Beauty brand Tatcha is venturing into the popular game Animal Crossing: New Horizons with its own island, aptly named Tatchaland, as a way to connect with pandemic-era consumers.
"What we've learned and what we sought to do was to really take Tatcha's platform, which has always been about self-care, providing joy and moments of calm and respite in skincare, and bring that experience to our community in the virtual world," Sarah Henry, CMO of Tatcha, told Cheddar Thursday.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken off during the pandemic after its launch in March when stay-at-home orders started picking up steam across the U.S. CNET reported in May the Nintendo Switch game sold more than 13 million copies in just six weeks.
Fans have praised the game as a way to relax and take their minds off coronavirus-related stress with cute characters and whimsical missions. Now, brands are also seeing it as a marketing landscape.
Gamers who visit Tatchaland will find features that reflect the products' packaging, a replica of the Tatcha lab, an avatar version of its founder, and elements of Japanese culture that have influenced the brand. Virtual visitors can also learn more about the recently-launched Rice Wash.
Henry said brick-and-mortar "is still incredibly important," but the coronavirus accelerated existing trends pushing into the virtual space.
"The reality is that pre-COVID and now, what we do in the virtual world in the digital space really informs that retail experience," Henry said. "And the retailers that will win going forward are the ones that are able to provide that omnichannel experience to kind of take the consumer from her phone into the store."
