Nah!
The rise of phygital isn’t something new.
It has been around for a while.
Remember Pokemon Go. Players chased the cute Poke animals across streets, almost getting hit by cars, while marketers salivated on the new advertising opportunities which came along.
Remember location-based push notifications. When a consumer is walking near a particular coffee shop, they get a coupon to stop and visit the brick-and-mortar location.
Shoe sampling by Wanna Kicks is an iOS app that lets you try different pairs of sneakers from the available 3D models. The app tracks your feet movements, giving you a chance to see how cool you are while walking in the new shoes.
A brave new world
Fashion shows in Shanghai and Moscow had already live-streamed events from official venues but without live audiences. The Fashion Unites event did something different.
The United Fashion event was the first to be broadcast from home. They didn’t regret it. Quite the opposite, they’re predicting many more at-home runways in our future. This June for example, you can parachute into London Fashion Week through its online platform.
Would you?
You’d be surprised to know many would. What appeared as just another way to glue yourself to a screen is now an acceptable way to conduct shopping and experience fashion.
Mind the raccoon
Have you ever played Animal Crossing? Then you know the raccoon.
The Nintendo Switch game, which rolled out its latest version on March 20, hosts island parties, weddings, and Easter celebrations — under the watchful gaze of a controversial raccoon shopkeeper Many couples stuck at home are crediting Animal Crossing’s in-game interactions with even saving their marriages.
Throw a stone in Animal Crossing and it will likely hit a brand. Companies like Net-a-Porter, Gucci, Dior, and Burberry are snatching on a feature that lets people dress their avatars in custom clothing — and they’re offering up some ritzy fashion pieces for a small price.
Phygital fashion shows
There’s Vetements’ former creative Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga and Off-White’s Virgil Abloh now at Louis Vuitton, who elevated streetwear to the realm of luxury. There’s Everlane, who have lined the way for mainstream sustainable clothing…
And then COVID-19 came and had the last laugh.
Danish brand Heliot Emil, co-founded by brothers Julius and Victor Juul, are veterans of the digital runway experience. Their FW20 showing was a follow-up of their digital SS20 presentation: to engage the viewer through a medium different from the physical runway show. “The concept for the [FW20] show was to place the viewer at the center of the show in a 360-degree space, being able to physically maneuver the universe thems
A golden age for smaller brands
The rise of phygital gives an unprecedented opportunity for smaller brands. They will now have a chance to be acknowledged. The smaller brand will be as equally visible as any other brand because everyone will be sharing this virtual space. The fashion calendar will be open to any person, worldwide, to see any show. Anyone, not just the Parisian high-brow will be able to educate themselves and learn more about fashion and participate in fashion events.
That’s what the guys at Another-1 are trying to build with NTR1-META.
Top-shelf, current, Milanese fashion accessible to anyone on the internet.
Closing thoughts
Phygital marketing and Phygital retail experiences can inject new life into brick-and-mortar stores. YuMe & Nielsen reported emotional attachment to a brand grew by 26% due to VR experiences offered. The same research found that participants viewed VR-related branded content 34% longer.
Brick-and-mortar business is long declining there are still aspects of physical stores that consumers enjoy. With phygital, brick and mortar may get a second comeback, a chance for many mom-and-pop creative businesses to survive and thrive. recent research by Walker Sands reports there are still some product categories having more opportunities for in-store sales.
Want to dip your toe into the stunning world of phygital fashion? Stay tuned for our upcoming NTR1-Meta NFT sneakers drop where 5,000 pairs of shoes designed in Italy will be offered for sale as NFTs while also being redeemable for a physical pair. The date is approaching soon, stay updated by subscribing to our Discord channel
