Remember back in 2020 when the world went virtual as we hid from COVID-19 and the conversation around the metaverse and all its digital potential got loud, really loud? While that hype has cooled off, Roblox has quietly kept growing, and now it’s flipping the script again. This time, it’s going beyond digital outfits for your avatar. Roblox now allows users to shop real-world products without leaving the platform.
If you think that sounds a bit wild, consider this: back in 2022, a digital-only Carolina Herrera gown sold for $5,000 on Roblox. And in 2020, a virtual Gucci handbag ended up reselling for thousands—yes, actual money, not pretend coins. Since then, brands like Burberry, Coach, and Fenty Beauty have all dipped their toes into the Roblox world, selling digital versions of their products to a generation that lives half its life online.
Now, Roblox is ready for the next move: selling real-world products inside the game.
As of May 15, brands can sell physical goods directly on Roblox. Thanks to a new partnership with Shopify, players will be able to click on items inside shoppable games, pick sizes, check out via a Shopify-powered window, and boom, it shows up at their actual front door. Oh, and their avatar gets a matching digital version to flex in-game.
Is it revolutionary? Or is it just a new setting to sell the same old? That’s the question brands are trying to answer. In a sense, it’s like browsing in a mall, but your avatar’s doing the walking. You’re wandering through a beautifully designed virtual store, engaging with the brand, and discovering products in a space that doesn’t feel like a chore.
Is This the Future of Shopping?
Maybe. Traditional e-commerce — think endless scrolling on websites that all look and feel the same — is starting to feel a bit tired. And younger shoppers? They’re tuning out. Gen Alpha (yep, the generation after Gen Z) makes up a huge chunk of Roblox’s 97.8 million daily users. They’re immersed in digital worlds, interacting with brands, and making buying decisions based on what they see and do there.
That’s where Roblox’s new move gets interesting. Instead of trying to drag young shoppers to websites, brands are meeting them exactly where they are — mid-game, mid-conversation, mid-avatar upgrade. And in an era where attention is the hardest currency to earn, that kind of engagement is gold.
It’s less like browsing and more like stumbling across a cool product in the middle of a game, which, for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, might feel way more natural than scrolling a traditional e-commerce site. It’s frictionless, it’s immersive, and — more importantly — it’s fun. You’re not just seeing an ad. You’re living inside it, engaging with it, and making a purchase that feels like part of the experience, not an interruption to it.
It’s not just a gimmick either. According to Roblox’s own data, half of Gen Z users are more likely to consider a brand in real life after trying a virtual version. So yes, that digital hoodie your avatar wears could actually get someone to buy it IRL. And for luxury brands, that’s an opportunity too good to ignore.
Fenty Beauty is already testing the waters. Their new Roblox experience lets players buy an exclusive shade of their ‘Gloss Bomb’ lip gloss. The process? Tap the product in-game, select options, check out via Shopify, all without leaving the Roblox universe. Then you get right back to gaming, lip gloss en route.
In a landscape where online shopping feels increasingly stale and attention spans are shrinking by the minute, Roblox’s move to merge physical retail with immersive digital experiences feels less like a gimmick and more like a timely shake-up. It’s a new way to connect with younger audiences by meeting them where they already are. By tapping young consumers, brands aren’t just future-proofing their presence, they’re reimagining what shopping could look like when it’s built into the fabric of play, creativity, and community. Whether this becomes the norm or stays a niche playground remains to be seen. But for now, one thing’s clear: the game has changed—and it’s shoppable.
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