When the Metaverse (with a capital M) was first announced by the end of 2021, many of its features were already available on a small scale. In fact, they existed much earlier in the gaming industry, where one could purchase wearables and accessories for avatars in Fortnite or Roblox.
In case you missed out, we made a series of posts exploring the opportunities the metaverse opened for ecommerce, including visits to Decentraland and the Sandbox.
These two virtual worlds were probably the closest approach to what the project of the metaverse would be like. But as the hype deflated, we realized it wouldn’t be as immediate as it was initially presented. Many technical and technological gaps are yet to be filled, and especially, many actors are yet to make their moves.
So, what is metacommerce?
Traditional commerce was the one that happened in stores. Ecommerce took catalogs to computers and phones, which was a huge step despite the limitations of not allowing to try on or get the real touch-and-feel of a product. And yet, it has nothing but grown over the past decade. We have long had an inkling of where all this is headed.
As we explained in our previous post about the release of Google Live View, immersive experiences have (finally) entered the scene, and they are here to stay.
Well, that’s exactly what metacommerce is.
The combination of Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality is what defines the merge of the physical and the digital world (the one we now call the Phygital world). It goes beyond the mere creation of online profiles or simple content uploads. Instead, that thing we call the metaverse is becoming seamlessly integrated in our daily lives, to the point that it is already accepted by individuals, companies, and industries.
Believe it or not, at this point avatars become central as 3D representations of humans in a 3D representation of the world. The principle of personal projection meets the complexity of accurately representing a human in 3D scenes. Thus, allowing those personal representations to interact in ways that are closer to real life.
Current challenges and limitations
AI is able to interpret and understand physical objects and environments. Nevertheless, there still are difficulties in creating realistic 3D human representations. For example, size, shape, weight, look, proportions, and natural movements, let alone their portability across platforms.
Artificial Intelligence needs data. Loads of it. And especially, it needs training and supervision – which is already taking center stage before data privacy has even left.
As to Augmented Reality, two challenges must be overcome to unravel the current state. One is the unification of graphic processing, and the other, accessibility of 3D scanners – which are bulky, loud, slow, and expensive.
The Fashion industry is ahead and gives us a good idea of all the advantages and opportunities metacommerce will provide. But the truth is even the Fashion industry – mostly small retailers – struggles to fully implement Augmented Reality. Its cost is high, and the time for its widespread implementation and adoption across devices is uncertain.
BUT, when that time comes, everybody will see the benefits. Consumers will find their buying decisions easier, and customer satisfaction will likely increase. Sellers will profit from up-sales and cross-sales, as well as the opportunity to successfully develop omnichannel strategies and offer more personalized experiences, much demanded in our times.
A few examples
For example, WideEyes Style Advisor: ‘s algorithm is able to understand a brand’s style, create complete outfits, and provide recommendations. It is only a matter of time before this expands.
TCLNxtWear had already taken a good position with their NXTWear S glasses. An actual a portable 144-inch screen with 1080p HD resolution weighing only about 100 grams.
Their latest release is a pair of AR glasses called Ray Neo X2. Transparent lenses and OLED screens to deliver information like the Google Glasses once intended to. With a smart camera and a microphone that works with visual recognition, voice recognition, it’s able to take pictures, film, and provide real-time translation.
During its presentation at the last CES (in early January) they announced the release for developers to get a final software version that rises up to its hardware, as well as the possibility to personalize them with graduated lenses.
The days of static catalogs are numbered
The use of 3D animations in product marketing is increasing every year. Product rendering and exploded views have improved product discovery and customer experience in ways that we could imagine when ecommerce took off. And because clear explanations make real expectations, there’s no reason to believe that this is evolving fast.
Every online business should take a step ahead and get ready for what’s coming.
