In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, brands and retailers are continuously looking for ways to capture new audiences—and Roblox is amping up the advertising game with immersive ads on their platform. With nearly 80 million daily active users, the gaming platform is prime real estate to get more eyeballs. Roblox, a platform known for its user-generated games and social interactions, offers a unique canvas for advertisers seeking to captivate younger, tech-savvy audiences.
Immersive Marketing Capabilities on Roblox
Branded Roblox experiences are revolutionizing the way companies engage with younger generations, and immersive advertising functionality enables them to extend their reach across virtual spaces by directly integrating ads into the experience. Blending seamlessly into the gaming environment, advertisers are able to reach new audiences without disrupting gaming flow and connect new, highly-engaged users to their brand experience.
Roblox’s ad system supports 3 formats:
Video ads – where advertisers can serve up to 30 seconds of video content for users to watch in-experience, videos can be both click-to-play or set to autoplay
Image ads – insert static, non-clickable images within the 3D space; think of a virtual, in-game billboard for Roblox brand experiences
Portal ads – a static, non-clickable image with a door to teleport users into an advertiser’s brand experience, driving discoverability and engagement at scale
Brands and retailers can opt for always-on engagement, creating evergreen content to market an evolving brand world, or campaign focused creatives that entice users to explore themed experiences or events—allowing brands to experiment and find innovative ways to capture their audience’s attention.
Each ad format allows for highly targeted advertising, ensuring that the ads are relevant to the audience and enhancing the chances of engagement. Ad content is dynamic and specific to the user—if a user is ineligible to see ads, ad units will default to display the Roblox logo.
amika on Roblox: Virtual Advertising
Haircare brand, amika, debuted their Roblox brand collaboration with Obsess, a colorful playscape embodying the brand’s commitment to inclusion, responsibility and sustainability. The amikaverse is a community-centric extension of the brand’s purpose filled with custom branded mini-games and exclusive UGCs that empower self-expression. To drive traffic to the experience, amika included immersive ads in Roblox, pushing new users to the amikaverse through the use of portal ads. By teleporting users to their virtual world with portal ads, amika was able to scale their discoverability and maximize their reach on the platform.
Natively placed ads in the immersive environment allows advertisers to strengthen their Roblox brand partnerships by building brand affinity with leaned-in audiences across the platform, connecting new users to their brand experiences and building their brand on Roblox.
Gamification can be leveraged to uplevel a brand’s marketing strategy—creating engaging, novelty experiences that captivate the end user. The use of game design elements, in traditionally non-gaming contexts, creates an interactive experience that is unique and memorable. Immersive, gamified experiences have been proven to boost shopper engagement, increase time spent with your brand and deepen consumer relationships with your products and services.
By tapping into the psychological principles of gamification, like competition, achievement and recognition, brands and retailers can captivate shoppers with custom branded experiences. Custom gamification as a marketing strategy enables brands and retailers to retain customer loyalty and increase retention, gain robust consumer insights and increase brand education.
Customer Loyalty and Retention
Brands and retailers can utilize custom mini-games to simultaneously create memorable brand experiences, and encourage customers to return and engage with your brand more often. Using game-like rewards and challenges can incentivize long-term engagement and retention by tapping into consumers’ natural drive for competition, achievement and recognition.
Korean beauty brand, Laneige, incorporated gaming elements into their Virtual World prompting users to discover numerous products, the brand’s scientific background and marketing campaign assets. The featured Scavenger Hunt game encouraged users to explore the experience in order to find hidden icons, leading to a reward upon completion: a 5-piece gift with purchase.
Gain Consumer Insights
Gamification methods, such as product recommendation quizzes, provide rich zero-party data by capturing direct feedback from customers, offering detailed insights into their preferences, needs and behaviors that can fine-tune your marketing and product development strategy.
Obsess brand partner, Olaplex, utilized branded quizzes to gain zero-party data in their Virtual Salon with their Hair Diagnostic questionnaire; the interactive quiz provided users with a curated hair regimen full of the brand’s products, based on their answers. By filling out the questionnaire, consumers are providing the brand with data they otherwise would not have, allowing Olaplex to capture in-depth information on what their audience is looking for.
Immersive gamified experiences also enable brands to capture robust first-party data such as in-scene behavior. Brands are able to access information such as which product displays are the most appealing, and what their most popular offerings are based on how shoppers engage with different products and pages.
