In June 2021, PacSun transitioned into the online entertainment space by introducing digital items on Roblox, a global online platform for shared experiences connecting millions of people every day in its metaverse. 

As part of the collaboration, the youth retailer officially announced its first dedicated experience on Roblox called PACWORLD, a fantasy interactive mall experience, created through a partnership with premier game development studio, MELON. This extends of PacSun's existing catalogs on Roblox, with the best-sold catalog items being "fantasy"-focused items including gold wings.  

PACWORLD allows players to create a unique hub, intersecting fashion technology and community. Within the social environment, customers find community in the space, leaning on the metaverse's strong network effects. Players are the owners and operators of a new mall, and it is their objective to make the mall as profitable and popular as possible. Players will be able to create and remove shops, upgrade shops that do well, decorate the mall to attract more customers and invite friends to visit their mall. 

"Innovation and creativity are at the heart of PacSun's brand voice, and we view our audience as the cultural pioneers of the future,” says Brie Olson, president, PacSun. "As we are catering to a fully digital generation, we recognize that Gen Z values community and accessibility more than any other generation, and we joined Roblox to further build that connectivity with our consumers. Considering that they leverage Roblox as a point of socialization, we knew that to further our strong emotional resonance as a brand, we needed to continue to build alongside them in the gaming world." 

With digital being PacSun's top priority, the retailer has seen exponential growth in the space year over year, through perceptive partnerships with brands and talent, social media activations and strategic campaigns. Over the past year, PacSun started to embark on a strategy with paid media and upper-funnel initiatives, with NFTs and virtual reality becoming a huge focus for collaborative initiatives and in-store efforts. 

PacSun stepped into the NFT space with the introduction of the PacSun Wave NFT in November, followed by the Pac Mall Rats series in January and most recently, PS Sunset in collaboration with Pakistani artist Sara Shakeel. They have also debuted the second drop of Pac Mall Rats, representing 14 PacSun locations, as well as Reebok, PacSun's first Pac Mall Rat based off a brand partner. Locations in this wave of Pac Mall Rats include Glendale and Downey, Calif., Orland Park, Ill., St. George, Utah, Raleigh, N.C., New York City and more. Pac Mall Rats are available for auction now on Open Sea for one week. 

"Though it is important for us to follow our customers through digital touchpoints, we do understand that in-store shopping is still relevant,” says Alfred Chang, co-chief executive officer, PacSun. “Through PACWORLD, we give players and consumers the reins to create their space and build it from the ground up. It combines fantasy with the traditional in-store feel, through a digital lens in a highly interactive way."  

In PACWORLD, players will be able to customize their malls with flair and aesthetics that can be purchased with the virtual income they earn in-experience. To amplify the social element, Roblox players can visit each other to socialize and compare malls. PACWORLD allows up to six players to build malls next to each other, while Roblox's platform allows players to go to any server to visit their friends and check out their malls. 

PACWORLD is available now on Roblox.