iStock.com/vkyryl | Photo by Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com on Unsplash
June 4, 2024
Has IKEA Revolutionized the Retail Experience With Roblox?
In an innovative move that merges reality with the virtual gaming world, IKEA has announced that it will pay a limited number of Roblox players £13.15 or €14.80 per hour to work in its virtual store experience, called “The Co-Worker Game.” This unique in-game experience is set to launch on June 24, offering players a chance to engage with IKEA’s career philosophy in a digital environment.
The virtual store allows players to “live their home furnishing dreams,” and 10 of these players will actually be paid to work virtually within the game. Applications for these roles opened on June 3, 2024, and will be accepted until June 16. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in the United Kingdom or Ireland. The application process includes a questionnaire, an updated CV, and an optional video submission. Selected candidates will undergo virtual interviews between June 14 and June 18. Successful applicants will be compensated with an hourly rate equivalent to that of a real-life IKEA co-worker.
The game offers an immersive experience where players can explore the IKEA virtual world, including visiting the Swedish Food Market and Bistro to serve IKEA’s famous dishes. Additionally, players can navigate various virtual showrooms to organize and interact with IKEA products. There will also be opportunities to win exclusive user-generated content (UGC).
This digital venture marks IKEA’s first attempt at integrating digital entertainment and adds a yet-to-be-fully explored prospect of incorporating paid work within a video game.
Darren Taylor, IKEA’s country people and culture manager, highlighted that this initiative showcases IKEA’s distinctive career philosophy, emphasizing flexibility and growth. “We’re excited to be the first brand to launch paid work on Roblox to showcase how we do careers differently, bringing our unique careers philosophy to life,” he said. “At IKEA, there is no set route to career progression. Our co-workers are able to change roles, switch departments, and grow in any direction they choose, both in the game or in the real world. There are many ways to learn and grow at IKEA, and that’s what IKEA on Roblox is all about.”
On the official Roblox Inspiration page, other brand collaborations are showcased. Paramount, the NHL, and H&M are among the organizations that have already made immersive Roblox experiences. Shipt also partnered with Roblox to create a racing adventure that played on back-to-school shopping.
Furthermore, over the past three years, Roblox has become a key platform for fashion brands targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Brands like Gucci, Givenchy, and Tommy Hilfiger have created virtual worlds on Roblox, engaging with its over 70 million daily users. The Gang, a Stockholm-based gaming studio founded in 2019, has been instrumental in developing these brand experiences on Roblox. It has designed popular virtual worlds such as Gucci x Vans and Givenchy Beauty’s winter world. The Gang’s approach includes creating its own games to better understand the Roblox audience and applying these insights to brand projects.
Initially, The Gang faced challenges understanding the Roblox platform, but the studio adapted by closely collaborating with Roblox to refine its approach. Its efforts have paid off, making it a profitable and rapidly growing company. Notable projects include Vans World, which has attracted over 100 million visitors, and Gucci Town, featuring footballer Jack Grealish, which has had 45 million visits.
Roblox is increasingly seen not just for PR but as a platform for gamified, interactive brand experiences. Brands can test product designs with millions of users in virtual environments, gaining valuable insights. The Gang has also started exploring other platforms like Fortnite and plans to collaborate with Roblox’s user-generated content creators to develop branded digital garments.
Discussion Questions
What implications might IKEA’s integration of paid work within the Roblox gaming platform have for the future of remote employment and digital labor markets?
How can retail brands effectively leverage virtual platforms like Roblox to engage with younger demographics and create immersive brand experiences?
In what ways do collaborations between retail brands and gaming studios, such as IKEA’s partnership with Roblox, reflect broader shifts in consumer behavior and the convergence of digital entertainment with real-world commerce?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Patricia Vekich Waldron
Contributing Editor, RetailWire; Founder and CEO, Vision First
Neil Saunders
Managing Director, GlobalData
Michael Zakkour
Founder - 5 New Digital &International Marketing Lead at UNILEVER
Recent Discussions
More Discussions
Is Cyber Week Set To Smash Sales Records This Year, as Salesforce Suggests?
Salesforce suggests that Cyber Week will set records in terms of sales this year. Is this…Should Target Associates Be Mandated To Smile?
Target’s 10-4 plan calls for associates to be much more involved in greeting customers, as part…Will Target and ChatGPT’s Team-Up Actually Improve the Retailer’s Fortunes?
The Target app is hitting ChatGPT soon. Will it move the needle in Target’s favor?
