With the Metaverse and NFTs two of the most hotly debated topics of the moment, these buzzwords are often followed by conflicting feelings of excitement and anxiety – leaving customers asking ‘what actually is it?’, ‘what can I use it for?’, ‘how will it impact my life?’.
To help customers envisage how these new tech innovations will play into their lives, brands are launching new physical store experiences to demystify the ‘magic’ behind the tech. Stores play an important role in building customer confidence as they have the freedom to discover, test and buy the products first-hand, with an expert on standby to guide and answer any questions.
Meta is leading the way with the launch of its bricks-and-mortar store in California. The retail space allows customers to experience what it’s like to use Meta’s new video-calling devices, Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest 2 virtual headsets. Content from the headset is broadcast onto a large-scale LED display so people in-store can experience the action too.
Selfridges has started selling NFTs and digital fashion from its London flagship in an effort to acclimatise customers to new types of digital products and a new way of browsing, buying, and wearing fashion. The department store partnered with Paco Rabanne to drop 1800 NFTs between January and March, ranging in price from £2000 to £100,000. NFTs could be purchased via an in-store digital screen using a traditional credit card, with select NFTs accompanied by a physical counterpart.
Household takeout
Like any piece of new technology, customer confidence is key to adoption, and this is certainly true when it comes to the Metaverse and NFTs. Customers are looking for brands to guide, and facilitate discovery and demo, before investing time and money in new technologies, virtual products and experiences.
Get in touch with Household if you would like us to help you explore opportunities for your brand in the Metaverse and how your physical formats can help demystify and demonstrate the potential of new technologies for your customers.
Also in the news:
Retail:
Disney launches new dedicated homeware brand
Coca-Cola opens first European fashion hub in London
H&M Home opens a unique concept store in Berlin
Off-White launches first beauty collection
Luxury DTC brand Farfetch enters the beauty market
Fashion brand Jacquemus opens pop-up at Selfridges London
Hospitality:
Millennium Hotels and Resorts launches a hotel in the Metaverse
Campaigns:
Asics launches a limited-edition NFT sneaker collection with ‘move-to-earn’ running app Stepn
Initiatives:
Grubhub partners with MasterChef to launch a delivery-only virtual restaurant
Burger King UK trials reusable and returnable packaging
Image courtesy of Meta
