In interviews reported in April 2025, Dubit asked 47 young people aged 8 to 18, half of them Roblox players, where they buy their clothes. All of them had downloaded retail apps, among them Shein, Nike, adidas, JD and Primark. They browsed them routinely for looks they liked, and each age band shopped its own way. The Roblox players were much more likely than the non-players to buy in the app rather than go into the store. The ones who dress an avatar online may simply be the ones already used to shopping online. This is qualitative research, so it describes how they shop, not how many shop that way.
The 8 to 11 year olds shopped at a mix of sports brands and high-street fashion retailers. They were the only group buying clothes at supermarkets, and their parents' choice and influence drove it. The 12 to 15 year olds shopped at the widest variety of retailers of any group. As they got older they were more likely to use pre-loved apps such as Vinted and Depop. The 16 to 18 year olds had a more specific, higher-end brand focus than the younger groups.
What do children want from virtual fashion?
The 47 young people Dubit interviewed wanted virtual fashion to mix all the parts of their lives: sports, hobbies, favourite TV shows and videos, influencers and real-world brands. Dubit's research with Roblox users has shown they would prioritise a branded item over an unbranded item, and would like more official branded items in the Marketplace. Those same users consider their online fashion choices parallel to their offline style.
Roblox style and real-world style run in parallel. Dubit's 2023 Metaverse Survey was a separate study from the 47 interviews: a quantitative survey of monthly Roblox users aged 8 to 29. Every Roblox-playing respondent in it said they shop in Roblox for items similar to what they have bought in real life. Agreement with "I want to dress my Roblox avatar in real fashion brands (e.g. Gucci, Forever 21) in the games/experiences I play" ran at 56% among 8 to 12 year olds, 59% among 13 to 16s, 60% among 17 to 24s and 51% among 25 to 29s.1
Roblox has published its own surveys of Gen Z respondents in their teens and twenties. The survey in Roblox's trends report of 9 November 2023 asked 1,545 Gen Z respondents aged 14 to 26 in the US and UK. Of them, 84% told Roblox in 2023 that their physical style is at least somewhat inspired by their avatar's style. In the same 2023 Roblox survey, 54% said they are "very or extremely" inspired by what their avatar and other avatars wear. On 16 December 2025 Roblox reported two online surveys, fielded in May and August 2025, of 1,600 Gen Z respondents in the US aged 13 to 28. All of them had used Roblox in the past 30 days. Roblox's December 2025 release says 88% use digital fashion to preview before buying physical clothing, and 70% have worn branded digital fashion.
Footnotes
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Dubit Metaverse Survey Questionnaire 2023. Statement: "I want to dress my Roblox avatar in real fashion brands (e.g. Gucci, Forever 21) in the games/experiences I play". Base: monthly Roblox users aged 8 to 12 (409), 13 to 16 (407), 17 to 24 (406) and 25 to 29 (409). ↩