Increased Brand Education
Immersing shoppers into your virtual world helps with brand education and recall. Virtual stores and experiences are a unique and memorable forum for you to host educational content around your brand’s story and offerings. Including custom gamification, such as interactive quizzes and games, simplifies complex product details and campaigns, and turns them into engaging experiences that help your customers retain key information about your brand.
For example, in honor of J.Crew’s 40th anniversary the classic American fashion retailer partnered with Obsess to release a Virtual Beach House. The immersive flagship experience showcased the brand’s products in classic J.Crew print-themed rooms, and commemorated the brand’s heritage with exclusive content and custom gamification such as the Catalog Cover Pop Quiz where users were encouraged to test their J.Crew knowledge. The fashion brand later refreshed their Virtual World to celebrate their holiday campaign, aligning with their marketing calendar.
Gamification is a powerful brand marketing tool that brands and retailers can use to uplevel their strategy. Explore gamification in Obsess-powered experiences and learn how innovative brands like yours can deploy gamification tactics into your marketing strategy. To talk to one of our specialists, email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo.
Trends in the retail industry are ever-evolving, influenced by shifting consumer behaviors, technological advancements and cultural dynamics. A speaker at The Lead Summit 2024 in New York City even noted they’re seeing consumer trends shift every three months—quicker than ever. Between Shoptalk Barcelona, VivaTech and The Lead Summit, Obsess has identified three key trends experts deemed essential for brands to foster deeper connections and reach consumers wherever they are.
1. The Creator Economy Boom
In a world where attention is sparse and equivalent to currency, consumer connection is vital to brand longevity. Nowadays, brand marketers face a delicate balancing act between compelling storytelling and connecting with shoppers by allowing them to share their own experiences.
At this year’s VivaTech and The Lead Summit, the booming creator economy was a hot topic, highlighting the intersection of technology and creativity in gaming, virtual reality, music, and entertainment. Valued at $100 billion, the creator economy continues to grow with over 50 million established creators worldwide. Discussions emphasized how AI algorithms are helping brands build personalized narratives and how new platforms are redefining content creation.
For example, Obsess notes the rise of Roblox as a dominant force in this growing creator economy. With its massive user base and immersive experiences, Roblox offers brands a new way to engage with audiences. Additionally, initiatives like Roblox’s $35 million Creator Fund demonstrate its commitment to attracting creative talent beyond traditional gaming, and brands are starting to leverage this potential to connect with a highly receptive audience.
2. Unified Commerce & Experience Innovation
Understanding how to engage customers across various touchpoints is essential for encouraging both new and repeat business. One of the key topics discussed at Shoptalk Barcelona this year was unified commerce, a shift also highlighted by Ben Miller, VP of Original Content & Strategy at Shoptalk, and covered by Coresight Research. Retailers are moving from a channel-centric to a consumer-centric approach. Modern retail must integrate all channels into one real-time ecosystem to provide the best consumer experience, allowing shoppers to buy from a brand wherever they are and whenever they want.
This underscores the need for a unified tech stack to drive purchase efficiencies and keep consumers engaged at every touchpoint. Creating memorable, cross-platform experiencesenhances the value of brand activations and increases ROI, ultimately building a unified brand experience and strengthening the customer’s long-term relationship with the brand.
Brands that tap into the cultural zeitgeist, supported by consistent, reliable data and a cohesive brand story, are well-positioned for success in this new unified commerce environment.
3. AI in Marketing & Consumer Data
AI-powered marketing and consumer data were key themes at the Lead Summit 2024. As cookies become obsolete, first-party data is emerging as the standard for brand marketing. This data, collected directly from consumer interactions with a brand, offers deeper insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and purchase patterns. It not only helps retailers refine their strategies but also ensures compliance with tightening privacy regulations and fosters trust with shoppers.
AI also continued to be a major focus, particularly in its application to marketing and advertising. AI allows retailers to utilize consumer data for personalized advertising, behavior predictions, and product recommendations. For instance, Obsess has harnessed AI’s potential for marketing by launching features like AI-powered quizzes, games and virtual assistants, which deliver dynamic results on a per-session basis. These tools have helped multiple brands collect first-party data and bring personalization in consumer interactions.
