4 Key Strategies Your Brand Needs to Understand at the Intersection of Games and Fashion

Digital fashion isn’t just for industry giants; it’s a realm of opportunity accessible to brands of all sizes

Let’s talk about untapped potential of digital fashion and beauty marketing in social and gaming apps, particularly in the context of games and fashion, digital fashion, ingame clothing, metaverse clothing, and fashion in gaming.

There’s a prevailing notion that the digital landscape is a playground reserved only for the giants of the fashion and beauty industry. This idea often leaves smaller brands feeling like outsiders, assuming that impactful digital marketing within the gaming and fashion sectors is out of their league without massive budgets or high-profile collaborations. However, the reality is that the digital world offers a wealth of opportunities, more accessible than many smaller brands might think.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The digital landscape is evolving, and with it, the opportunities for fashion and beauty brands of all sizes to make their mark.

Whether you’re a small label, a medium-sized beauty brand, or an independent creator, the digital world is ripe with possibilities for those ready to explore the realms of digital fashion and ingame clothing.

And no, you don’t need a blockbuster budget or a partnership with a tech titan to get started. What you need is a shift in perspective and the right strategies to navigate this digital terrain, especially in the context of fashion in gaming.

In this article, you’ll gain insights into those very strategies, specifically tailored for fashion and beauty brands looking to make their mark within metaverse clothing and gaming fashion.

Why should fashion and beauty brands pay attention to digital fashion and gaming marketing?

Why should this matter to you?

The digital space is teeming with potential customers interested in digital fashion, ingame clothing, and fashion in gaming.

Overlooking digital space means missing out on a substantial opportunity for engagement and conversion.

Here’s an eye-opening perspective:

Data from Roblox shows that approximately 40% (!) of its users update their avatars monthly, with 18% doing so daily. This reflects a deep engagement with digital identity and style, an arena where fashion and beauty brands can make a significant impact.

Furthermore, experts at Wildbytes predict that 70% of major brands will step into the metaverse within the next five years. With Gen Z’s growing excitement for branded virtual fashion — 66% are eager to showcase their favorite brands digitally — the digital space is ripe for innovative fashion and beauty ventures.

This opens up a realm of creativity for designers and brands alike, where the constraints of physical materials no longer apply, and the only limit is imagination:

• Daily Avatar Updates: In the digital world, changing an avatar’s outfit is akin to choosing a real-world outfit. Users regularly updating their avatars present a significant opportunity for fashion brands to become a part of this daily ritual.
• Where the Crowd Is: Think about this — people aren’t just logging into social and gaming apps; they’re living their second lives there. The way they change their avatars? That’s today’s version of picking an outfit for the day. It’s a massive opportunity for any fashion brand.
• Gen Z’s Digital Dressing Room: For Gen Z, these apps are where they define their style. It’s not just about gaming or chatting; it’s where they’re experimenting with how they want to look and who they want to be. That’s a direct line to what’s next in fashion.
• Your Brand on the Global Digital Stage: Digital platforms eliminate geographical limits, enabling your brand to engage with audiences worldwide. This global reach provides a unique opportunity to showcase your fashion and beauty products to a diverse and expansive audience.

What This Article Will Cover:

While not every approach may be a perfect fit for all brands, understanding the full scope of possibilities is invaluable for finding your unique path to digital success

We’ll delve into strategies used by both established and emerging fashion and beauty brands, showing how they’ve successfully navigated the digital landscape, including digital fashion, ingame clothing, and fashion in gaming. From influencer collaborations to partnerships with virtual platforms, we’ll explore a spectrum of tactics to elevate your brand’s presence in the digital world.

Here’s what you will learn:

1. Collaborating with Virtual Platforms: Discover how partnering with platforms like Roblox and Fortnite can extend brand’s reach and create immersive experiences for users in the metaverse clothing and gaming fashion space.
2. Embracing In-Game Character Outfits: Learn about the impact of offering branded fashion items within games, and how this approach connects with a gaming audience’s desire for self-expression.
3. Leveraging Virtual Influencer Marketing: Understand the growing trend of using virtual influencers for brand promotion in the context of digital fashion, and the advantages they offer over traditional influencer marketing.
4. Personalizing Avatars for Self-Expression: Explore how enabling users to express their unique style through avatar customization can deepen engagement and loyalty to your brand.

