Nikeland Roblox Activation Brings The Metaverse Into The Store

 The Nikeland experience at the Nike NYC House of Innovation flagship store reimagines the Kids space on the 1F floor as a virtual-first playground. The immersive augmented reality experience and branded metaverse activation enables shoppers to use Snapchat Lenses and alter their own 3D avatars with Nike products, test their skills and compete against other shoppers by playing Nikeland’s Pachinko Obby Ball, as well as compete in an AR-enabled version of classic games like “Floor is Lava,” tag, and dodgeball. Shoppers are even able to design their own mini-games from interactive sports materials. There will also be metaverse-only visual elements and features that add an interactive layer to the traditional brick-and-mortar shopping experience. 

The goal of the Nikeland experience is to “turn sport and play into a lifestyle,” and get shoppers moving. By shaking their mobile devices and using the accelerometer, Nikeland visitors can activate super powers like long jumps and faster in-game speed. In the Nikeland Showroom, shoppers can deck out their personal metaverse avatar with a virtual collection of Nike shoes, clothes, and accessories including a free, exclusive-to-Roblox Nike cap and backpack. Buildings and fields inside the Nikeland digital experience are inspired by Nike’s real-life world headquarters in Oregon. 

Nike is not the only company asking themselves, “what is my metaverse strategy?” Many top brands and retailers are entering the metaverse in different ways or adding digital activations and initiatives to their offerings, including household names like Walmart, Gap, Verizon, Adidas, Atari, and many others.  Every year, $54 billion is spent on virtual goods, almost double the amount spent buying music, and 60 billion messages are sent per day just on the Roblox platform.  One of the great possibilities of the metaverse is that it will expand marketplace access to new groups of consumers and shoppers from emerging economies. The Nikeland experience, while tied to in-store easter eggs and special themes, is also accessible from anywhere in the world using just a smartphone. 

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This article originally appeared in the PSFK iQ report, Retail Strategies for the Metaverse.