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Shopify partners with Roblox to boost in-game commerce

Shopify commerce integration on Roblox, Global

Global – Shopify has announced a new partnership with gaming platform Roblox, marking its first commercial integration. This collaboration aims to empower entrepreneurs by allowing them to sell physical goods directly within Roblox games without needing to leave the platform.

Shopify's mission to ‘further entrepreneurship and make commerce everywhere a reality, even in immersive spaces’ aligns with Roblox’s vision for more on-platform seamless experiences, opening new opportunities for brands and developers. The pilot for the new checkout feature will begin this month, with a broader launch set for 2025.

‘Through this integration, creators and brands will be able to engage with a global audience of nearly 80m daily active Roblox users,’ said Shopify. ‘It also gives Roblox creators a brand new avenue to entrepreneurship.’ For more best-in-class examples of retail experiences in VR, XR and immersive digital spaces, head to our X-tended Retail report.

Strategic opportunity

To sell physical products in virtual worlds such as Roblox, consider how to experiment with gamified shopping experiences and capitalise on the seamless checkout feature

Neko Health launches body scanning service in the UK

Neko Health body scanner, UK

Neko Health Body Scanner, UK

UK – Swedish health-tech company Neko Health, co-founded by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, has launched its preventive-health body scanning service in the UK.

The Neko Health Centre in Marylebone, London, offers a 10-minute, non-invasive scan that maps millions of data points across the body which can detect health issues such as skin cancer and metabolic disorders. The service has a launch price of £299 ($390, €354), with the scan providing instant results, followed by a personalised consultation with a doctor.

‘In the UK, you are required to do an MOT on your car. However, when it comes to your body, you often need to break down before seeing a doctor,’ said co-founder Nilsonne.

As explored in our Longevity Lifestyles macrotrend report, preventative healthcare is reframing the health and wellness sector. Body scan technology empowers people to take control of their health and prioritise longevity, alleviating strain on public health services.

Strategic opportunity

How can your brand adapt to the rising demand for hyper-personalised healthcare and leverage data to create tailored products, preventive solutions and on-demand wellness services?

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Community Commerce visuals by Pitch Studios for The Future Laboratory

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight analyst Seyi Oduwole discusses teens and technology, expensive sneakers and bookshop booms.

: Australia’s government will move to set a national minimum age to use social media, with the stated aim of weaning children off potentially harmful technology and ‘onto the footy field’, said prime minister Anthony Albanese. Similarly, France is piloting a school mobile phone ban: at 180 colleges, children between the ages of 11 and 15 are not allowed to use their mobile phones during the entire school day. It seems teens are tapping out, whether they like it or not.

: In the streetwear world, Loro Piana and New Balance have collaborated to bring together the worlds of luxury Italian fashion and sport with a sneaker priced at £1,148 ($1,500, €1,359). LS:N Global has previously explored the state of streetwear and where the saturated market is heading.

: In other news, bookshops are booming across the UAE (read more about the rise of #BookTok in our Reading Raves report), Sony is selling refurbished PS5s for half the price of the PS5 Pro, highlighting a sustainable way to repurpose old products, and Gen Alpha boys are spending big bucks on fragrance.

Quote of the Week

‘I wanted everyone to take a minute to research the word cowboy. History is often told by the victors. And American history? It’s been rewritten endlessly. Up to a quarter of all cowboys were Black. These men faced a world that refused to see them as equal, yet they were the backbone of the cattle industry’

- Beyoncé to GQ

Stat: Luxury sales decline in China as structural weaknesses emerge

JNBYHOME, China

China – Barclays has issued a concerning report on the luxury goods market in China, revealing a decline in summer sales by 10 to 50% across many brands.

The bank suggests that this downturn is more structural than cyclical and reflects deeper issues in the Chinese economy. The report notes that the financial and property booms, previously key drivers of luxury spending, have lost momentum, resulting in a more cautious outlook.

Barclays has revised its 2025 growth expectations for the luxury market from 7% down to 4%. Offshore spending remains a potential lifeline, but mainland China is likely to see flat growth in the near future. The economic transformation in China, coupled with a government crackdown on the financial sector and wage caps, has impacted high-end consumers. Even VIP shoppers, who are typically resilient, are becoming more cautious.

In response, luxury brands including Tiffany & Co are scaling back their operations in China, with others such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci planning store closures, signalling a strategic shift as the market recalibrates to these new conditions. These actions will have an impact on China’s luxury market, as explored in State of Luxury: Post-lockdown China.

Strategic opportunity

As spending patterns shift, luxury brands should focus on deeper engagement with VIP consumers through exclusive, experience-led offerings and explore growth in offshore markets to offset stagnating demand