Did you shop this weekend?
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Well, if you’re like me, you did, and it wasn’t that fun. You went to a few overcrowded stores with super long lines. You scrolled endlessly on websites, competing with everyone else in the world for the best deals. And ultimately, you got what you needed to get – but it wasn’t enjoyable.
In fact, it was anything but enjoyable. It was a chore – an exhausting chore.
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Now… what if I told you that shopping didn’t have to be that way?
In fact, what if I told you that within five years, holiday shopping is going to be super fun?
Well, it is, all thanks to a little thing that you’ve been hearing a lot about recently: The Metaverse.
Last month, Facebook officially changed its name to Meta, and kickstarted what has been a wave of consumer, business, and investor interest in the virtual world that companies are calling the “metaverse.”
We’ve written about the metaverse before in these very issues. We’ve told you multiple times that it is the inevitable future – a natural progression of human escapism from staring at screens to immersing ourselves in digital realities.
We believe the metaverse represents a multi-trillion-dollar economic opportunity.
And, of relevance to you today, we believe that one of the processes that will be most revolutionized by the metaverse is how we shop.
Specifically, we believe the metaverse of the future will include really cool virtual malls and shopping centers. We’re talking Nike stores, complete with basketball courts, swimming pools, and soccer fields. We’re talking Gucci stores with fashion runways, Lululemon stores with yoga classes, and Zumiez stores with skate parks.
You’ll put your headset on, turn into your avatar, and walk into these super cool stores. Buying a product – a t-shirt, pair of leggings, or shoes – will only be 10% of the experience. The other 90% will be your avatar doing all the cool things that the store offers, whether that be playing basketball, doing yoga, skating, or whatever these metaverse stores invent and offer. And, best part of all, you’ll be able to do those things virtually with all your friends, regardless of where they live.
At that point, it’s not even shopping, really. It takes shopping, and makes it an enjoyable social experience.
That’s the future. Doesn’t that sound fun? I mean, imagine if, instead of going to the mall, you could go the Alps and ski, or go to a Lakers game, or watch the Patriots – and at the same time, get all of your shopping done.