While the metaverse is currently making its way into the digital strategies of a good number of brands, the truth is that this technology (still very “green”) is still trapped in a tiny niche. According to a recent study carried out in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany by Publicis Sapient , only a quarter of consumers say they are familiar with the metaverse (and most of them are Generation Z and the Millennial Generation). However, and despite the skepticism that currently hovers around the metaverse, the truth is that this new generation technology also houses a lot of potential within itself.
Consumers' reported familiarity with the metaverse, however, varies significantly across the markets where Publicis Sapient conducted its research. In the United States, 40% of consumers are familiar with the metaverse , a large proportion that drops to 26% in the United Kingdom, 21% in France and just 16% in Germany.
In its report, Publicis Sapient places a great responsibility on brands to provide real added value to the metaverse through truly relevant use cases. Three out of four consumers globally admit to never having ventured into the metaverse . And those who have done so have mostly relied on smartphones, laptops or desktop computers to access the metaverse. Very few consumers currently have devices specifically focused on immersive experiences in the metaverse ( virtual reality headsets , for example).
Despite their apparent lack of familiarity with the metaverse, 43% of consumers admit to being interested in dipping their toes into the technology . In France and the United States, this percentage rises to 51% and 47% respectively, while in Germany the proportion drops to 41%.
It is also worth noting that e -commerce is still in its infancy in the metaverse . Approximately half of consumers surveyed by Publicis Sapient in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany said they have no intention of purchasing products and services in the metaverse.
What consumers are most attracted to in the metaverse as a container for e-commerce is product experiences that enable them to make better purchasing decisions. For example, 29% of consumers would like to use the metaverse to be confronted with three-dimensional images of specific products before making a purchase. And 26% would like to try on clothing items virtually before purchasing them in the real world.
Cryptocurrencies (necessary for making purchases in the metaverse), NFTs and virtual reality latvia number data headsets are not yet very popular among the population. In the United States, 27% of consumers own at least one of these three items, but this proportion collapses to 19% in Germany, 14% in France and 13% in the United Kingdom.
While French (29%) and German (21%) consumers are looking to the metaverse primarily to explore potential tourist destinations , the British (22%) and Americans (23%) prefer to use this technology to interact with their friends and family.
Gaming also plays a key role in the metaverse . Not surprisingly, the few users who are already active in the metaverse are mainly engaged in leisure and entertainment activities. 28% of Americans, 12% of British, 8% of French and 8% of Germans say they have already played video games in the metaverse.
The growing popularity of platforms like Roblox and Decentraland is being driven by Generation Z and Generation Alpha. 62% of millennials, for example, say they want to engage in activities in the metaverse.
However, the anxiety that many consumers feel about the metaverse continues to overshadow enthusiasm for the technology . About two-thirds of consumers are concerned about the personal information collected about them in the metaverse. And 68% report a need to verify that someone is who they say they are in virtual environments.
More than half of consumers are also concerned about their own safety in the metaverse .