Metaverse in real life? Meta announces physical store opening

Some of you reading this article must be wondering, what exactly is Meta? And why am I interested that Meta is opening a physical store? Well, for starters Meta is simply the new Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of this company, decided to change its name in order to separate its work on new technologies from the Facebook platform. Meaning that, the main focus will now be on the design and manufacture of new tech and not so much on the social media aspect as it has been for so long. And one word is key: Metaverse.

But what exactly is this new tech overturning? What is expected from the Metaverse? A Metaverse is an online new type of world where people will be able to play games, work and communicate with each other, all in a virtual scenario. It’s a sort of cyberspace that is parallel to real life, and in that cyberspace the is a community that interacts in avatar forms. This can be achieved through augmented and virtual reality. Meta is giving everything for this new technology and for that the company opened a physical store where it promises to show everything. Let’s see what this is about.

¿Metaverse in a physical store? Let’s go

In fact, Meta has already shared that their revenue in their Virtual Reality segment will have to be counted separately and divided into two categories since it has grown so much. One is all the family apps, and the other category is their Reality Lab products that feature their VR and Augmented Reality technology.

To get this project started, Horizon Worlds and Horizon Workrooms were launched: one allows people to invite their friends and the other does the same but in a professional sense. Zuckerberg’s also mentioned his interest in NFT and crypto being represented in the metaverse.

So then, what does it mean to have a physical store? What can they possibly be selling there? Well, in an attempt to make people interact with their products and to create interest among people about the metaverse, Meta has announced a retail store: the Meta Store.

The idea behind this store according to the company is to “demystify” and provide a “hands-on experience” with the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, the Ray-Ban Stories, and a smart video-calling device called Portal. These gadgets will be for sale in the Meta Store, except for the Ray-Ban Stories which the public will be able to purchase at rayban.com.

Inside the Meta Store, which has been inaugurated on May 9th near of San Francisco, in California, users will be able to interact with the Ray-Ban Stories allowing people to capture and share memories without taking users out of the moment. There is also a special demo area where users can make video calls to a retail associate to explore the full features and engage with the “Smart Camera” and the “Story Time”.

The Meta Store also has an interactive Meta Quest 2 display wall, where users can explore the hardware, its accessories, and all their available content. In the immersive demo area of the store goes can try the “Beat Saber”, “GOLF+”, “Real VR Fishing” and “Supernatural” on a large LED screen that displays what is being shown in the VR headset.

We believe that this is a challenging project for Meta and it will take time and money to bring to fruition. Although VR engagement is on the rising as well as there are pretty good indicators that show that Zuckerberg’s dreams can in fact become a reality very soon. But the truth is that in order for Meta to ensure mass adoption of its products and services, it will have to come up with progressive and expensive ways to demonstrate its benefits to the general public.

It is very likely that Meta will open more and more retail stores, and another thing to keep in mind is that Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality wearables should be at a low sale cost to ensure mass encore within the metaverse space.

¿Looking for VR and AR experiences for your brand?

At Stringnet we are in tune with the metaverse tecnology and we work to develop unique experiences that take our allies to a new level.

We are experts in BTL marketing, resources for virtual reality, augmented reality, hybrid activations, and more, so we can put in your hands a tailored action plan so that your brand is in tune with new trends, offering memorable experiences to your customers.

Click here and schedule a meeting with us.