ShimmerVille
Read the story- Brand
- Claire's
- Year
- 2022
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Retail
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- In-Game
- Agency
- EverGame Media
Objective
Claire's wanted to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers where they already spend their time — Roblox, whose player base is 67% Gen Z/Alpha — and to do it in a way that fed back into the stores. Beyond visibility, the brand wanted an owned entertainment franchise it could keep extending: one that drove loyalty engagement, let players convert in-game currency into real store credit, and gave Claire's IP to carry into merch and other platforms.
Solution
Players enter ShimmerVille as an open, walkable town split into six connected areas — a central park, a pet store, the C-Style Mall, a café, a residential neighborhood called Bungalow Valley, and an events space called The Galleria — and move between them freely. To earn the town's currency, players clock in for retail-style shifts and run mini-games scattered through the world, then spend what they've made on outfits and accessories for their avatar, furniture for their own house, transport, and entry to timed events. Cracking open an orb hatches one of 15 launch pets that then follows the avatar around town, while The Galleria rotates in limited-time brand collaborations to give returning players something new to check out. There's no fixed finish line — sessions play like an open-ended hangout closer to The Sims than a level-based game, so players drop in, work a shift, redecorate, and log off whenever.
Results
Across its run, ShimmerVille logged 6.16 million total visits, 19,806 favorites, and a 20,186-to-1,852 upvote-to-downvote ratio. Its momentum faded fast, though: monthly visits fell from 290,000 in February 2023 to 67,000 by that August.
- 1
The player enters ShimmerVille through a branded Roblox link and lands directly in the open town, not a level-select menu; on first entry, on-screen purple arrows guide them through a brief tutorial.
- 2
The player customizes their avatar with Claire's-branded jewelry and accessories, the same items sold in the brand's physical stores.
- 3
A backpack icon opens a menu holding a Fast Travel pin that lets the player warp between the game's six districts, including Central Park, the town's public hub built around an amphitheater used for gatherings and live events.
- 4
At the Pet Park, the player collects a Pet Orb from an NPC shopkeeper and opens it to receive a pet, an achievement badge, and a bonus item; fifteen pet types are available at launch, each customizable with its own outfits and accessories.
- 5
At Claire's Café, the player can eat and play a minigame, earning a badge and a reward item for completing one.
- 6
The player earns in-world currency by working retail shifts as a barista or hairstylist, as well as through minigames and simply spending time in the world.
- 7
At Claire's C-Style Mall, the player spends earned currency on clothing, accessories, home goods, and beauty treatments, and can buy a car to drive around town.
- 8
In Bungalow Valley, the player builds and personalizes their own home using furniture and decor purchased at the mall.
- 9
The Galleria hosts rotating events and brand-partner activations, so its content changes over time rather than staying fixed.
- 10
Beyond the core loop, the player can earn limited-time wearables through periodic in-game challenges, and can unlock a virtual version of a physical ShimmerVille plush by scanning a QR code on the toy.