The retail industry is constantly in a state of flux, and brands must adapt to new trends to stay relevant. Currently, we’re seeing the importance of embracing the booming creator economy, adopting unified commerce strategies for seamless customer engagement, and leveraging AI for personalized marketing. These trends underscore the need for brands to stay agile and innovative to connect with consumers effectively in today’s dynamic landscape.
With patented 3D technology, Obsess is enabling brands and retailers to engage shoppers with compelling, immersive content and take an omnichannel approach to retail marketing through 3D virtual experiences on their own websites as well as Roblox and Apple Vision Pro. Email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo to learn more.
Interactive virtual catalogs have emerged as a game-changer for B2B product sales—shortening the sales cycle by informing decision making and reducing the need for door-to-door travel. Through virtual reality, B2B companies are able to enhance the sales process by virtually showcasing products in the context of their consumer’s needs through personalization and visualization.
Personalization Through Interactivity & Product Customization
Virtual catalogs highlight products in the context of their consumer’s needs by seamlessly incorporating interactivity to promote customization and personalization for product offerings, enriching the sales process for commercial products. Through interactive interfaces, clients can configure products, explore different specifications and visualize how solutions can be tailored to meet their specific needs—encouraging users to make the experience their own.
With customization features, users are able to create personalized orders by adding their brand logo onto products or by mix-and-matching different product categories to find an ideal set. From workwear to commercial furnishing, customization capabilities streamline the sales process, and empower clients to make informed decisions based on precise demonstrations of how products or services align with their unique requirements.
Product Education: Contextualization and Content
Using 3D visual contextualization and embedding educational content enables B2B companies to elevate user understanding of products in a dynamic, discovery-driven environment. Advanced visualization and informational content in virtual catalogs brings education to the forefront, making it easier for buyers to understand and discover new products. From industry compliance requirements to functionality, there are a lot of factors that those selling and buying workwear apparel, commercial furnishings, industrial appliances and more must address.
Highlight how various product categories perform in a variety of settings and how they meet different compliance structures with 3D contextualization and educational content. Generate tangibility for products by visibly placing them in a variety of environments fit to the end users’ needs, and showcase functionality with educational videos and hotspots that highlight important behind-the-scenes information.
How Virtual Reality Catalogs and Showrooms Increase Reach
Virtual catalogs and online showrooms transcend geographical limitations, empowering buyers from all over the world to discover commercial products, eliminating the need for door-to-door travel. Any time, anywhere, clients can examine products in detail, access multimedia content and seamlessly build out a detailed order directly from the experience.
By harnessing the power of innovative retail technology, B2B companies can shorten the commercial product sales cycle by showcasing products in the context of the consumers’ needs, addressing decision-making factors through product education and scaling accessibility for buyers globally.
To learn how to create a highly-engaging, virtual lead generation experience and facilitate B2B commercial product sales, email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo.
Obsess-powered virtual experiences enable brands and retailers to reach their customers in 3D, across platforms, devices and product types. Any Obsess-powered virtual web experience can also be seamlessly replicated for Roblox, Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro, and vice versa. Obsess’ cross-platform capabilities enable our partners to extend the ROI of their virtual experiences, increasing brand awareness and capturing different audiences native to each platform.
Web Browsers: Desktop, Tablet and Mobile
Browser-based virtual experiences increase reach and shareability, as they are accessible via URL on desktop, tablet and mobile. Brands and retailers typically choose to host their experience on their own websites, making the experience feel more natural and seamless throughout the customer’s purchase journey. By hosting a brand’s virtual experience on the web, they are able to reach a broader audience. The heightened accessibility allows anyone, anywhere to experience the immersive landing page, exponentially scaling the potential reach of the experience.
Obsess ensures that each web-based virtual experience is optimized for mobile first, making brand worlds portable for all consumers; visitors are able to access the page at their fingertips at any time. The mobile experience is especially important as many brand partners have opted to market their virtual experience via a scannable mobile QR code: on packaging, IRL retail stores, billboards and beyond.
Gaming Platforms: Roblox Virtual Stores
Brands on Roblox can cultivate community and activate a new generation of loyalists by engaging players in highly engaging, branded virtual gaming worlds. Roblox brand partnerships enable brands to reach new audiences by connecting with the platform’s built-in user base of 70M+ daily active users; Roblox collabs are particularly popular for brands looking to connect with the younger generations such as Gen Z.
