Virtual items are shaping the future of brand engagement.
GEEIQ data partner ZEPETO has emerged as a thriving digital fashion hub, with over 2.5 billion virtual items on ZEPETO sold since 2020. Every month, 161 million UGCs are created, and 123 million are purchased.
For brands, virtual items on ZEPETO offer new opportunities to drive engagement, collaborate with top creators, and even launch real-world products.
Major brands like Disney, Coach, Baskin Robbins, and Hyundai are already investing in this space.
But how do virtual items connect to real-world trends? And how can brands integrate these virtual strategies into their broader marketing plans?
We’ve stacked our latest ZEPETO insights against Elle’s breakdown of 2024’s top bag trends to uncover the biggest virtual item opportunities for brands in 2025.
Let’s dive in. 👇
Why are brands on ZEPETO?
In 2024, brands launched 52 different virtual booths on ZEPETO, and that number is growing. So, why are brands on ZEPETO?
Harrison Gutteridge, who has worked on virtual strategies for Tommy Hilfiger, Lancôme, and L’Oréal Professionnel, explains:
“ZEPETO offers brands a unique opportunity to connect with Gen Z audiences who prioritize self-expression and digital identity. This means engaging with a passionate, highly visual community already immersed in styling and customization. Now, with the ability to sell physical products on the platform, brands can seamlessly bridge virtual engagement with real-world commerce, deepening brand affinity and driving sales.”
In 2025, GEEIQ partner Walmart became the first brand to sell physical products on ZEPETO, mirroring its success with real-world commerce on Roblox and Spatial. This new e-commerce feature allows users to purchase items seamlessly within the platform, converting engagement into sales.
Avatar personalization: A community priority
Avatar personalization drives demand for virtual items on ZEPETO. 92% of users consider their avatar’s style ‘important’ or ‘very important.’
This goes beyond the virtual. 64% of users say their avatar’s fashion choices influence their real-life style, illustrating the growing connection between digital and physical fashion.
Albane Prioux, Insights & Partnerships Director at GEEIQ, explains why this matters for brands:
“ZEPETO is making big waves as Walmart becomes the first brand to sell physical products on the platform. This mirrors how social media evolved, integrating seamless content-to-commerce experiences to retain audiences. With a predominantly Gen Z female user base focused on avatar customization and content creation, ZEPETO is positioning itself as a key platform for brands looking to engage this demographic. I’m excited to see this immersive commerce model develop further this year.”
What virtual items are hot on ZEPETO right now?
Most popular item category: Bags
Handbags continue to be one of the most popular virtual items on ZEPETO in Q1 2025.
52% of users consider them an essential part of their digital wardrobe. From luxury-inspired designs to playful statement pieces, bags are a key status symbol, mirroring real-world trends.
Most popular style: Cross-body & Baguettes
Elle’s review of bag trends put the cross-body and baguette front and center of in-demand pieces of 2024, with 90s-inspired fashion firmly back on the map.
ZEPETO users are embracing the same styles, with canteen bags, crossbody bags, and baguettes among the platform’s most popular styles.
With two-thirds of users saying their real-life fashion choices influence their avatar’s style, digital trends on ZEPETO are closely mirroring wider fashion movements.
Most popular colors & details: Pastels & charms
While black and white remain staple colors, pastels like pink and blue are trending among bestsellers on ZEPETO.
In the real world, Elle’s nod to the resurgence of beaded and embellished bags in 2024 aligns with the ZEPETO trend of incorporating charms and decorative elements into handbags.
Adding personality to virtual items in a landscape where self-expression is a priority is key for the ZEPETO community.
Naming and hashtag trends
To maximize item discoverability on ZEPETO, brands are aligning with popular hashtags such as #dailylook, #crossbodybag, #ribbon, and #heartbag. These naming conventions connect with trending aesthetics like Kawaii, Y2K, and Cybercore, which continue to shape user preferences.
Which brands launched virtual items on ZEPETO?
Brands are already leveraging virtual items on ZEPETO to engage a self-expressive, trend-driven audience. So, what results are they seeing?
Versace’s Tag Bag on ZEPETO
Versace made waves on ZEPETO with the launch of its limited edition Tag Bag on November 15 2024. The response was immediate, with the first 100 bags selling out in just eight seconds and the rest gone in six minutes.
Following the drop, Versace introduced a custom photo booth on ZEPETO, allowing users to showcase their Tag Bag moments with friends and followers.
With ZEPETO users updating their avatars 11 times per week, Versace strategically leveraged virtual items on ZEPETO, tapped into these behaviors, and strengthened its connection with the next generation of fashion consumers.
Coach’s Tabby Bag on ZEPETO
As part of its ‘Find Your Courage’ campaign, Coach launched limited edition virtual Tabby Bags on ZEPETO, blending digital fashion with influencer engagement. Select creators received real-life Tabby Bags alongside digital versions, bridging physical and virtual fashion.
Influencers also received comp cards featuring their avatars, which they used to promote the Coach Tabby Bag giveaway, further linking virtual and physical engagement. A sentiment analysis conducted by GEEIQ found that 100% of the sentiment surrounding the activation on social media was positive or neutral, highlighting the campaign’s impact on brand perception.
The campaign drove 2.47 million votes in Coach’s ZEPETO styling competition. Users tried on the Tabby Bag and other virtual items four million times. The brand also exceeded top sales benchmarks by 16%, reinforcing ZEPETO as a key platform for fashion brands tapping into self-expression and digital identity.
Key takeaways
Virtual items on ZEPETO are reshaping brand engagement by blending digital self-expression with commerce. So how can brands make the most of it?
- Align virtual and real-world trends. The most successful brands on ZEPETO mirror real-life fashion movements, ensuring their digital collections resonate with their target audience.
- Customize for audience segments. Understanding ZEPETO’s predominantly Gen Z female community allows brands to tailor virtual items and campaigns for maximum engagement.
- Leverage creator collaborations. Working with ZEPETO’s native creators enhances authenticity, increases visibility, and drives both engagement and sales.
For brands, ZEPETO represents a dynamic platform to extend product influence, especially among younger Gen Z audiences. As Carolina Nasr, Senior Account Manager at GEEIQ, puts it:
“A lot of times in marketing, you hear about the unattainable Gen Z female audience. How they are the drivers of taste, the big spenders. Having access to an audience like that, which is also hyper-focused on self-expression and loves engaging with brands, is such a unique opportunity.”
About the GEEIQ x ZEPETO partnership
GEEIQ and ZEPETO’s official data partnership allows brands to leverage GEEIQ’s platform to measure their ZEPETO activations and evaluate their return on investment.
Since 2019, over 100 brands have activated on ZEPETO, including Nike, Coca-Cola, Disney, Samsung, Hyundai Motors, and GEEIQ partners Walmart, Gucci, L’Oréal, LVMH and Coach. Brands are able to activate on ZEPETO in a number of ways, from building expansive branded worlds and UGC templates called Booths, to creating branded digital items for avatar customization.
The partnership enables those brands to use GEEIQ’s platform to track crucial engagement metrics using its private dashboard, including metrics like player engagement and item sales.
If you’d like to learn more about the emergence of ZEPETO as a brand marketing tool, watch our webinar.