While not every approach may be a perfect fit for all brands, understanding the full scope of possibilities is invaluable for finding your unique path to digital success, especially in the fields of digital fashion. ingame clothing, and metaverse clothing.

Whether you’re a seasoned player in the fashion industry or a budding brand eager to make your mark, understanding the digital landscape is key. Let’s uncover how your brand can not only navigate but thrive in the burgeoning world of digital fashion and beauty.

Strategy #1: Partner and Collaborate with Virtual Platforms

Understanding the Concept:

At its core, collaborating with virtual platforms means immersively introducing your brand into the digital worlds where potential customers spend their time, especially those interested in games and fashion, spend their time. It’s about taking the essence of your fashion or beauty brand and translating it into a form that fits naturally within popular social and gaming apps.

Key Aspects of Collaboration:

1. Engagement in Digital Spaces: This involves connecting with users within their favorite virtual environments. Take, for instance, Centennial’s Landmark — a space where users can express themselves through their characters and interact with others, much like in real life. These types of environments are exactly where your brand should aim to showcase its products, tapping into vibrant communities where trends are set and personal identities are crafted.
2. Brand Integration: It’s about creatively integrating your products into these worlds, offering virtual clothing, accessories, or beauty items that avatars can wear and use.
3. Creating Experiences: Beyond mere product placement, this strategy includes designing unique brand experiences — think virtual pop-up shops, interactive fashion shows, or themed events within these platforms.

Why Partnership with Virtual Platforms Matters:

• Expanding Your Audience: By tapping into these digital environments, you access a diverse and extensive user base, particularly those interested in fashion in gaming and ingame clothing. Many users are young and tech-savvy, representing a demographic that is increasingly spending more time in virtual worlds. This offers a fresh and expansive avenue to broaden your brand’s reach.
• Deepening User Connection: Collaborating with virtual platforms fosters a level of engagement and personal connection that traditional advertising can’t achieve. It’s about immersing your brand in the user’s digital world, creating a sense of community and belonging that can significantly enhance brand loyalty.
• Staying Ahead of the Curve: Adopting these innovative strategies positions your brand as a leader in digital marketing innovation within the gaming and fashion sectors. By engaging with users in these evolving spaces, you’re not just following trends; you’re setting them, appealing to a consumer base that values tech-forward and immersive brand experiences.

Examples to Look Into:

• Big Brands: Luxury fashion house Gucci’s immersive experience in Roblox and Balenciaga’s virtual runway in Fortnite are perfect examples of how established brands can make a significant impact in these spaces. Interested in creating a unique virtual space for your brand and learning how to captivate a global audience? Dive deeper into Gucci’s innovative approach in Gucci Garden on Roblox.
• Smaller Brands: Indie brands like Tribute Brand and Happy99 have shown how digital-only approaches can effectively capture the attention of the digital-native audience, proving that size isn’t a barrier to making a mark in the virtual world.

Collaboration with virtual platforms, or creating your own one, represents an exciting frontier for fashion and beauty brands interested in the intersection of games and fashion. It’s about more than just adapting to a digital age; it’s about actively shaping the way consumers experience and interact with your brand in a world where the digital and the real increasingly intertwine.

3-Steps to Get Started:

1. Find Your Space: Look for platforms where your target audience, especially those interested in digital fashion and ingame clothing, loves to spend their time.
2. Get Creative: Work with digital designers to create something unique — something that can only exist in these virtual worlds.
3. Make It Interactive: Launch your collection with an event, a challenge, or a story that gets users involved. It’s not just about wearing your brand; it’s about experiencing it.

Strategy #2: Ingame Clothing and Character Outfits

In today’s gaming world, what user’s characters wear is as much a part of the experience as the gameplay itself.

Ingame clothings and character outfits

Ingame fashion isn’t limited to pixelated clothing; it’s about crafting outfits that add depth and personality to virtual characters, creating a connection between games and fashion. This could range from a high-tech armor set in a sci-fi game to trendy streetwear in a life-simulation game.

In gaming, just as in the real world, fashion serves as a potent form of self-expression. Gamers often select outfits that align with their personal style or the character they aim to portray within the game. These choices often mirror their aspirations, fantasies, or achievements, turning virtual wardrobes into a vital aspect of their ingame identity.

