Gen Z shoppers rejoice! Shopify teams up with Roblox to let creators sell clothes & collectibles directly in-game. Watch the explainer video.
Shopify has been named Roblox’s first commerce integration partner. This allows the e-commerce company to deploy its Checkout functionality within the gaming platform and bring a smoother shopping experience to its virtual worlds. The tie-up offers opportunities for creators and brands that use Shopify to connect with Roblox’s global audience of nearly 80 million daily active users, most of whom are Gen Z.
Through the deal, creators and brands on Shopify can sell physical items, from clothing to accessories and collectibles, directly within Roblox games without players needing to leave the platform. Along with shoring up Roblox’s appeal with merchants, the pact intends to support entrepreneurial creators on the gaming service.
To promote the news, Shopify released an explainer video featuring Harley Finkelstein, the company’s president, as a digital Roblox avatar.
Commerce conducted through Roblox continues to attract marketers who see gaming as a bridge to young audiences. In July, E.l.f. Beauty announced it was testing real-world commerce capabilities within its existing E.l.f. Up! Roblox experience as part of an initiative powered by Walmart. Last month, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group launched a Roblox experience promoting “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” that included a virtual Fandango box office where users could purchase real-world movie tickets.
The latest move from Shopify follows some business wins. According to its latest earnings report, the company saw revenue increase 21% year over year to $2 billion in Q2. Despite what was described as a “mixed consumer spend environment,” gross merchandise volume, or the total dollar value of orders facilitated through the Shopify platform, grew by 22% to $67.2 billion.
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Shopify has recently sought a broader footprint on other digital platforms. In August, it expanded its partnership with YouTube to allow Shopify merchants access to thousands of creators who can showcase their products via an affiliate program. In June, Target announced a partnership with Shopify as part of its efforts to build out a third-party marketplace.
