Meta (ex Facebook Inc) analyzes opening physical stores with its brand with the idea of showing in the “real world” the experience of the “virtual world” that makes up the metaverse so publicized by Mark Zuckerberg.
This is indicated this Friday, November 5, New York Times.
The intention of Meta, according to the US media, is to make its hardware products public in this way and share the experience of the metaverse while at the same time advancing in the communication of ongoing projects and future developments.
Zuckerberg’s idea will be to show the benefits of virtual reality, but from a real stage, such as physical stores that could even be spread throughout the planet.
The physical stores would be used to show customers (or curious) the devices manufactured by the Reality Labs division of Facebook (or rather, by Meta Platforms), from virtual reality headsets to augmented reality glasses.
The concept would be: use these devices as gateways to the metaverse, the futuristic digital world where people go from the virtual version to the augmented reality almost without noticing the change.
For Zuckerberg, the metaverse is the next level of the internet and social platforms.
According to NYT, and according to private reports from Facebook, the goal of the stores will be to make the world “more open and connected.”
How to sell the metaverse: physical stores
Meta’s marketing strategy with physical stores aims to elicit emotions in consumers, such as curiosity and closeness, as well as a sense of feeling “welcome” while experimenting with headphones on a “non-judgmental journey”.
The New York media says the decision to move forward with brick-and-mortar stores preceded Facebook’s rebranding. In fact, there have been meetings on the subject for months, but the most significant advance began at the end of 2020.
The project, which is still in development, could even be aborted if it does not have the endorsement of the top executives, especially with regard to the financial equation.
Beyond this, if the social media company advances with physical stores and the metaverse, it would be the first time that a technology giant of the stature of Zuckerberg, which has always existed in digital form, has made a strong foray onto the stage. real.
Among all its applications, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, Meta reaches a potential audience estimated at 3.5 billion users.