Roblox has overtaken TikTok as the fastest-growing Gen Z shopping channel, according to the latest research from the Retail Technology Show (RTS).
A recent RTS study of 1,000 shoppers found that, on average, Gen Z consumers (born between 1997 and 2012) made 20 purchases on Roblox over the last 12 months. This represents a 54% year-on-year rise, outpacing TikTok’s 10%.
Gen Z placed the highest number of Roblox orders, making 2.4× more purchases than any other age group. Overall, Roblox buying across all ages rose 31% over the past year, highlighting the platform’s rapid growth among a wider demographic.
The rise and rise of Roblox
Roblox is a user‑generated gaming and social platform where players create and explore millions of immersive worlds, making it especially appealing to Gen Z, who value creativity, community and digital self‑expression. Its use accelerated during during the pandemic; CNBC reported that Roblox usage jumped 40% in March 2020 as children at home during lockdown turned to the platform for socialising and play. Parents reported their children using Roblox to replace in‑person friendships and after‑school activities.
Many of those early users have stuck with the platform, which has continued to thrive as a digital hangout for young people. It has seen explosive engagement since it expanded last year into selling physical products as well as digital goods and NFTs. Daily active users reached more than 150 million in 2025 and nearly 90 million engaged hours logged in the first nine months of that year – demonstrating its rapid evolution into a mainstream shopping destination as well as a cultural hub.
“Roblox made me buy it”
“Gen Z may soon move on from their ‘TikTok made me buy it’ era as purchase growth on Roblox across physical and digital products continues to put on pace,” said Matt Bradley, founder & event director of RTS. “While many may have previously pigeon-holed Roblox as a metaverse-dependent channel, its resurgence is gaining new momentum. Underpinned by peer-to-peer engagement – something which is declining on other platforms – Roblox’ renewed commercial success is being driven by a sense of community and digital self-expression.”
Although RTS’ research showed Roblox to be the fastest-growing commerce channel for Gen Z, TikTok remains the leading social platform for total order volumes. In the past 12 months, Gen Z buyers made an average of 23 purchases on TikTok, over twice as many purchases compared to shoppers across all age groups (23 vs 11).
The research also found that Gen Z were also the most active shoppers on up-and-coming livestream shopping marketplace Whatnot, averaging 16 orders compared with 8 across all age groups. As livestreaming becomes mainstream, the platform reported a 374% year‑on‑year surge in first‑time buyers in 2025, and women’s fashion streams now draw over 500,000 monthly viewing hours in the UK.
Roblox’s rapid ascent as a Gen Z shopping channel points to a cultural shift in how young consumers discover and buy products. With social media and gaming an everyday part of the Gen Z lifestyle, the walls between the digital and ‘real’ worlds are increasingly thin. Roblox’ blend of creativity, community and commerce – supercharged by pandemic‑era adoption – has turned it into a powerful retail frontier for Gen Z. And, as livestream platforms like Whatnot also gain traction, the data shows a generation moving decisively toward more interactive, entertainment‑driven ways to shop.
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