Dive Brief:
- Gucci has opened a persistent digital space on Roblox, per a press release shared with sister publication Marketing Dive. Previously, the luxury brand opened the Gucci Garden in Roblox in May 2021.
- A virtual piazza, Gucci Town includes Mini Game Heights, a Creative Corner for creating art pieces, an exhibition space called Vault Plaza, a shop that sells digital Gucci items, and a Power-up Place where community members can meet and interact. Users can earn in-experience currency called GG Gems and purchase virtual items.
- Gucci Town is an extension of the brand's previous activations in the metaverse and its experimental concept store, Vault. As part of a push to amplify emerging talents, Gucci Town products and content were developed with several Roblox creators.
Dive Insight:
With Gucci Town, the luxury brand is looking to carve out a permanent space in Roblox that will evolve over time, demonstrating its commitment to the concept of a metaverse. By creating virtual galleries, cafes and other spaces, Gucci is experimenting with the different forms that retail experiences could take on in the metaverse, a convergence of real-world and digital experiences.
Apart from its gathering spaces, Gucci Town includes a virtual store that could prove to be the most important element as the brand looks to drive revenue and engagement in the digital world. Inspired by the brand's online concept store Vault, the shop will showcase product drops and collaborations. Users will be able to purchase and collect digital Gucci items or outfit their Roblox avatars in Gucci clothes. The latter ability taps Roblox's new Layered Clothing technology that allows for more realistic 3D garments that fit any avatar body type, nodding to the inclusion that the metaverse could make possible.
The brand will let consumers collect an in-experience currency that can be used for power-ups or digital items, a gamification tactic that could deepen engagement with Gucci Town. By teaming with Roblox creators such as Rook Vanguard, Bunnexh and Lirn, the brand is embracing creators and possibly tapping into their fan bases, as brands have done with creators on other digital platforms.
Gucci Town follows the brand's previous Roblox experiment, the Gucci Garden. Along with its forays into Roblox and the metaverse, Gucci has also made moves in the related world of gaming. The luxury brand this month partnered with esports organization Faceit to foster the next generation of gaming talent.
Luxury brands have embraced the metaverse and NFTs as a way to generate income and engage consumers that might not be able to otherwise purchase their items. Along with Gucci, more budget-friendly brands like Gap, American Eagle and Forever 21 have taken to Roblox to showcase apparel and gamify fashion.
