Macy’s enters the metaverse
Macy’s is debuting an immersive fashion experience built on metaverse technology.
The department store retailer is rolling out mstylelab, a new metaverse environment accessible by consumers via any device or browser. Customers can join the virtual community, create their user name, collect a personalized digital item, and engage with the first activation, based on the metaverse technology platform Journee.
mstylelab is launching with an immersive experience focused on Macy’s newest private brand, On 34th, in a surrealist recreation of New York. Customers can log in with their macys.com profile (or create one) to choose an mstylelab username and design and personalize a digital fabric, which serves as their community identity.
As they queue and enter the virtual world, they will be able to explore the immersive environment and discover and engage with curated digital versions of select apparel from the On 34th collection. While customers navigate through star checkpoints along the way, they will be able to unlock a unique digital t-shirt that is personalized to match their mstylelab digital fabric. All On 34th apparel featured in the experience is shoppable.
mstylelab will evolve over time to incorporate new immersive experiences and partnerships. Later this fall as the holiday season begins, the current activation will shift to showcase the next iteration of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade metaverse experience. Macy’s will first announce new metaverse experiences on its Discord channel.
While mstylelab marks Macy’s first metaverse venture, the Macy’s Inc. banner Bloomingdale’s initiated a metaverse collaboration with Emperia in September 2022 with a virtual store introduced during New York Fashion Week, and followed up by opening a virtual holiday store in the metaverse based on the Emperia platform in November 2022.
“We are excited to launch mstylelab, the next evolution of our web3 digital strategy, creating a hub for style inspiration and discovery at the intersection of fashion and technology,” said Dave Torres, VP of interactive marketing, Macy’s. “As we grow and evolve the mstylelab digital platform and community, new activations and experiences will be brought to life creating immersive storytelling focused on fashion and style, in a fun and shoppable environment.”
“We are excited to partner with a world-renowned brand like Macy’s to showcase the future of fashion retail. This is a unique metaverse activation that will bring this type of immersive experience to a broader audience,” said Erika Lang, head of Americas at Journee. “Consumers are seeking multiple touch points on multiple platforms to seamlessly integrate immersive virtual experiences into their customer journey. This innovative technology will propel the fashion industry - as well as many others - into its next phase. Reaching consumers where they are and providing new ways for them to shop and interact with one another is vital in order to deepen their relationships with brands.”