Meta could showcase its Metaverse in retail stores.
Image: Giu Vicente on Unsplash
IIt is indeed in physical stores that people might first discover Meta’s metaverse. Internal documents would detail a plan to open a series of retail outlets
Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is reportedly considering building physical stores to immerse early consumers in its vision of the metaverse. The stores would allow users to test the American group’s new augmented reality and virtual reality products.
The gateway to Meta’s new digital world could be found in real world retail stores! According to information from New York Times, it is indeed in physical stores that people might first discover Meta’s metaverse. Internal documents would detail a plan to open a series of retail outlets. The stores are reportedly showcasing the company’s latest products, fresh out of the group’s “Reality Labs” division. It currently manufactures virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Quest and will soon deliver future products. After the first experiences, these stores could become special Metaverse centers around the world. The stores could be called Facebook Hub, From Facebook, or Facebook Innovations, although the company’s recent rebranding may affect those proposals.
Documents seen by the New York Times suggest that outlets should meet several criteria, striving to make the world more open and connected, while inspiring both curiosity and closeness. For Meta, the objective would be to welcome customers as well as possible, while offering them a “journey without judgment”. One could almost imagine these stores resembling Apple’s outlets, designed as an experience in their own right. The stores will likely be modern, with a minimalist aesthetic, according to internal documents. The company’s first such store is said to be in Burlingame, Calif., Although Meta has yet to comment on the matter.
Multiple challenges
For Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the metaverse represents the future of the company. It will be a digital world based on virtual and augmented reality, where the global Internet can come together. However, the company estimates that this project will be completed within five to ten years. And while it is necessary to create this complex universe first, the required augmented reality and virtual reality products present another challenge. Technically, these are not yet fully developed and are only available at relatively high prices.
A final challenge for the brand is that winning over customers can take time. The digital environment may not be to everyone’s liking, and Facebook’s latest information leaks may well be scaring some consumers.
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