Meta Reportedly Plans to Open Retail Stores to Further Build Its Metaverse
Almost a week ago, social media users were shocked to learn that massively successful social media platform Facebook officially changed its corporate name to Meta—and now, along with a new name change, the company has even bigger plans on the horizon. According to news reports, Meta has plans to reportedly open retail stores to further build its virtual reality metaverse.
Reports reveal that Meta has serious plans to open a collection of retail stores all over the world. The concept of the Meta retail stores would be positioned to introduce users to devices made by Meta’s Reality Labs division, including virtual reality headsets and forthcoming augmented reality glasses. Both devices are integral parts of the metaverse, which is described as a futuristic digital world where people move from virtual to augmented versions of reality almost seamlessly. The Meta stores would also help to demonstrate that virtual reality and augmented reality can be just as founder Mark Zuckerberg envisions it, fun and exciting.
Additionally, the expanded goal of the Meta stores is to make the world “more open and connected” while sparking specific emotions like “curiosity, closeness,” and feeling “welcomed.” The experimental headsets allow users to explore on a “judgment-free journey.” Although it may seem out of the blue, there have been discussions regarding Meta retail stores for several months, with initial plans beginning last year.
If the stores become a reality, it would make Meta the first tech company to exist mostly digitally, as over 3.5 billion people use Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
Meta is currently keeping its plans tightly under wraps, as a company spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the retail store plans but did state that the company’s new virtual reality headset was “in high demand.”