As food and beverage brands explore innovative ways to drive customer acquisition and loyalty, many are turning to virtual worlds to engage consumers during their daily digital activities.
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GLOAs food and beverage brands explore innovative ways to drive customer acquisition and loyalty, many are turning to virtual worlds to engage consumers during their daily digital activities.
For example, the quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain Whataburger recently announced the launch of its first tournament within the online video game Fortnite, where players can compete for cash prizes. The game features various Whataburger-branded items, characters, and environments.
Earlier this year, fast-casual brand Wow Bao partnered with Roblox, a game platform and creation system. This partnership integrated Roblox with Wow Bao’s rewards program, allowing players to earn coupons for physical food items through virtual gameplay.
“By connecting the Roblox community with our online ordering channels and rewards program, we are inviting new customers to experience our brand, rewarding our most frequent guests, and embarking on something that has never been done,” said Wow Bao president and CEO Geoff Alexander.
By launching these initiatives within popular games, these eateries aim to engage younger audiences in immersive environments that traditional advertising cannot match.
This approach leverages the trend of gamification, where interactive and entertaining content fosters brand loyalty and boosts customer engagement. These strategies reflect a broader shift in marketing, recognizing that future customer engagement involves reaching consumers outside high-intent platforms, engaging them where they enjoy and socialize.
Consumers are receptive to experiences that integrate purchasing into their leisure activities. According to the PYMNTS Intelligence study “How We Will Pay Report: How Connected Devices Enable Multitasking Among Digital-First Consumers,” 27% of the 76% of consumers who multitask during leisure activities do so to make purchases from restaurants.
Additionally, food brands are using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to engage consumers in non-traditional ways. For example, Crumbl Cookies offers an Apple Vision Pro app for ordering that integrates with its loyalty program. Recently, White Castle launched AR packaging, providing immersive experiences in partnership with the film “Borderlands.”
A few years ago, Wendy’s began exploring the metaverse through Meta’s Horizon Worlds platform. In a 2022 interview with PYMNTS, Jimmy Bennett, then vice president of media and social at Wendy’s (now global head of brand engagement), emphasized the importance of leveraging the expertise of those already familiar with digital spaces.
“When we started working on the Wendyverse, we identified that the creator culture plays a key role,” Bennett said. “As brands begin to engage in this new dimension, it is important to respect the individuals and fans who have been in this space and made it what it is today.”
Consumers show strong interest in AR and VR shopping experiences. The same “How We Will Pay” study found that among the 95% of consumers who own or have access to at least one internet-connected device, one in three expressed significant interest in using VR technology to shop and buy retail products from physical stores while at home or in the office.
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