As Pacsun celebrates one year on Roblox, it’s launching digital ads on the platform and expanding its Roblox game.
“When you put an ad inside Roblox, it’s really about the users you’re targeting and impressions,” said Yonatan Raz-Fridman, CEO of game development studio Supersocial. “It doesn’t work to build a community or engage the Roblox audience in a meaningful way.”
But overall, Pacsun sees significant potential in the platform as a user engagement channel. “If you keep expanding and listening to what [users] want and what they respond to, you’ll be successful [on Roblox],” said Pablo Uribe, Pacsun’s senior manager of web development.
In February 2023, Pacsun introduced “Pacsun LA Tycoon,” a Roblox game that immerses players in an L.A. lifestyle experience. It draws over 60,000 monthly active users and has seen 11 million total visits.
Uribe said Pacsun updates its game monthly to sustain player interest. For example, it has introduced more quest-oriented features to increase engagement and replayability. In addition, it’s maintained a focus on building a strong Roblox community.
Pacsun’s new Roblox play is part of its broader marketing strategy. A planned expansion of its Roblox game, with new L.A.-inspired elements, will coincide with its summer campaign. The alignment is expected to boost both virtual and physical customer engagement, Uribe said.
The retailer’s entry into in-game advertising on Roblox follows Walmart’s Roblox e-commerce pilot which launched on May 1. Pacsun, which last reported revenue of $900 million in 2022, declined to share current revenue and its investment in Roblox ads.
“Whether there is an appetite from consumers to buy real products within the game remains a question,” said Raz-Fridman. He said understanding consumer demand for shopping within such virtual settings could take a year or two.
In 2023, Pacsun connected its physical and virtual selling strategies by offering a women’s bathing suit both in physical form in its stores and as a digital fashion piece for avatars offered in-game. Both versions proved best-sellers in their respective sales channels.
According to data from 2023 from Roblox, over 1.6 million digital fashion items were purchased last year.