According to the Roblox report, there’s a growing willingness to invest in virtual style. Here’s the main insights you should know:

• Among those users who purchase digital fashion items, 31% spend up to $5 per month, while another 30% allocate $10-$20 monthly.
• Nearly 12% of users are ready to spend between $50-$100 on their virtual wardrobe, with over 1 in 4 having spent $20 to over $100 on a single virtual item.

This spending pattern underscores the value users place on digital fashion — it’s not just an afterthought; it’s a significant part of their digital identity.

Several examples in popular games demonstrate this trend vividly:

• In Fortnite, players show off their style with everything from sleek spy outfits to fantastical costumes, each adding a unique flavor to the gameplay. You can check Fortnite user’s custom collections here
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons saw a surge in popularity with users recreating real-world fashion trends, offering a blend of reality and fantasy
• By the way, independent label Sandy Liang collaborated with ‘Animal Crossing’ to offer her distinctive designs in the game, showcasing how niche fashion can thrive in these spaces
• Adidas steps into Roblox with a dynamic mix of sports and virtual fashion. Their digital pop-up stores feature iconic items like firebird tracksuits, connecting adidas’ classic style with Roblox’s creative digital realm

Key Steps for Game Fashion Integration:

1. Identify the Right Game: Choose a game that aligns with your brand’s image and your target audience’s interests, particularly in the context of games and fashion
2. Design with Purpose: Create outfits that resonate with the game’s themes and players’ preferences, focusing on ingame clothing and fashion.
3. Engage the Community: Get involved in the gaming community to understand what players seek in their virtual wardrobe.

Digital fashion and ingame clothing integration

Integrating your brand into the gaming world means more than just visibility; it’s about becoming a part of the player’s virtual life and identity. It’s a unique opportunity to dress the avatars of the gaming world in your brand’s style.

Are you ready to outfit the avatars of the gaming world with your brand?

Strategy #3: Leverage Virtual Influencer Marketing

Brands find virtual influencers appealing because they’re sophisticated, fully controllable, and often more influential

The influencer marketing domain is evolving rapidly, growing from $16 billion to an estimated $21.1 billion in 2023.

This surge is intertwined with the rise of social commerce, where social media platforms are becoming shopping hubs. As mobile usage and digital content consumption grow, a new player enters the stage: virtual influencers.

Who are virtual influencers?

Virtual influencers are computer-generated, fictional characters primarily designed for marketing, especially on social media. They’re gaining ground due to their high engagement rates, which are reportedly three times higher than human influencers.

Brands find them appealing because they’re sophisticated, fully controllable, and often more influential. This makes them particularly effective in fashion marketing, where their unique appeal resonates with tech-savvy audiences.

Impactful Examples in the Fashion World:

• Lil Miquela: With 2.6 million Instagram followers, Lil Miquela has collaborated with brands like Prada and Calvin Klein, showcasing the power of virtual influencers in reaching Gen Z audiences interested in fashion in gaming and digital fashion
• Lu do Magalu: Boasting nearly 7 million followers, Brazil’s Lu do Magalu demonstrates the expansive reach these digital personalities can have, appealing to fans of ingame clothing and digital fashion.
• Noonouri and Rozy: Noonouri, styled by Balenciaga and Valentino, and Rozy, South Korea’s first virtual influencer, exemplify how virtual influencers can embody high fashion and appeal to a global audience, particularly in the context of games and fashion.

How to craft your virtual influencer campaign:

1. Select the Right Digital Persona: Choose a virtual influencer that aligns with your brand’s identity and can authentically represent your products, emphasizing fashion in gaming and ingame clothing. They don’t have to be the biggest names; niche influencers can offer targeted and cost-effective collaborations that resonate with your audience
2. Leverage Their Unique Influence: Develop campaigns that utilize the virtual influencer’s distinct characteristics, ensuring they resonate with your target demographic interested in digital fashion.
3. Focus on Storytelling and Engagement: Use these influencers to tell compelling stories about your brand, capitalizing on their high engagement rates to amplify your message.

Virtual influencer marketing represents a shift towards more controlled, creative, and engaging brand representation. It’s a strategy that merges the latest in AI with the art of storytelling, offering a fresh, innovative way to connect with a digitally native audience interested in games and fashion.

