amika, the Brooklyn-based, B Corp–certified hair care brand, launched its first immersive virtual experience, “the amikaverse,” on Roblox in partnership with experiential e-commerce company Obsess.
As one of the first Roblox experiences by a US-based premium hair care brand, “the amikaverse” allows users to learn about the brand as they create and share their own digital hair care products, engage in unique challenges and interact with other characters throughout the amikaverse environment.
The name “amika” means “friend,” and the experience on Roblox is designed to support amika’s core brand values around inclusivity, responsibility and sustainability. The experience also reflects amika’s focus on high-quality ingredients and leverages the brand’s salon roots and professional credibility.
Visitors to the amikaverse can tap into their imaginative power to create their own digital hair products by combining ingredients to offer an array of real or imagined product benefits. Upon entering the amikaverse, visitors are first invited to choose a “Bestie” character in the form of a Stylist, a Gardener or a Recycler to guide them through the immersive 3D experience. Each Bestie leads users into a different themed space with a mini game that makes it easy and fun to learn about amika.
“Roblox is a natural place for us to continue building our community,” said Shannon Otto, Senior Director of Consumer Engagement at amika. “The amikaverse is an ideal extension of our brand purpose, and a prime example of how we’re meeting our next-gen customers where they are. amika has roots in the salon community and we’re a proud friend to the planet—using naturally derived ingredients and PCR packaging is table stakes for us. All of these things come to life in a beautifully immersive way in the amikaverse, and we’re excited to partner with Obsess as we build our community on Roblox.”
In the Salon challenge, a diverse cast of characters will present different hair concerns to users, who have to choose the right amika products to address the issue and then solve a quick puzzle. In the Garden challenge, users can grow and harvest different ingredients that make up amika products. In the Recycling space, visitors explore the amikaverse to collect pieces of recyclable materials, which they then combine to “recycle” into one of five different packaging options inspired by amika’s iconic patterned designs. Once users have the necessary hair knowledge, ingredients and packaging, they can then create their custom product, which they can also choose to gift to friends within the experience.
“amika is a leader in the premium hair care space, pioneering new experiences that meet young consumers on their own terms,” said Neha Singh, Founder and CEO of Obsess. “The amikaverse immerses visitors in a virtual experience that is both visually stunning and perfectly aligned with the brand’s look and feel. For example, the garden-themed challenge allows amika customers to grow and harvest the ingredients that make up the brand’s products—it’s taking consumer education to a new level. We’re proud to partner with amika to deepen engagement among its community and drive long-term loyalty for the brand.”
Other features of the amikaverse include wearable digital items that are available for purchase in the Roblox Marketplace and coins that can be redeemed for digital items such as amika-patterned hair and accessories for users’ avatars. The first 10,000 visitors who complete the Salon challenge 10 times will receive a Limited amika-patterned jacket.
In addition to the immersive experience on Roblox, amika and Obsess will be partnering to create a matching web-based virtual store, which will be coming to amika’s e-commerce site in 2024.
