It doesn’t matter what we call it. For some it is the metaverse, for others, web 3.0, is just another step in the continuous evolution of the Internet. What matters is that the metaverse is a great opportunity to experiment with new marketing strategies.
Proof of this is that the big fashion brands have not wanted to be left behind and are already part of the world that makes up the immersive web. In this sense, virtual reality provides the opportunity for users to buy and sell a product, attend meetings, enjoy a concert, and witness the best fashion shows in the world.
Fashion always seeks innovation, to offer the newest, most avant-garde, transgressive, to renew the industry, and to be the first in everything. Therefore, they could not stop implementing strategies to give their brands more visibility through the metaverse.
Virtual reality has become a great guide for fashion to break barriers, so users can get their clothing collections through their digital identities. Brands like Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Gucci, Balenciaga… We can find them in the metaverse and they even have their own fashion week.
There will be more than one who says that “What a silly thing. What are these luxury brands doing advertising on Roblox, if it’s a children’s platform, when their customers are on Instagram and reading Vogue? Well, we have to tell all these gurus that they are wrong. First, your clients may be on social networks, but what is clear is that your potential clients are now on Roblox and Fortnite.
If we build communities before they have a purchase intention, when they already have, they will have created a brand preference, without a doubt. Second, everyone thought that TikTok was nonsense and it turns out that Instagram is so desperate for the traffic leak, that it does not stop imitating everything that the Chinese social network does. Therefore, it is more than reasonable that, when Roblox reaches an even greater critical mass of users, it will take the users who are now on TikTok out of the street or simply make people who are starting on the Internet through this platform, skip social media and only socialize on sites like Roblox or Fortnite.
- The metaverse: the ideal platform to give visibility to fashion brands
- E-Commerce in the Metaverse
- Advantages of the metaverse to sell fashion
- How to create a fashion marketing strategy in the metaverse?
- Success stories of fashion brands in the Metaverse
- Do you want to promote your fashion brand in the metaverse?
The metaverse: the ideal platform to give visibility to fashion brands
The metaverse has become the ideal platform to give visibility to fashion brands. In this huge digital space, they can sell their clothes in NFT formats, project shows and be part of the fashion week itself that has been created exclusively for the virtual world.
On the other hand, the entire process of producing, selling, and consuming clothing in the metaverse is more sustainable, that is, fashion companies considerably reduce the environmental damage they cause in the manufacture of clothing in the real world. Although there are many advantages, there is concern about the difficulty in protecting copyright.
This new virtual reality technology is estimated to be worth approximately $400 billion by the year 2025.
A case of using fashion brands in the metaverse is the one carried out by Balenciaga through a campaign in Fortnite. The well-known fashion brand created ‘hoodies’ (hooded sweatshirts) for the avatars of a small and select group of ‘influencers’ of this game. Through this partnership between Epic Games (the company behind Fortnite) and the fashion brand, a clothing line was created that can also be purchased in the real world.
This ambitious association between two worlds as apparently distant as that of a video game and that of a luxury firm, advanced to the point that some users could enter the “fit set” of four Fortnite characters that could be bought . previous Balenciaga collections. So anyone who wanted to buy it could dress Doggo in a Balenciaga x Fortnite hoodie or dress him in some “Knight in the Armor” boots from the fall 2021 collection.
A curious fact about this campaign is that it was so successful among the target audience of young boys that the sweatshirts became one of the biggest hits of the Top Blanket in the summer of 2022.
E-Commerce in the Metaverse
Electronic commerce in the fashion sector will change completely with the metaverse since users will be able to make their purchases as in real life. For example, if you have a 3D volumetric avatar, they will be able to see how the brand’s clothing would look on you.
They are virtual fitting rooms with augmented reality. Something much more comfortable if there is a long queue in the fitting rooms. If you have your avatar loaded on your mobile, you will be able to see how a garment would look on you without having to go in and try it on when you are in the physical store. That is, there will be a digital and physical convergence through the e-commerce of the metaverse.
On the other hand, fashion brands will be able to acquire a virtual space and create their store identical to the real one. Users will have a 360º shopping experience and will walk through the aisles of the store.
In addition, these businesses in this new reality will go from physical to digital, since it will not be necessary to have the ability to ship their products anywhere in the world, they will also be able to sell “digital clothing” to their customers.
Advantages of the metaverse to sell fashion
The metaverse offers endless possibilities and opportunities to sell fashion. It is a complete renewal of the relationship that the textile industry currently has with customers, in addition to having advantages such as:
- The immersive experience is one of the great advantages of the metaverse for the fashion industry. Users will be able to see how the clothes they want to buy will look without having to go to the physical store
- Fashion brands will offer more personalized attention and virtual fittings for users to experiment and make combinations of different styles, colors, and sizes. Trust with customers will increase and, conversely, returns will decrease.
- The removal of geographic barriers is a fact related to the metaverse. Fashion brands will be able to reach any corner of the planet and users will be able to visit their store from any place and time.
- The innovation and creativity that characterizes the world of fashion go hand in hand with the metaverse. They will be able to launch exclusive collections, organize fashion shows, and create games, among other strategies.
How to create a fashion marketing strategy in the metaverse?
Trendy marketing strategies in the metaverse have focused on driving gamified experiences and also interactive virtual environments.
Let’s see some actions that some brands have taken to take advantage of the potential of the virtual world:
Focus on virtual environments
Fashion companies are focusing on creating and developing durable virtual environments, that is a completely digital spaces in which users identify the brand, its values, its vision, and all the elements that characterize it. They use the Roblox platform a lot to provide gamified, immersive and collaborative experiences such as NikeLand, GucciTwon, among others.
The virtual avatars of fashion
The fashion industry has also chosen to design and create its virtual avatars. They use them for the presentation of new clothing collections and to announce new products, they are the digital ambassadors of the brand. Like Hanna and Wammu who are the virtual models of Ovver Studio.
Among all the technologies that we have seen to generate avatars, the best seems to us to be Union Avatars.
Start marketing digital garments
One of the final objectives of fashion brands is to be able to market their products digitally so that users or their avatars use the garments in the virtual world.
It is a way to extend your business model and go further. They seek to sell exclusively digital clothing that can then be used through Augmented Reality. For example, Balenciaga visited the Fortnite skins and the success was so great that he launched a physical collection with features of the popular video game.
Success stories of fashion brands in the Metaverse
The most popular and controversial success stories of fashion brands in the metaverse have been the creation of influencers created by Artificial Intelligence . Gucci, Vans, and Nike have launched these types of influencer marketing campaigns to create a more emotional connection with the consumer, adding to the company a human, trustworthy and real voice.
The most famous influencer is Lil Miquela, who was created in 2016 and has almost 2 million followers on Instagram. She doesn’t exist in real life, but she has gained immense popularity, posting clothes from Prada, Chanel, Supreme, and Vans. So she is a great promoter of fashion brands.
AI-created fashion influencers are generating even more engagement than real ones. Another great advantage is that those behind them can create a personalized narrative for any brand, that is, everything they want.
Do you want to promote your fashion brand in the metaverse?
Landvault will help you boost your fashion brand in the metaverse.
A team of experts that develops marketing strategies in virtual environments, and also help you to be prepared to stand out in the metaverse and achieve your goals.
Do you dare to be part of the metaverse world? They will wait for you.
