms selfies into 3D animated avatars –users roamed another virtual replica of the Brera district catwalk. They could buy digital twins of the collection for their avatars with Zems (Zepeto’s in-game currency).

    On QQ (originally a text-based social platform that expanded into metaverse in 2022 by introducing 3D customisable avatars), users gathered in a dedicated room (theatre) to watch a livestream of the Milan catwalk, which opened up the show to the platform’s 571 million monthly active accounts. 

Gucci Ancora, Roblox

Gucci Ancora, Roblox

Gucci Ancora, Roblox

Gucci Ancora, Roblox

Gucci, Zepeto

Gucci QQ

Gucci, Zepeto

Gucci QQ

  • Flipkart’s Metaverse Platform Becomes Permanent: With 75% of Indian adults positive about engaging with the metaverse (versus 42% of Americans and 26% of Brits), India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart (now owned by Walmart) unveiled its permanent metaverse platform on September 6, following a week-long trial run in October 2022 (on Android mobile devices), which showcased 3D renderings of selected brands’ products, including Puma, Nivea and Campus, in virtual shopfront Flipverse. The now-permanent Flipverse enables brands to launch their own interactive metaverse shops and create dedicated experiences.

    The engagement statistics from the 2022 trial showed strong interest in a permanent location, with visitors from 2,300 Indian cities spending more than 20,000 hours in the virtual space. Those who created avatars spent six times longer on the platform, compared with the average user.

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

Flipverse

  • Vitaminwater Turns Virtual Items into Physical Prizes on Fortnite: Tapping into Gen Z’s appetite for sugar-free food and drinks (this cohort is twice as likely as older generations to avoid sugar), Coca-Cola-owned energy drink company Vitaminwater has launched a temporary metaverse activation, from September 29 to October 31.

    The experience, hosted on Fortnite (where 39% of players are Gen Zers) in collaboration with Australian esports company PWR, offers players up to 10 competitions, each one involving timed dress-up challenges using digital fashion items provided. Those not competing can vote for their favourite looks, with Vitaminwater turning the virtual looks into physical pieces to be sent to the winners.

VitaminWater, Fortnite

VitamenWater, Fortnite