Klarna creates an in-gaming procuring expertise on Animal Crossing
Activation is another innovative way Klarna is empowering retailers to attract and inspire Millennial and Gen Z customers who are driving the trend of in-store entertainment
KlarnaThe global payment and shopping platform recently announced that it is working with influencers Micah “Noodles” Mahinay and Kara Chung to create a virtual shopping experience Deer crossing, Nintendos Hit social simulation game.
The time-limited virtual popup contains fashions from Mahinay's Klarna wish list that Chung has recreated for the game. Activation is another innovative way Klarna is empowering retailers to attract and inspire Millennial and Gen Z customers who are driving the trend of in-store entertainment.
"As e-commerce grows, the fashion industry is increasingly using experimental technologies such as virtual events and gamification to reach new audiences and drive business growth," said David Sykes, Head of USA at Klarna. "We're excited to bring our customers a full shopping experience through the Animal Crossing phenomenon, combining retail and merchant entertainment to uniquely drive brand awareness and customer engagement."
As a first step in working with Klarna, the stylist and DJ Mahinay are creating a Klarna wish list with their top 10 must-haves for streetwear fashion, including an Extreme Rain jacket from The North Face and a Marine Serre jersey top with a crescent print from Farfetch, an asymmetrical fold please Issey Miyake tanks by Totokaelo and more.
Visual artist, photographer and musician Chung, who pioneered Animal Crossing as a new medium for fashion with her runway shows in the game, designs the pieces from Mahinay's wish list in virtual fashion, which in Klarna's pop-up on Micah's island in to see is the game. Klarna allows shoppers to create and share their own wish lists in the Klarna app, as well as track and share wish lists created by influencers like Mahinay, brands, and other users.
The Klarna popup on Micah's Animal Crossing Island was available for an hour on August 17th. A limited number of players had the opportunity to receive the items listed on the wishlist that their villagers could wear in-game. They also had the chance to win the same items in real life by posting a photo of the experience on Instagram. To make the experience even more exciting, Mahinay broadcast the popup live on her Twitch account.
Klarna recently created a number of different immersive virtual events that can be purchased to entertain and motivate online shoppers. In July, the company started the 48 hours. Smoooth Room, a one-of-a-kind digital popup for US buyers. In August, the company launched Hauliday by Cosmo x Klarna in collaboration with Cosmopolitan Magazine, the first virtual shopping festival specially developed for Gen Z and Millennials.
The Animal Crossing activation is further proof that Klarna has moved from a payment company to an e-commerce shopping platform that offers a unique and engaging end-to-end shopping experience.
