UK – Net-a-Porter has partnered with Animal Crossing to create the luxury retailer’s first digital island within the popular game.

The Net-a-Porter island invites players to explore a series of virtual attractions inspired by the physical Net-a-Porter headquarters in London, such as a photography studio and an editorial room. It offers style-conscious gamers a new form of digital escapism, and players will also be able to fit themselves out in virtual looks from an exclusive capsule collection designed by Isabel Marant.

The collaboration builds on an evolving partnership between Net-a-Porter and Animal Crossing, which previously made streetwear available to purchase within the Nintendo game. ‘We always embrace creativity, in all forms, in order to deliver exceptional experiences to our customers,’ says Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director at Net-a-Porter.

Similarly, our Omnilux Lifestyles macrotrend explores how the luxury experiences of the future will increasingly revolve around virtual touchpoints.

A new report from Blackhawk Network shows that online restaurant gift cards are becoming more popular as the holiday seasons approaches.

According to the study, consumers are projected to spend 29% more on restaurant e-commerce gift cards during the holiday period than they did in 2019. Overall, online gift card purchases across industries is expected to grow 21%, highlighting how dining gift cards in particular are set to become the best-selling among US consumers.

With widespread restrictions and closures resulting from the pandemic, the potential influx of gift card revenue could prove vital for restaurants relying on alternative revenue streams. As we explore in our Pandemic Dining Market, Covid-19 is changing the cultural, social and economic landscape of dining and hospitality spaces.