Meta Platforms Announces Physical Retail Store to Help Customers Experience the Metaverse

Meta has also added a Shop tab to meta.com, making it easier to shop for hardware-based products across the US.

By Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee | Updated: 26 April 2022 12:26 IST

Meta Platforms Announces Physical Retail Store to Help Customers Experience the Metaverse

Oculus Quest 2, which was launched in October 2020, will be available in the Meta Store

Highlights

Meta has announced opening of its first physical store
The Meta Store will showcase VR equipment, including Oculus products
Meta's retail outlet is expected to be more like an experience centre

Meta Platforms has decided to open a 1,550 square-foot retail store on the company's Reality Labs campus in Burlingame, California, in a bid to offer people a glimpse into the company's all-virtual future through demos of Oculus Quest 2 headsets, Portal video calling hardware, and smart glasses co-branded with Ray-Ban. Set to open on May 9, the devices, except for the Ray-Ban glasses, will be available for purchase at the store. Meanwhile, Meta has also announced the addition of a 'Shop' tab on its meta.com website.

“Ultimately, our goal with the Meta Store is to show people what's possible with our products today, while giving a glimpse into the future as the metaverse comes to life — and hopefully demystifying the concept a bit in the process,” the company said in announcing the store.

The Meta Store, and its showcasing of VR equipment, follow the Facebook parent blowing billions of dollars on developing metaverse-related virtual-reality technology. That said, Meta Store head Martin Gilliard's announcement this week indicates that Meta isn't selling the metaverse at the store.

Meta Allows Creators to Sell Virtual Items in Horizon Worlds

Rather, Meta sees the retail space as a way to spread the word and get people excited about Meta supremo Mark Zuckerberg's vision for a future of interconnected custom-created virtual realities in which people communicate, shop, work, and play – his concept of the metaverse, in other words.

"The Meta Store is going to help people make that connection to how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future," Gilliard said.

Although Meta's new retail outlet isn't an attempt to match other tech companies for retail footprint, it is worth noting that most tech giants have had mixed results dabbling in physical retail stores. Apple's retail stores have been wildly successful, and play an important part in the company's distribution strategy, with more than 500 locations around the world.

Meta Teases to Bring Horizon Worlds Metaverse to the Web

Microsoft, by contrast, shut down its 83 retail stores in 2020, while in March, Amazon announced a decision to close 68 of its retail stores, including all of its Amazon bookstores. Similarly, Sony has also shut down a small group of US retail stores in 2014.

Amazon Working on an AR Device, Suggests New Job Listings

Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss all things crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.