Roblox users can now buy physical products directly within the online game and receive avatar items as part of their purchase thanks to a partnership with Shopify.

Starting Friday, eligible creators (including brands) will be able to pair physical purchases with digital items via Roblox's new commerce APIs, with Shopify as Roblox's first integration partner.

With an average of 97.8 million users visiting Roblox every day, the company added it is also expanding its approved merchandising programme, which connects physical shopping with virtual goods and benefits on Roblox.

The new programme allows creators, brands, manufacturers and intellectual property owners to link retail or e-commerce purchases outside the platform to avatar items and accessories on Roblox, the company said.

This service is now available for all eligible experiences, including those for all ages, with commerce starting with US users aged 13 and older.

“These announcements reflect our broader vision of creating new ways to shop that feel more like a virtual shopping mall, where users can discover, try and purchase products in a natural, social and fun way,” the company said.

Brands such as Fenty Beauty are starting to use commerce on Roblox. The company's new purchasable game offers a brand-new shade of its Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer exclusively in the game, allowing fans to explore, discover, create and purchase without leaving Roblox.

Singer The Weeknd is also exploring commerce as part of his innovative playable world-building experience launching on Roblox on Saturday.

“It will include an exclusive pack of purchasable tickets to his film “Hurry Up Tomorrow” paired with a limited-edition digital item on Roblox,” the company revealed.

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