Acknowledging that the predictions are preliminary and might never come to fruition, some observers claim that the next big move by Meta, the newly rebranded Facebook parent company, might be a surprising one: It will open a bunch of physical retail outlets. That direction may seem strange for a company determined to establish a metaverse, but it also reflects the current reality. Before consumers are likely to embrace virtual and augmented reality fully, they need to understand these new forms of interacting with content and products. To introduce people to novel, technologically sophisticated innovations, in-person demonstrations often can be the best option. Reports suggest that the retail outlets will be run by Meta’s Reality Labs, but they are unlikely to look like laboratories. Instead, the stores allegedly will be designed to be welcoming, without any hint of judgment. The key terms used to describe the design goals accordingly include “curiosity” and “connection.” On offer would be existing products, such as Oculus headsets and Portal devices, but also potentially new product introductions, such as voice-activated, Ray Ban–branded sunglasses that can capture images and videos and that are reportedly in development currently. Even as they offer such detailed predictions though, the informants repeatedly caution that Meta ultimately might decide the stores are not necessary. What do you think: Will stores be the difference in getting people to enter the metaverse willingly, by paying for products and services that enable them to do so?

source: Mike Isaac, “To Build the Metaverse, Meta First Wants to Build Stores,” The New York Times, November 5, 2021