What I like about IKEA’s experiment is that it has a purpose: to help with recruitment. It isn’t just a random attempt at doing something in a virtual world for the sake of it. It will also connect IKEA with a younger generation of talent and allow people to understand the IKEA culture a bit better. And it’s worth understanding as IKEA has a very open and dynamic culture that encourages learning and progression.
I agree! I commend their efforts to not lead with commercial objectives; instead to “think out of the box” and try new ways to engage on a platform that continues to be relevant. I must admit, it’s disappointing to see the majority of those who responded to the poll (at least at the time I wrote this) say they’re not interested at all. If you have anything to do with retail, you should at least want to try.
Smart of IKEA to court the younger demographic(s) as employees and to introduce them to the IKEA brand and products as they make they way and homes in the world.
This is a good initiative for Ikea, it’s nice seeing them being proactive in the virtual space. Historically they relied heavily on the in store experience which resulted in them being ill prepared for the increase in digital volume during the pandemic. This is also a great way to attract Gen Z and engage with them.
The IKEA/Roblox partnership connects with younger demographics, and potentially will help long-term recruiting, although it will be up to IKEA to determine if a good digital player also makes a good retail associate. My only question is in IKEA’s virtual world, do Roblox players have to follow the same one-way only path that frustrates so many real-world shoppers?
IKEA’s integration of paid work in Roblox suggests a future where remote work expands into virtual worlds, offering new job opportunities and flexible work environments. This trend could redefine digital labor markets, making gamified, interactive roles viable employment options, particularly appealing to younger, tech-savvy generations. Retail brands can engage younger audiences on platforms like Roblox by creating interactive games, hosting virtual events, encouraging user-generated content, partnering with influencers, offering virtual try-ons, and using reward systems.
Collaborations between gaming studios and retail brands, such as IKEA and Roblox, demonstrate how consumers now seek immersive, interactive experiences. This trend merges digital entertainment with real-world shopping, reflecting a shift towards experiential commerce. By engaging younger, tech-savvy audiences through these innovative approaches, brands can build lasting loyalty and redefine the future of retail.
It is unclear how much control IKEA will have over Roblox, or vice versa. Roblox has had some substantial issues that I’m sure IKEA wants no part of. There have been scams, code confusion, and a difference between premium and regular use, and I don’t know where IKEA fits into that membership level puzzle.
The approach with Roblox appears to be limited, at least at the start, so time will tell if this catches momentum, or not. Db
Gen Zs will update their resumes to get a summer job as a gamer. IKEA’s paid work within Roblox will inspire new career paths and brand collaborations. This digital work experience shrinks the gap between formal education and industry’s most in-demand skill sets. Both companies will gain rich insights into the coveted Gen Z cohort, deepen engagement and learn how to adapt to younger consumers’ needs.
I do love this. If you look at history, brands who have innovated have been most influential over time. I really feel that retail brands can tap into virtual platforms like Roblox to captivate younger audiences through the crafting of interactive, gamified experiences that resonate with their digital-first lifestyle. People under the age of 35 are unlikely to remember a world before the internet.
By offering virtual jobs, as IKEA does, or creating branded worlds, like Gucci and Tommy Hilfiger, brands immerse users in their ethos. This offers a new way to engage.
Collaborations with gaming studios are likely to enhance authenticity, ensuring experiences align with user expectations.
It could be that leveraging technology is a super way to bridge the physical and digital, personalizing marketing, which can enhance customer engagement.
“Revolutionized the Retail Experience”. Really?
Okay. At the risk of sounding like a total killjoy, I think this is stupid. IKEA sells stuff right? Are they going to start selling virtual desks for Roblox gamers to outfit their “virtual living space”?
Nothing about this sounds anything remotely interesting or helpful to the brand. I will put a note in my calendar for a year from now to see how wrong or how correct I am….
I would not use the word “revolutionized.”
That said, this is a fantastic experiment that IKEA is running. For many of us in the “braintrust,” working retail jobs after school and in the summertime was our introduction to the worlds of work, retail, and brands. There is a dearth of jobs for teens today because what used to be entry-level, part-time jobs, are now the primary source of income for many American families.
The tie-up with Roblox will also attract teens who will someday need to furnish dorm rooms, apartments, and houses to IKEA as customers.
This, along with the announcement of Walmart Realm, is further proof that smart retailers (and brands) are embracing “immersive commerce.” Virtual spaces, along with AR/ER/VR, Video commerce, and 3D PDPs, are the future. This does not mean physical stores are going away; it means that retailers need to make their online and physical habits more immersive and then connect the two if they are going to be around for the long term.
May not be a revolution but certainly an innovative move to engage Gen Z in a way that meets them where they are today. Many young people are gamers (and some of us older folks too) so this is a smart move.