With Obsess-powered virtual stores on Roblox, brands and retailers are able to create shopping-focused experiences that provide brands a seamless and manageable entry point onto the platform. While traditional Roblox worlds focus on game play, virtual stores on Roblox leverage gamification and tactical merchandising to promote digital purchases. As an official member of the Roblox UGC (User Generated Content) program, Obsess is able to 3D model all avatar items in a brand’s digital collection to be sold on the platform.
For Brooklyn-based hair care brand, amika, Obsess developed the amikaverse—a colorful, play-driven world embodying the brand’s commitment to inclusion, responsibility and sustainability. The amikaverse features custom mini games exemplifying each pillar of the brand’s mission statement, exclusive digital wearables that highlight self-expression and a digital sweepstakes offering limited-edition amika merch to be worn on the platform. In addition to the immersive experience on Roblox, amika is partnering with Obsess to create a matching web-based virtual store, hosted on their e-commerce site.
AR/VR Headsets: Meta Quest
Virtual reality and augmented reality headsets like Meta Quest enable brands and retailers to create life-like experiences that further immerse and captivate consumers. Meta Quest integration for cross-platform engagement is a great way for brands to leverage VR at retail stores and live events, such as pop-ups—providing an extra layer of immersion and memorability to in-person experiences and retail stores.
For example, cult-favorite activewear brand, Alo Yoga, launched the Alo Immersive Virtual Store in 3D on desktop, mobile and Meta Quest. Alo showcased their virtual store at their 2023 New York Fashion Week event, bringing an additional element of interactivity to the publicity event. Event attendees claimed the VR experience was transportive, particularly the meditation videos on the terrace—a stark contrast to the New York winter, where the event was hosted in IRL.
Hair care brand, K18, also partnered with Obsess to expand their virtual store across web, mobile and Meta Quest VR, enhancing online and offline engagement. The brand hosted in-person pop-up events that allowed customers to try on the headset and enter the experience; they were able to create a multi-sensory, full-body experience that enables users to explore content and products using gamified interactions at in-person events. Download the K18 case study to learn more.
Spatial Computers: Apple Vision Pro
Along with the highly-anticipated launch of the Apple Vision Pro device in early 2024, Obsess tapped into Apple’s spatial computing capabilities to bring innovative brands into a new era of retail; with promises of highly immersive and dynamic branded experiences, the Apple Vision Pro was a prime new channel for retailers to expand into.
Obsess developed four of the first-ever shopping apps for Apple Vision Pro—revolutionizing storytelling and consumer engagement in highly visual and interactive shopping experiences. Among the four was the e.l.f. Cosmetics “your best e.l.f.” visionOS app, an immersive journey of self-expression and relaxation. The brand replicated the app experience for all Safari browser users, regardless of device, bringing the e.l.f. community together and highlighting the brand’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity.
Telecommunications brand, Orange, opted to enter the era of spatial computing in a different way: the brand made their web-based virtual store WebXR accessible. By making the Orange Virtual Home WebXR accessible, users can access the experience on Apple Vision Pro Safari; rather than through a visionOS app, Apple Vision Pro users can access the Orange Connected Home in Safari on the headset, expanding their reach.
Cross-Platform Ability
Brands can amplify their campaign activations, and extend the value of their assets beyond typical digital marketing channels, by creating virtual experiences and replicating them on various platforms. Every Obsess virtual experience is built for cross-platform distribution, so that brands can increase ROI and extend their virtual footprint across the web, mobile, Roblox and headset devices like Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest.
To learn more about how Obsess can help your brand create 3D virtual worlds, email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo.
Virtual tours enable real estate firms to reach potential buyers and empower them to make more informed decisions, shortening the real estate sales cycle and increasing occupancy rates. With 3D digital visualizations, buyers can virtually visit a site with interactive visualizations, even before construction is complete on the physical location. Obsess’ solution helps real estate firms increase project profitability and ROI for new developments, reducing the time a property stays vacant on the market.
Similar to IRL walkthroughs of a property, 3D virtual listings bolster buyer confidence with photo-realistic visuals at every viewpoint. Traditionally, stakeholders — from investors to prospective tenants — have had to rely on blueprints, 2D renderings, and physical models to understand a property’s potential. Virtual reality technology changes this paradigm by allowing buyers to step into a virtual representation of the space.
