Today consumers are bombarded with advertisements and product promotions, and brands find it challenging to engage with their audience and build lasting relationships.
Retailers are embracing virtual experiences to educate consumers, creating a blend of shopping and learning that fosters trust and cultivates positive experiences.
The latest retailer to adopt this type of engagement is LensCrafters, which has launched its first virtual initiative, called LensCrafters Eye Odyssey on Roblox. However, the company is prioritizing education over sales in this venture.
With LensCrafters Eye Odyssey, the company is looking to deliver an informative approach to encourage good eye care practices, all the while delivering an enjoyable and immersive adventure for the younger generation.
“By engaging with the millions of people on Roblox, we have the capability to highlight our vision care efforts in a very creative way,” said Alfonso Cerullo, president and GM of LensCrafters, North America, in a statement. “This is a unique moment for the brand to reach the younger generation and cultivate a new community through a cool interactive experience.”
The Eye Odyssey series will guide visitors through two seasons. In Season 1, users help Blinky, a friendly eye-bulb character, overcome challenges caused by prolonged exposure to screens and learn how to maintain vision by adopting appropriate eye care habits. User-generated content (UGC) digital items can be earned engaging in the experience and redeemed at the conclusion of Season 1, according to the company. Information on Season 2 has yet to be released.
Additionally, following LensCrafters’ recommendations for maintaining vision health, individuals will receive timely pop-up reminders encouraging them to follow the “20/20/20 rule” as a preventive measure against digital eye strain. This entails taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to gaze at something approximately 20 feet away, whether it be out of a window, down a hallway, or across the room.
Roblox is home to 66.1 million daily active users (DAUs) and over 214 million monthly active users (MAUs). In light of these numbers, Roblox has become more than just an entertainment platform; it has also evolved into an educational hub.
The platform harnesses the power of gamification, a technique for enriching learning experiences. Roblox provides brands with the opportunity to incorporate gamification into their educational content, turning conventional lessons into challenges and adventures. This element of competition and accomplishment encourages participation and bolsters information retention.
Furthermore, Roblox is inherently social, allowing players to interact in a virtual world. Brands can use this to facilitate social learning experiences. Collaborative projects, team-based challenges, and group learning activities can be integrated into the platform.
Macy’s is the latest retailer to launch a virtual experience, called mstylelab with a focus on its On 34th brand — a brand that aims to redefine the traditional approach to women’s clothing fit.
According to a PYMNTS report, Macy’s, through mstylelab, seeks to transform the fashion industry into a hub for innovation. This transformation involves the seamless integration of technology and immersive environments, promoting exploration, self-expression, and connectivity.
“Consumers are seeking multiple touch points on multiple platforms to seamlessly integrate immersive virtual experiences into their customer journey. This innovative technology will propel the fashion industry — as well as many others — into its next phase. Reaching consumers where they are and providing new ways for them to shop and interact with one another is vital in order to deepen their relationships with brands,” said Erika Lang, head of Americas at Journee, the company powering the mstylelab initiative.
Read more: Macy’s and Claire’s Invest in Turning Virtual Experiences Into Real-World Gains