Akeneo’s report shows how the metaverse in retail is driving digital demand for product information.
Summary
The metaverse in retail and Akeneo’s research in the UK
According to Akeneo’s ‘2022 B2C Survey: Product Experience Satisfaction Around the World‘ report, which surveyed over 1800 consumers, it appears that in the UK 32% would like to be able to use voice commerce technology to find out about the goods and services they want to buy.
Not only that, the research results also report that 37% would be open to using chatbots in the future as part of product discovery in their shopping journeys.
This is the metaverse in retail, a sector that is also seeing increasing demand for product information using Augmented Reality (AR).
In fact, the Akeneo report states that 72% of respondents say they use multiple sources and channels when researching a product and deciding what to buy, and a further 81% have begun searching for a product in-store and then purchased it online.
The importance of product information
In the UK, the demand for information as part of a consumer’s purchase journey appears to be growing. This means that retailers in the metaverse need to find a way to get the information right.
62% of Britons said they would abandon a purchase because of poor product information, while 65% would stop buying from a brand because of poor product information, saying they would lose trust with that retailer.
Based on this data, Jawad Ashraf, CEO of Terra Virtua, a company that is building its own metaverse, made the following comment:
“Today’s news from Akeneo really highlights the shifting expectations from the UK consumer. It’s clear that technology such as augmented reality and the metaverse can enhance their experience; changing how we shop and presenting new opportunities for individuals and brands that were never before possible. Where the metaverse will differ from traditional shopping experiences is that you’ll also be able to purchase digital items, not just physical ones, such as clothing for avatars. It’s simply going to be game changing”.
Heineken and the presentation of Silver Beer in Milan and Decentraland
In Italy, the Dutch beer company, Heineken, opened its temporary shop called Metabar in Piazza Sempione from 6 to 10 April, a presentation of its metaverse linked to the new Silver beer.
A sort of physical presentation of what you will encounter in the virtual dimension. Silver Beer, in fact, was launched in the Decentraland metaverse and turned out to be a beer without calories, without hidden ingredients and… no beer.
To bring this new beer from the metaverse to the public, Heineken organized an event in Decentraland with the avatar of Bram Westnbrink, global head of Heineken.
The Silver Beer was created with pixels, code and nights of tireless programming by the developers. This means that Heineken’s virtual product was not created with the mission to please for its taste, but to bring people together in one place and socialize.
