SL Benfica Launches First-Ever Immersive Store with AI Concierge Powered by Infinite Reality - Middle East Business News and Information

Mid East Info

19 hours ago

Ahead of FIFA Club World Cup, Benfica debuts immersive fan experience with virtual locker room, 3D merch store, and lifelike, conversational, multilingual AI assistant
Dubai, UAE — June , 2025 – Infinite Reality ™ (iR), a global leader in immersive digital experiences, today announced a landmark partnership with SL Benfica , one of Europe's most storied football clubs, to launch the Benfica Immersive Store . This immersive web experience allows fans to engage with the club's content and shop the latest merchandise, all with a dynamic, lifelike multi-lingual AI concierge that assists customers in real time, helping them find products inside a Benfica-branded 3D locker room. Available now on the team's website at slbenfica.pt and built using Infinite Reality's proprietary software, the Benfica Immersive Store launch is the first time a professional football club has leveraged a virtual experience to power their official merch store. The innovative experience raises the bar for digital fan engagement, launching at a time when 76% of Gen Z customers say they'd recommend brands that deliver standout online experiences.
'Sports fans today crave deeper connections with their favorite clubs beyond traditional media,' said Sam Huber, CEO of MENA and Global President of Enterprise at Infinite Reality. 'Benfica is redefining the online fan experience—combining immersive 3D environments, seamless commerce, and AI-powered personalization to deliver engagement at global scale. This model allows any team, club, athlete, or major sporting event to meet fans where they are and elevate fandom beyond the field through interactive, gamified experiences.'
Fans can explore this experience on Benfica's current website, no additional download or special headset required. Key features include: Agentic AI Shopping Concierge: A smart AI agent that helps fans explore the site using voice commands, available in multiple languages
Interactive 3D Merchandise Store: A virtual locker room showcasing team merch – directly integrated into Benfica's existing store
FIFA Club World Cup Content: Behind-the-scenes content from Benfica's historic journey in the tournament
User-Friendly Navigation: Intuitive design with seamless scrolling, so fans of all tech levels can explore easily
'At Sport Lisboa e Benfica, we're constantly seeking innovative ways to connect with our global fanbase,' said José Gandarez, Vice President at SL Benfica. 'This immersive platform developed with Infinite Reality Enterprise represents the future of digital fan engagement. As we prepare for our FIFA Club World Cup debut, we're proud to offer supporters a new and exciting way to experience our club, access content, and feel closer to the team regardless of their physical location.'
The Benfica Immersive Store, was built leveraging Infinite Reality's full stack of immersive software and services to drive revenue and brand engagement, including strategy and concepting, 3D design, AI agent training, engineering, hosting, analytics and more. To date, Infinite Reality has facilitated over 150 million user interactions within shoppable virtual experiences for leading global brands including Crate & Barrel, J. Crew, Laura Mercier, Swarovski, and more. The Benfica Immersive Store also leverages Infinite Reality's new generative web and agentic AI product suite, which powers real-time video chat with lifelike AI agents that greet and help customers.
About Infinite Reality:
Infinite Reality (iR)™ is an innovation company powering the next generation of digital media and ecommerce through spatial computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and other immersive technologies. iR's suite of cutting-edge software, production, marketing services, and other capabilities empower brands and creators to craft inventive digital experiences that uplevel audience engagement, data ownership, monetization, and brand health metrics.
About Benfica:
Founded in 1904, Sport Lisboa e Benfica is the most decorated club in Portugal, and one of the most decorated in Europe, with 83 official trophies and 38 national titles. It is the Portuguese club with the most members (+400 thousand) and more than 50 million fans worldwide. The club is largely connected with Portuguese communities all over the globe, particularly in Europe, the Americas and Portuguese-speaking African countries.