CRE Digital Twins: New Developments Tours
For new developments, a digital twin is invaluable as it means potential buyers are able to explore every facet of a building long before it’s constructed. Between 3D floor plans, rendered amenities and neighborhood visualizations, buyers can experience the digital twin from every viewpoint in lifelike detail. A digital twin enables prospective buyers to virtually tour the building in real time, at any time.
CRE firms can proactively address factors that influence decision making such as building amenities and neighborhood information in a digestible, interactive and immersive format, enhancing the online listing of any new construction property. With a comprehensive 360 virtual tour, developers can offer potential tenants an experience that goes beyond mere descriptions and static images.
An immersive and interactive experience enhances understanding and accelerates buyer decision-making processes by providing a realistic preview of the end product and empowering buyers to visualize the space as their own before they step on-site. According to a case study with JLL, immersive digital experiences have proven to reduce real estate transaction times by up to 85% for built properties. Obsess created our immersive digital experience solution for new developments, as we believe these properties deserve the same advantage.
Virtual Reality Proptech & VR Staging on Your Website
One of the most significant advantages VR brings to CRE firms is its ability to offer potential buyers unparalleled visualization capabilities, virtually staging unfinished projects in contextual settings. Obsess virtual tours bring the power of virtual reality in commercial real estate straight to the web and mobile (no specialty devices or apps necessary), empowering firms to enhance virtual staging capabilities with 3D configurations and visualization tools.
Virtual stagings can showcase different design options, engaging potential clients on a deeper level and allowing them to envision themselves within the space. VR in proptech empowers the buyer to personalize the space before moving in—they are able to swap everything from decor to finishes with different configurations from photorealistic visualization tools in real estate. Interactive customizations also make it easier for CRE firms to upsell as buyers obtain a premium for curating their personal mix of flooring, finishes and more to be constructed.
Obsess virtual tours enable brokerage and development firms in commercial and residential real estate to incorporate virtual reality into their digital sales strategy, increasing marketing reach for new construction projects. Firms are able to share immersive property listings with potential customers and investors via web URLs, or directly on their websites. Even before construction is complete, CRE firms are able to create comprehensive 360 virtual tours of the project. Digital twins uplift real estate buyer confidence and empower them to visualize a space as their own before they step on-site.
To learn more about how Obsess virtual experiences can be used by the real estate industry to increase buyer confidence and elevate property listings, email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo.
On the stage at Shoptalk Barcelona 2024, Obsess CEO and Founder Neha Singh joined leaders from Microsoft and Deloitte to discuss how retailers can create Engaging Digital Shopping Technologies that capture and retain customers.
The panel delved into new technologies that offer retailers the ability to create immersive and seamless customer experiences, like virtual stores. Obsess showcased our interactive solutions for memorable brand experiences, enabling brands and retailers to create shoppable, 3D branded worlds on Web, Roblox and Apple Vision Pro.
Evolution of E-Commerce to Interactive Shopping
The panelists were asked to provide some insight on how immersive experiences were impacting traditional e-commerce elements—and whether or not they will remain foundational or become obsolete.
As retail technology continues to advance, it is increasingly becoming easier for brands to adopt innovative solutions that enhance the customer experience online. Retailers and brands are embracing engaging digital technologies and interactive shopping solutions, such as virtual stores, to offer customers a more immersive and personalized shopping journey. However, it is also important to keep traditional elements to provide a familiar framework that increases guidance and information.
Traditional elements in e-commerce, such as navigational cues and Product Listing Pages, remain foundational as retail technology evolves, helping to make the advancements more intuitive and interactive. For virtual stores, navigational elements empower shoppers to explore a new discovery-driven environment, appearing in a variety of forms to guide the user in their journey, such as interactive maps, directional arrows and welcoming tooltips. Immersive environments more closely resemble the real life shopping experience, bringing intuitive context to a digital space.
Product Listing Pages have also persisted in interactive shopping interfaces. Obsess-powered virtual experiences have an e-commerce integration feature for brands and retailers to pull up-to-date product information, such as inventory, and attach it to products displayed in the virtual storefront. In immersive online shopping experiences, including familiar e-commerce elements empowers brands to create new, dynamic interfaces that are easy for shoppers to adapt to.
Measuring the Success of Immersive Virtual Shops
The panelists agreed: it is necessary for brands and retailers to revolutionize their e-commerce strategy due to the shortened consumer attention span, and that content produced has to be more grandiose and strategic in order to capture shoppers’ attention and loyalty.
