Meta, the previous social media giant has been taking steps towards rebranding itself as a ‘metaverse-focused’ company. The concept of the metaverse is something that the company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg truly believe in. To make it more believable for other people, Meta has come up with its first retail store with products that let you truly experience the digital world.
Meta’s first physical retail store, ‘Meta Store’ has been opened in Burlingame, California, and is a 15,000 square space. The company is currently showcasing three products in its store that will allow consumers to experience the virtual world. The location of the store is near the Meta Reality Labs office and the store definitely gives the company a physical presence. The store is attempting to create another touchpoint with customers and use their feedback to improve its offerings.
One of the three products offered at the Meta store is Meta’s Ray Ban Stories, which are “smart-glasses” that capture videos as well as photos, allowing users to share them on social media platforms. The store also has the Portal, which is a video calling ‘portal’ or device that the company thinks will be a solution for users to stay in touch with their families. It is also being marketed as a work-from-home solution.
Although Meta is not a primary hardware company, IT seems to be trying to replicate the success that Apple has garnered through its retail stores.
The store also features a curved LED wall where customers can play multiple games like Supernatural, GOLF +, Real VR Fishing, and more. This area is the demo zone for its virtual reality headset, Quest 2. It is also offering testers a 30-second video clip of their experience that they can share.
It can be noted that the store is present near its office and not on a shopping street where there is a lot of hustle-bustle like the Apple store. Although Meta is not a primary hardware company, the company seems to be trying to replicate the success that Apple has garnered through its retail stores.
Although slow and initially disappointing, Meta seems to be very sure about the idea of building the metaverse. Mark Zuckerberg has an extremely ambitious vision laid out for the metaverse. It is sure that the virtual world can be easily accessible through new-age hardware similar to what Meta is offering in its retail store.
