Gen Z and Millennials are at the forefront of shopping in the metaverse

Although VR shopping is still in its infancy, a growing number of brands are setting up shop in the metaverse. Demand for shopping in virtual reality is on the rise with 69% of shoppers surveyed reporting that they would like a brand to be present in the virtual world.¹ The trend is especially apparent across younger generations, with more than 70% of Millennial and Gen Z shoppers surveyed already reporting having purchased a digital item in a video game.²

In part, the emerging trend is driven by a desire among people to express their true selves in digital spaces. More than 4 in 5 shoppers are interested in customising digital representations of themselves, or avatars, with over half reporting that they would like their avatars to look different from themselves or even surreal.³

For Pearce, working with Target to create these queer-affirming worlds was personal. "Horizon [Worlds] has allowed me to become the real me", they said. "I am not disabled here. I can walk. I can look how I feel inside. I am bisexual and transgender… No one in Horizon knows my dead name. They only know me. And that is a real gift."

For Target, Take Pride not only provided a space to celebrate the queer community and culture, it promoted Pride merchandise and opened up avenues for the brand to build deeper relationships with its customers. The activation drove double-digit ad recall lift as well as high association of #takepride with the Target brand.⁴ The strategy garnered the most success with Gen Z, indicating that the younger generation is keen on exploring virtual worlds. Perhaps most astounding, the average dwell time in the Take Pride world was 13 minutes, demonstrating that VR can be an exceptionally powerful tool for engaging with a specific community.⁵

Target's Take Pride activation was not an outlier. Wendy's saw similar success when it launched the Wendyverse earlier this year in Horizon Worlds. Customers could visit a virtual Wendy's restaurant and order their favourite burger with their friends. Though visitors weren't able to actually purchase a meal in VR, the Wendyverse was nonetheless effective in lifting critical metrics such as ad recall and purchase intent. During its media campaign, the Wendyverse ranked number one among visited external worlds in Horizon Worlds and was highly effective at attracting Millennial and Gen Z audiences compared to traditional ads.⁶