Up to 88.9 million users visit Roblox each day, seeing it as an invaluable platform for self-expression and identity exploration. As a result, brands are now using Roblox to create incremental revenue opportunities via “twinned” items for users’ physical and avatar selves: 43% of respondents to Roblox’s Digital Expression, Fashion & Beauty Trends report said they want brands to provide such “twinning” items.
Clarks is one brand that has embraced Roblox as a destination for community-building as well as product engagement. Since its first venture in 2022, the brand has had various successful outings on the platform, including the PlayPrints Simulator. For its latest project, in support of the Clarks X Stranger Things collection, the brand partnered with Super League to develop new content that brought in users through limited-edition UGC items.
On Sept. 20 and 27, Clarks gave away free UGC versions of the Clarks X Stranger Things Green Torhill Shoe and Clarks X Stranger Things Upside Down Shoe via the Unlockables.gg UGC destination. Users could also pay to acquire UGCs of the Clarks X Stranger Things White Hi-Tops, Clarks Majestic Aquatic Crown, Clarks Rex Hoodie, Clarks Cheetah Hoodie, Clarks Cheetah Slippers and Clarks Torhill Shoe.
“We wanted to ensure our Roblox update would create strong reach and impressions for our target youth market,” the Clarks marketing team said in a statement to Retail TouchPoints. “With our existing Clarks X Stranger Things campaign and collection garnering strong results, incorporating the globally recognized IP of ‘Stranger Things’ into a limited-edition virtual accessories drop felt like a no-brainer.”
A New Step Forward in Gaming Strategy
Within the PlayPrints Simulator, gamers explore five distinct worlds, complete challenges, battle evil plant life, earn “vines” to unlock new characters and even partner with other players to defeat the Great Green Devourer.
The Unlockables site gives marketers from brands like Clarks the ability to reward users when they engage in specific behaviors on and off gaming platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft. Users sign up for these virtual avatar items and other rewards on the site, and must complete specific online quests (like the ones in PlayPrints Simulator) to unlock them.
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This content update represents the latest step in Clarks’ gaming strategy and builds upon the brand’s partnership with Super League. Clarks’ foray into gaming and the world of Roblox started with Cicaverse, an immersive sports experience that commemorated the launch of its Cica kids product line. After Cicaverse came PlayPrints, a mystical space where gamers could explore different lands and complete missions wearing “super-powered” PlayPrints sneakers.
Clarks has seen “incredible success” on the platform, according to the brand’s marketing team, generating the following results:
- 16.2+ million game plays to date;
- 70% higher play time versus Roblox’s average; and
- 13+ million impressions through media and PR.
Connecting Real People to Digital Products
The Super League team conducted market research using its proprietary on-platform technology to determine the possible value of creating “digital twins” of Clarks shoes.
“When we ran a market research study this summer, we found that 37% of Roblox players thought it was very important for their shoes to match their avatar, and 34% were very likely to purchase a pair of shoes after seeing them on Roblox (the number one responses in both categories),” explained Matt Edelman, President and Chief Commercial Officer of Super League in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.
These numbers confirmed that creating free, limited-edition avatar items would drive both short- and long-term opportunities. “The short-term strategy was to spread the two limited free virtual avatar items to encourage retention and drive gameplay,” Edelman said. “We are likely to see a bump in in-game purchases of the paid avatar items due to awareness and interest in the free items.”
A longer-term goal is to drive sales of physical shoes from the Clarks X Stranger Things collection, using the game as a vehicle to drive purchase consideration. “Ultimately, we knew this collab between an iconic apparel brand and a popular IP would appeal to the platform’s Gen Z and Alpha players,” Edelman said.
Clarks will ultimately assess the impact and success of this collaboration to inform future promotions and improve these immersive activations that drive real-life product reach and engagement. Key metrics include Roblox reach and engagement metrics such as total visits to the gaming experience versus average, return users, favorites and daily average users. The Clarks marketing team also noted that it will refer to insights on the most popular virtual accessories item, average player age and sentiment versus the Roblox average.
“The Clarks X Stranger Things limited-edition UGC is a great example of creating digital fashion items that can build brand loyalty, while also exciting the community with a new item from their favorite brand and TV series,” said Winnie Burke, Roblox’s Head of Fashion & Retail Partnerships. “We believe the future for brands on Roblox is shoppable, and we’re seeing a lot of interest and excitement in the crossover between digital and physical goods.”
And Roblox is seeing heightened demand for digital goods on the platform, according to Burke: “Up to 85% of Gen Z respondents said the importance of digital fashion had grown from 2022-2023, while nearly the same majority (84%) said [that] after wearing or trying on a brand’s item in virtual spaces, they’d be at least somewhat likely to consider that brand in the physical world.”
