Global shoppers are ready to embrace the metaverse

As the promise of a fully-realized metaverse gets closer, shoppers around the world are looking forward to the endless possibilities it will offer.

A recent survey conducted by Meta of 30,000 shoppers around the world, including the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Mexico¹ , found that today’s shoppers are interested in next-level experiences with brands. Whether it’s exploring a product through immersive technology or making sure their avatars are every bit as stylish as they are in the physical world, shoppers want a greater sense of connection and inspiration with the brands they engage with.

In our research, we’ve identified 3 key consumer trends that all businesses should keep in mind as we build towards the metaverse and the more immersive shopping experiences of tomorrow.

Shoppers are ready for the potential of the metaverse.

Consumers clearly anticipate the potential of the metaverse to revolutionize how we buy and sell goods. In this survey, 42% of shoppers believe that the metaverse will positively transform their shopping experience.

They also understand that the metaverse will be the new storefront for businesses of all sizes, with 50% saying brands and retailers will need to have a presence on gaming platforms and other virtual worlds to be successful in the future.

Over half of all shoppers surveyed (51%) say that virtual stores will offer a more convenient way to shop, while 56% anticipate that a broader variety of specialized stores (for niche products and markets) will be more easily accessible. By removing the physical constraints and making it easier to create an immersive digital storefront, the metaverse will help unlock new economic opportunities for people and businesses of all sizes. In the metaverse, the lines between physical and digital retail will blur—almost half of all shoppers surveyed (48%) want an experience that replicates the feeling of shopping in a physical store.

Perhaps most importantly, shoppers want a more authentic connection with the businesses they buy from. We discovered that 26% of consumers surveyed want to buy from brands that share similar beliefs and values as them, and 36% want a brand that cares about their opinion.

If consumers are already asking for more technology-driven shopping experiences and greater authenticity from the brands they purchase from, we can only imagine the expectations they’ll have in the metaverse.

AR can be a bridge to the metaverse.

Shoppers want AR to guide their shopping experiences. According to this survey, 28% are using or have used AR while shopping, and 42% imagine that AR can improve the shopping experience by bridging the gap between online and the physical store. On Instagram, we recently launched the open beta test of Augmented Reality (AR) ads in both Feed and Stories, through which brands can encourage people to interact with an effect through their surroundings, such as testing furniture in their home or test driving a car.

MINI, the iconic car brand, has been leaning into AR experiences to reach customers in increasingly dynamic ways. They have created an AR effect that allowed customers to see a realistic, true-scale presentation of a MINI wherever they chose—from their driveway to their living room—and were able to reach nearly 900,000 people. After launching the Miniverse, a go-kart style VR experience in Meta Horizon Worlds, they developed a companion AR effect that allowed people to get a similar driving experience on their phone and drove people to it using AR Ads.

People also understand how technology like AR can help facilitate more meaningful interactions. We found that 44% of those surveyed want to discover the different aspects of a brand in a playful and inspirational way, and 45% are also interested in communicating online with a store consultant.

Surprisingly, shoppers see the potential for AR to improve their in-store and online experiences. Our survey shows that 47% are interested in using devices in-store to virtually try on products, and 47% are interested in virtual try-on using their phone’s camera.

Today, AR provides a way for businesses and consumers to connect around products without needing to be physically present. This will be one of the many ways we engage with the metaverse in the future.

Digital twins are a premium item for shoppers.

Shoppers are ready to start purchasing digital twins—a virtual, identical good that comes with a physical item. In our survey, 46% say it's important that new real-world products become available as virtual products as well.

Virtual products offer a new opportunity to reinforce consumer loyalty. We found that 46% of shoppers surveyed say virtual products provide a feeling of association with a brand by offering something rare and unique, and 48% say it makes them more loyal if a brand offers a virtual good as a reward for their loyalty.

In the Wendyverse, a virtual reality experience built in Meta Horizon Worlds, Wendy’s created fun adventures for its customers that unlock unique offers in real life. Within themed worlds that pay homage to some iconic menu items, like Frosty Village or Spicy Nugg Island, people can ski on french fries down a Frosty hill or relax in a lazy river floating on Spicy Nuggets and uncover in-restaurant deals for delicious bites in their favorite Wendy’s.

Shoppers are also viewing digital goods as a luxury product—about 1 in 3 shoppers interested in virtual products said they are willing to pay more than $100 for them. Avatar personalization is a key driver of the interest in digital goods, and according to our survey, 49% of shoppers want their avatar to look the same as their physical self. Meanwhile, 28% want to appear different but still like a person, and 23% want to present a more surreal identity.

As we become more intentional with the time we spend online, digital goods provide an opportunity to express ourselves and reinforce the communities we belong to.

Preparing for the shopping experiences of tomorrow

While shopping in a fully-realized metaverse is still a few years away, businesses can master the social tools of today to better understand how to better immerse shoppers in their brand.

With personalized ads, businesses can find new customers and use organic content like image posts, live video and Groups to build online communities that encourage repeat purchases. With messaging and Reels, businesses are able to humanize their brand and build stronger relationships with their customers. Businesses that want to fully lean into the metaverse can experiment with AR try-on effects on both Facebook and Instagram, as well as build experiences in Meta Horizon Worlds.

The work businesses do on our platforms to reach customers today will continue to be relevant in the metaverse tomorrow. This is why it’s so important to continue to innovate and experiment with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta Quest. With global shoppers ready and willing to meet brands in the metaverse, there is incredible potential for new shopping experiences that we’ll build together.