By leveraging technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality, brands can capture and retain customers with exclusive content in a unique format. When measuring the success of their immersive virtual storefronts, brands and retailers can use a variety of metrics, including brand recall and customer lifetime value.
Innovative Brand Marketing to Capture Shoppers’ Attention
Virtual reality technology can be used to uplevel brand marketing strategies, and help brands differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market. For example, hair care brand, K18, partnered with Obsess to create their virtual Magic Science Bus, transforming their traditional 3D e-commerce assets into a memorable, interactive experience that spanned web, mobile and virtual reality through Meta Quest. The highly visual and gamified experience provided an extra layer of immersion and memorability for the brand’s live events. Download the case study to learn more about how K18 differentiated themselves in a saturated hair care market.
Reinforcing Customer Loyalty and Building Deeper Connections
In the long run, a successful investment in engaging digital shopping technology can be measured by customer lifetime value, a long-time emotional connection with the buyer. There are also a few short-term loyalty metrics that can be tracked in virtual stores, such as email and SMS opt-in rate (for brands that integrate their CMS), return rate and brand affinity. A global beauty brand, for example, used their virtual store to reinforce retention and improve brand loyalty by providing VIP customers with exclusive content and brand experiences, resulting in a 164% uptick in daily visitors for VIP Launches. Download the case study to learn more.
The discussion at Shoptalk Europe 2024 highlighted the importance for retailers to adopt Engaging Digital Shopping Technologies in order to capture and retain customers, and push the boundaries of e-commerce as we know it today with inspirational, immersive and seamless customer experiences. Email us at contact@obsessvr.com or book a demo to see what Obsess can do for your brand.
Consumer behaviors and expectations in today’s digitally-native world are evolving rapidly, prompting brands across industries to adopt innovative approaches to capture and retain consumer attention. Leading this charge are virtual storefronts, but what exactly are these digital shopping experiences?
A virtual storefront is an immersive, 3D-rendered experience accessible across various platforms. It empowers shoppers to browse, interact with, and purchase products in a visually compelling, interactive, and innovative digital environment.
Obsess has created over 350 of these experiences across various industries like fashion, beauty, CPG & grocery, home & furniture and more. These experiences are built to be responsive across web and mobile, and can be extended to spatial computing with Apple Vision Pro or on gaming platforms like Roblox.
Whenever a brand has a calendar event, product launch, or storytelling moment, these virtual experiences serve as excellent brand marketing touchpoints. They can also function as digital twins of physical stores, as demonstrated by Ralph Lauren and Babylist‘s virtualized flagships, extending the store experience to consumers beyond physical reach. They also extend the ROI of a brand’s IRL locations on a global scale.
Pop-ups for special brand moments drive digital engagement and relevance. For instance, J.Crew created a holiday virtual store to stand out during the busy holiday season, while Laneige updates its immersive experience with newly launched products and fresh content seasonally. With their versatility and potential, virtual stores are reshaping the retail landscape, providing brands with innovative ways to connect with consumers in our increasingly digital world.
All in all, virtual storefronts are dynamically paving the way for a more immersive and exciting digital future. Read about them in further detail here.
Obsess has built an out-of-the-box integration with Salesforce, enabling faster synchronous omnichannel deployment for Salesforce Commerce Cloud customers. The cartridge enables SFCC customers to easily integrate virtual stores into their e-commerce sites, syncing product data and enabling a seamless virtual store checkout experience on mobile/desktop. Brands are also able to extend their shoppable virtual experiences beyond mobile to new platforms like Apple Vision Pro.
Integrating with Salesforce Commerce Cloud
The Obsess/Salesforce partnership begins with the out-of-the-box cartridge that enables Salesforce customers to integrate their Commerce Cloud site with an Obsess-powered virtual store, and pull up-to-date product information–extending their virtual storefront to the next generation of 3D experiential shopping. The Obsess/Salesforce API syncs product details into a virtual store, keeps inventory updated in real time and creates a seamless checkout experience for customers.
As a partner solution to Salesforce Commerce Cloud, the pre-built integration from Salesforce commerce API ensures an easy integration and faster time to launch. Brands can easily change and add new products in their virtual store from their Commerce back end.
Salesforce Customers on Apple Vision Pro
Obsess was the first platform to enable brands on Salesforce Commerce Cloud to create shoppable visionOS apps for Apple Vision Pro.
