Roblox has its eye on e-commerce.
The popular gaming platform and Shopify on Friday announced a global partnership that will allow creators of Roblox experiences, including the many brands on the platform, to sell physical goods directly within Roblox via Shopify’s checkout.
In a demo video, a Roblox user sees a “Buy Now” prompt next to a virtual T-shirt that calls up an e-commerce product page where they can see photos of the physical item, select colours or sizing and make their purchase. Customers will be able to pay using any method accepted in the seller’s online store, according to Shopify. Purchasing will be restricted to users 13 and older.
The companies said the integration will start to roll out soon, with a larger launch arriving in early 2025.
Shopify powers the e-commerce of numerous brands today, while Roblox has become a key venue for fashion and beauty brands looking to connect with young shoppers, or at least those with access to their parents’ credit cards. The platform boasts nearly 80 million daily active users, attracting fashion and beauty players including Gucci, Nike, Vans, Ulta and many others. Recently it has introduced features such as in-game video ads as it works towards profitability.
But Roblox ultimately wants to be a place where its users can shop as well. In April, it began testing sales of physical goods with partners including Walmart and E.l.f. Beauty. The Shopify partnership is the first of many integrations with e-commerce platforms Roblox said it is planning at the start of next year.
Eventually it anticipates developers will be able to sell just about any physical product available at a major online retailer, it said. It is also building the ability for creators to attach digital benefits to purchases and is working on tools to help manage merchandising, checkout and order confirmations within the experience.
”We believe providing users with more ways to shop on Roblox will give creators another way to deepen their connection with their communities while driving business results,” Stephanie Latham, Roblox’s vice president of global brand partnerships and advertising, said in a statement.
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