Is your brand ready to explore the dynamic world of virtual influencer marketing?

Strategy 4: Avatars and Self-Expression — Personalizing Digital Identity

Self-expression through toy-like avatars

In the world of virtual interactions, avatars have evolved into significant tools for personal expression. For fashion and beauty brands, this opens up a realm of opportunity. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about enabling users to craft their digital identities, reflecting their unique style and personality through their avatars.

The impact of avatar customization:

• A Platform for Individuality: In a Roblox user survey, 47% of respondents expressed that dressing their avatars is a key form of self-expression, allowing them to showcase their individuality, emphasizing the importance of ingame clothing and fashion in gaming. This highlights how virtual fashion can empower users to convey their unique personalities in the digital world.
• Emotional Connections: Additionally, 43% of users feel a sense of joy and satisfaction from avatar customization, underlining the positive emotional impact it has. It’s not just an activity; it’s a means of feeling good, of seeing oneself reflected in the digital space.

How is it important for brands?

• Expanding Influence: By providing diverse and creative fashion options for avatars, brands can resonate with a wide audience, aligning with their desire for personal expression, especially in the context of games and fashion.
• Engaging Across Platforms: The appeal of avatar fashion transcends specific games or apps. It offers potential for cross-platform engagement, from social media to fully immersive VR worlds.

Implementing avatar fashion strategies:

• Offer Diverse Choices: Create a wide range of digital fashion items that cater to various tastes, ensuring inclusivity in your virtual offerings, including ingame clothing.
• Foster Interactive Experiences: Initiate campaigns that encourage users to experiment with different avatar styles, perhaps through virtual fashion events or social media challenges.

Integrating your brand into the world of avatar fashion is about understanding and catering to the digital self-expression needs of users. It’s an opportunity to embed your brand into the very fabric of users’ virtual identities, creating a connection that goes beyond the screen.

Is your brand ready to dress the digital selves of this vibrant online community?

Embracing Digital Fashion: What Lies Ahead

Just for the context, by July 2023, our team at Cocone distributed over 16.6 billion avatar items and gacha outfits, one more clear indicator of the vast appeal of personalized avatars and digital fashion

The strategy of enabling self-expression through avatars in the digital world isn’t just a concept; it’s a proven pathway to deep user engagement. These virtual representations allow users to project their individuality and preferences in a digital space, creating opportunities for brands to engage with them on a personal level.

Our strategic approach at Cocone, focusing on item design and creation that empowers users to personalize their avatars, has been fundamental in achieving substantial user involvement. At Cocone, we’ve harnessed this potential, leading to remarkable results in the virtual experience and digital avatar market:

In July 2023, our team at Cocone reached a significant milestone, distributing over 16.6 billion avatar items and gacha outfits. This achievement is a one more clear indicator of the vast appeal of personalized avatars and digital fashion. It reflects the enthusiasm with which users across the globe embrace the opportunity to express their individuality in digital spaces.

• This accomplishment is underpinned by the expansion of our global user base, now exceeding 130 million across our mobile apps. It’s a journey that began with Pokecolo in 2011, and through our commitment to delivering captivating virtual experiences, we have solidified our position as a leader in the digital avatar market.

Cocone’s Apps Surpass 16.6B in unique digital and clothing item distribution

For your brand, this insight is invaluable.

By adopting a similar approach — prioritizing the customization of digital identity and providing users with the means to express themselves — you can tap into this profound level of engagement.

It’s about recognizing that in the digital world, the avatar is an extension of the self, and offering users the ability to shape this digital self can significantly elevate their experience with your brand.

What’s Next?

This article has offered a high-level overview of key strategies in the ever-evolving world of digital fashion. But there’s so much more to explore.

Eager for a deeper exploration of digital fashion?

Comment ‘Cocone Digital Fashion’ in the comments and we will dive deeper and share with access to our exclusive Digital Fashion Industry report.

Interested in exploring the world of Cocone’s avatars and virtual experiences?

Reach out to us for potential collaboration opportunities by visiting our contact page

Thank you for stepping into the digital fashion universe with us. A world of more detailed insights and collaborative opportunities is just a comment away.