Burberry made some bold moves by entering the metaverse early on and has, thereon, managed to cement its place as a customer service innovator and industry leader within the luxury fashion industry through its NFTs drops and immersive retail experiences.
NFT Collections
Burberry launched its first in-game NFT collection within Mythical Games’ flagship title, Blankos Block Party. Set in a vibrant and dynamic environment and reminiscent of a colossal block party, this innovative game allows players to compete in fun and interactive minigames with their friends, to collect, blend, and truly own unique digital vinyl toys termed Blankos.
August 2021
Burberry’s first Blanko is a shark character named Sharky B and was accompanied by the launch of a few limited edition accessories as well. The prints aimed at celebrating Burberry’s TB Summer Monogram collection and thus drew inspiration from the spirit of summer and adventure. To maintain exclusivity, only 750 of these were released and the initial sale price was $299.99 per Blanko or 30,000 Blanko Bucks with in-game currency. The accessories, which included Jetpack, Arm Bands and Pool Shoes, were more accessible and priced within the range of $25 to $100.
The Collection sold out in under 30 seconds, the fastest out of all held by the Blankos team so far, which includes an NFT drop with music artist Deadmau5.
June 2022
Riding on the success of the first NFT collection, Burberry released a second collection on the Blankos Block Party. Adorning Burberry’s then latest TB Summer Monogram and taking inspiration from the brand’s Animal Kingdom theme, the second Burberry Blanko NFT was a unicorn character termed Minny B. Similar to the previous drop, Minny B was accompanied by accessories such as boomboxes, TB sliders, chain, and a ‘Shellphone’, that players could add to their virtual portfolio. Minny B had an initial price of $349.99 or 35000 Blanko Bucks while the accessories could be minted for $50-$100. Rachel Waller, VP of channel innovation at Burberry, said in a press release “The metaverse provides limitless opportunities for us to flex our imagination and connect with our customers in richer ways, and we’re excited to continue to experiment in this space.”
To facilitate social interactions between the multiple characters, Burberry also designed its own miniverse “The Oasis” on the gaming platform. A cabana-style futuristic resort, it drew inspiration from the brand’s recent TB Summer Monogram showcases in global hotspots like Saint-Tropez, Korea, Singapore, and Ibiza and featured Burberry-branded sailboats and sunbeds.
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Burberry’s Social Retail Store
Since 2020, Burberry has been trying to create synergies between the virtual and the physical world. In Shenzhen, China, Burberry has launched a “social retail” store. This store combines a boutique, a cafe and a virtual playground, the latter of which has been designed by Tencent – a video game company who also owns We Chat. “ It marks a shift in how we engage with our customers”, said CEO Marco Gobbetti in a statement. Indeed, the store seamlessly blends social media interactions into a tangible retail setting. Consisting of 10 rooms, customers can explore and unlock special interactive experiences accessible via WeChat. Through the mini-program, users can delve into exclusive Burberry content and tailored in-store experiences.Visitors are also given a digital avatar of a fawn which matures as they engage more with the store’s offerings. Shoppers can also scan QR codes attached to Burberry products to get deeper insights into the products and get guided tours of the store.
Read More: Metaverse Dressing Room: Unlock the Potential of NFTs to Showcase and Sell Your Wearables
Virtual Replica of Ginza Store
Burberry experimented quite a bit with web3 experiences for customers during COVID and particularly in the Asian Market. In march 2021, the luxury brand announced a partnership with Elle Digital Japan for the launch of an “interactive virtual replica of its flagship Ginza store” in Tokyo. The company said all of this is aiming to push the “boundaries through creativity, exploring the relationship between physical and digital experiences to create exciting new concepts for its community and enhance personalized luxury commerce”. In the e-store, customers could walk around the store and buy items from the brand’s SS21 collection by selecting digital icons. It also collaborated with actress Elaiza Ikeda to create 5 styling tip videos; accessible at touchpoints throughout the virtual store.
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With our solution, you can elevate your brand representation to new heights, offering virtual shopping experiences, replicating the charm of a pop-up store, and infusing gamification into the mix with digital collectibles and dressing rooms.
But that’s not all, METAV.RS is not only a solution of immersive showrooms but also has the capabilities to launch NFT collections. By leveraging our Utility Manager, you can effortlessly associate utilities with your NFTs, a strategic move to recruit and engage with new audiences from Gen Z and Millenials.
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