Obsess partnered with Salesforce Commerce Cloud customers J.Crew and e.l.f Cosmetics to launch their fully immersive, interactive, 3D shoppable apps on Apple Vision Pro. Apple Vision Pro is the latest and greatest device in spatial computing and Obsess and Salesforce’s shared commitment to innovation ensures that both platforms are compatible with the newest technology in the industry.
We are excited to be an official Salesforce partner, and to be Storefront Reference Architecture Certified. For more information on the Obsess Virtual Stores Cartridge for B2C Commerce, visit the Salesforce AppExchange listing here.
Obsess creates virtual stores and experiences that help brands enhance storytelling, elevate e-commerce experiences and connect with customers in a whole new way. Obsess virtual stores transcend the traditional grid-like interface of an e-commerce site and convert it into an interactive and contextual 3D environment. Virtual stores live on a brand’s e-commerce site, and are accessible anywhere with a browser—no headset or special device required.
In the dynamic realm of marketing, staying ahead of the curve is necessary for brands to captivate audiences and enhance consumer experiences. As behaviors evolve and attention spans continue to shrink, brands are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage their audience. Enter: immersive virtual branding experiences.
Creative Brand Expression in VR
Generate brand awareness and improve brand sentiment with unique experiences that express your brand’s identity in a creative forum. Rekindle interest and bring your brand to the forefront of consumers’ minds with immersive virtual experiences, and allow them to step into your virtual brand world.
Virtual reality has revolutionized the landscape of brand marketing, offering brands the technology to reinvigorate their marketing strategies. With immersive branding experiences, brands and retailers are able to experiment with a new content format, showcase their story in a unique way and provide consumers with a personalized retail experience. Innovative brand marketing techniques, such as the use of VR, enables you to express your brand in a way that transcends the limitation of traditional marketing techniques.
Transport your consumers into your virtual world and forge deeper relationships—allow your shoppers to interact with products, explore the environment and engage with your brand narrative. By embracing VR, brands can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and leave a lasting impression on shoppers.
For their 40th anniversary, American fashion brand J.Crew partnered with Obsess to create a virtual experience to celebrate their history. The virtual flagship experience not only highlighted their products in classic-themed print rooms, but also showcased the last 40 years of their business through engaging features. Consumers were able to test their J.Crew knowledge through the pop quiz, participate in a scavenger hunt to unlock access to a secret lighthouse and archival photos from past catalogs. In addition to the virtual flagship store, hosted on their website, J.Crew also released a visionOS app in partnership with Obsess on Apple Vision Pro, to immerse new customers into their brand world.
Engagement Redefined: Brand Building
In a world inundated with advertisements, VR offers brands the ability to not only capture consumers’ attention but retain it, providing an unparalleled level of engagement. Through immersive storytelling and interactive experiences, brands can captivate audiences in ways previously unimaginable. Whether it’s taking a virtual tour of a product or participating in branded adventures, consumers become active participants rather than passive observers, fostering a sense of connection and improving customer loyalty.
One of the key advantages of VR in brand marketing is its ability to deliver personalized experiences at scale. By collecting data on user interactions within virtual environments, brands can tailor content based on individual preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This level of customization enhances relevance and resonance, driving higher conversion rates and brand affinity.
Cult-favorite beauty brand Laneige used their virtual shopping experience to showcase their whimsical heritage and scientific expertise in a fully immersive fantastical environment. Each product line is highlighted in its own room, filled with engaging features such as guided navigation through the experience, gamification, a seamless add to cart experience and a behind-the-scenes look at their marketing campaign, featuring brand ambassador Sydney Sweeney.
“The virtual store is a powerful customer engagement tool that will allow shoppers to dive into Laneige’s unique scientific expertise and entertaining digital content, while also helping them select the right product for their skin needs,” said Julien Bouzitat, CMO of Laneige’s parent company AmorePacific U.S.
In an increasingly digital world, brands must embrace innovation to stay relevant. Virtual reality technology represents a paradigm shift in retail brand marketing, offering unprecedented opportunities for engagement, personalization and creativity. By leveraging VR in their brand marketing strategies, brands can break free from the constraints of traditional marketing channels and create immersive experiences that resonate with consumers on a deeper level. In the age of immersive branding, the possibilities are limitless, and the brands that dare to embrace VR will undoubtedly lead the way.
