The Intersection of Online Networks and Real-World Shopping

Facebook is bringing its vision of creating a metaverse to life, and it’s starting with… retail.

The company is building physical stores in its bid to create a metaverse, but why retail? Apparently, Meta’s stores will focus on connected video hardware, from conferencing to Oculus VR.

Facebook May Be Opening Retail Stores Near You

Facebook,now known as Meta , is discussing plans to build retail stores around the world. They will showcase the company’s virtual reality and augmented reality products, according to theNew York Times , which claims to have seen supporting documents.

It’s all reportedly a part of Meta’s plans to build a metaverse. “But, what’s the connection?” you may ask. Well, Facebook wants to bridge the gap between the metaverse and the present, and that’s where physical stores come in.

The stores will showcase devices made by Meta’sReality Labs division. According to the report, those products include teleconferencing gadgets that will let you video chat on Facebook, as well as the Oculus headsets.

The stores may also showcase voice-activated sunglasses, developed in conjunction with Ray-Ban, that you can use to take photos and videos.

Why Facebook Could Open Retail Stores

Essentially, Meta wants you to hop onto its vision and buy into the concepts of virtual reality and augmented reality. TheNew York Times says the documents reveal that the focus of the retail stores is to make the world “more open and connected.”

By opening retail stores, Facebook wants to create a comfortable and welcoming environment where you can ignite your sense of curiosity and try out augmented and virtual reality.

It wants to create a judgment-free zone where you can step out and experience its devices freely. Meta wants you to think of its devices as “gateways to the metaverse.”

This wouldn’t be Meta’s first foray into retail. It’s had several pop-up stores before, including one showcasing its Oculus hardware products in Manhattan’s SoHo district, and one in Macy’s in 2018.

Interestingly, the documents seen by The New York Times show that discussions about building physical stores go back months, even before Facebook’s rebranding, with planning dating back to 2020.

And Meta’s plans for building these stores aren’t cast in stone. Because the project is still in development, there’s a possibility they may scrap it altogether.

Facebook Is Doubling Down on Its Plans to Build a Metaverse

Meta has been undergoing changes, and Mark Zuckerberg wants to make sure the metaverse is one of them. Zuckerberg has been talking about the metaverse a lot in 2021, so the tech giant’s PR push comes as no surprise.

But opening up retail stores is a bold move, considering that virtual reality remains a very niche market for tech enthusiasts. It will be interesting to see whether Meta will be able to create enough interest in this market through its planned retail stores.