What does eCommerce appear similar to the meta verse?

The metaverse is now at least , in the consciousness of people everywhere.

In the year that Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the social media giant would change its name to Meta and shift its focus to build Metaverses, web as it is today was exploding. We’ve all seen memes and reaction pieces, and laughed out loud at YouTube videos featuring Zuckerberg showing off what he believes will be likely within the next few years.

 

What does this mean in the context of eCommerce?

Based on the idea that the metaverse is a virtual realm that will be supporting that of our real world environment, it is evident that eCommerce will be a part and part of the metaverse. In the end, we purchase sell items within our “real” world and why shouldn’t we do the same in the metaverse? You can be certain that a company such as Meta (nee Facebook) wouldn’t invest as much or so widely in the metaverse, if there was no money to be made.

 

It’s reasonable that there’s a space for eCommerce in the world of the virtual however, what exactly would this appear like? We’ve searched the web with keys and a mouse (so traditional) to try our hand at answering the question.

 

Is there a metaverse?

Finding a definition for a new technology is essential when thinking about how it will perform or be used in the future, but it’s especially challenging when dealing with the metaverse. This is because it doesn’t exist in the present, and so the different definitions available are discussing slightly different ideas that the technology of tomorrow.

 

The best way to describe this metaverse would be “as the internet has brought it into existence, or at most created in 3D” as NPR stated. For a little closer to the details, technology experts such as Venture capitalist Matthew Ball think the metaverse will be permanent (or never-stopping) that is synchronous, live and continuous and will not have a cap on users and give a feeling of “presence” and “presence,” something that Zuckerberg has often emphasized when discussing the metaverse.

 

For our purposes, however, Ball’s seminal essay also reveals that the metaverse could “be an economic system that is fully functional”. This is a fascinating opportunity for anyone already engaged in online sales, for in addition to being a way to market physical goods (and we’re all aware of the importance of be omnichannel) the metaverse could also be a means of selling new products to the metaverse. If you’ve purchased an Ferrari and you’re thinking why not purchase an Ferrari NFT to be your avatar to drive around in the metaverse?

 

It’s also important to remember at this point that although Facebook has been particularly vocal about its vision regarding the virtual world (and plans to invest around $10 billion per every year to develop it) however, a lot of other companies have and will be a major component of its growth. Epic Games, for example has included metaverse-related elements into its hugely loved Fortnite online game. In fairness to Zuckerberg however the former CEO once said during an interview to Verge “hopefully someday in the near future when a business asks if it is developing a metaverse could be as absurd as asking a business how their Internet is developing” since it’s all going to be interoperable and interconnected.

 

Metaverse commerce

Zuckerberg as well as Meta have made it open about the fact that commerce and shopping will be the mainstay of this digital transformation, but they have shed they could shed some more clear on the details.

“It [the metaverse] connects a lot of most important themes we’re currently working on. Consider concepts such as community and creators as one thing, or digital commerce in a second or establishing the next generation of computing platforms, such as virtual and augmented realities, to give people a sense of presence” said the researcher to Verge.

 

More importantly is the fact that the words “commerce” as well as “shopping” were used at least thirteen times in the presence of Zuckerberg and other top executives in this transcription from the Facebook Connect event last week which formally announced Facebook’s name change and laid out the company’s plans for the future of the metaverse. Watch the entire video below.

It’s More Than an Unreal Dream It’s a New Time

Many people were skeptical of VR as well as AR for a long time due to despite promises of the potential they could bring but they’ve been unable to achieve the scale which the industry was hoping for.

 

The only thing that matters is believing.

It doesn’t take at the surface to notice that retailers who are forward-thinking are creating immersive 3D experiences to their customers. They can look around virtual showrooms, play the items on and take 360-degree views of the item they’re looking to buy.

Do you want to see how furniture will look similar to your own home? Take a look at IKEA.

Want to know how the eyeglasses appear at your eyes? Try Warby Parker a go.

Need new shoes? Test them out on virtual using Wanna Kicks.

Looking for new makeup items? Sephora has you covered.

 

Select Your Platform

In order to create immersive experiences for your customers, you’ll require different technical expertise of your staff, based on the type of experience you’re trying create. The primary differentiator is that you’re moving from the 2D to the 3D experience. Development in VR/AR is more closely related to the creation of 3D video games than developing web-based applications.

In the beginning, you have to choose the device you’re creating for. Do your clients primarily use smartphones, computers, or even a headset such as that of the Oculus Quest? Each category of hardware offers an array of possibilities to what is possible.

Then, when we examine 3D engines and frameworks available on the market, several notable names like Unity, Unreal Engine and CRYENGINE are notable. A majority of these engines were developed from game development. Although they’re efficient, they’re not the best choice for those trying to build the most basic experience.

The Apple’s ARKit as well as Google’s ARCore are excellent options to allow iOS as well as Android developers to begin working with AR. The great news Web developers have the advantage that WebXR Device API is an open standard, defined by the W3C and backed by an JavaScript API that can make immersive experiences available for users of the browser. The web developers on your team has a working knowledge of JavaScript and this could be a good starting point to start developing to the world of metaphysics.

There are several helpful frameworks, platforms and tools that help make working with WebXR easier and more efficient:

• A-Frame: A web-based framework to build 3D experiences.
• React 360: A framework for creating immersive 360-degree interactive experiences that can be are run through the browser for web users.
• Amazon Sumerian: A managed service that allows you to build and manage 3D, AR and VR applications. Because it’s part of AWS’s AWS environment, it’s possible to integrate AI-enabled components to your created world.

Create Your Content

Nobody wants to read lengthy chunks or text 3D. Because we’re talking about visual experiences, it’s only natural that the focus is on making content that’s pleasant to the eye and fascinating to view. What is good on a standard website is probably not going to appear natural in a 3-D environment, which is why you have to determine what images you’ll need to design to match the layout.

What images and other assets with high-resolution are you looking for? Are you able to add videos? What about 360-degree videos? Will viewers be watching something or will they be able engage with the video?

Don’t forget to include audio because it’s an integral component of an immersive experience. What kind of music and sounds do you need to create to bring the content to life?

Fine-Tune Your Content

There is no guarantee that everyone will possess the most recent and best technology or coverage for 5G. The demands for speed and quality of transmission are significantly higher when using 3D content. A few milliseconds of delay can be overlooked on a normal site, but in a VR/AR environment this can render your impression “laggy” or inaccessible.

Make sure that your content is optimized to provide the best quality possible within a manageable file size. If your experience begins to be impacted by the fact that too many files are downloading simultaneously It is best to create an experience that is more efficient and ensures high-performance.

It is important to think about your hosting infrastructure well. It shouldn’t be a huge issue, but it’s important to remember that you will need to add new types of content to your configurations. Additionally, your CDN must be able to handle the new types as well.

Publish Omnichannel Content

If we’re talking about how to prepare to offer immersive experience, we’re not only talking about having users browse your website in virtual reality. This isn’t a compelling proposition for your visitors.

The concept is to use existing content on your site and separate that content and presentation layers in order that you can utilize it in an 3D environment, or on any other platform you’d like including apps, in-store display screens or in-store displays. The traditional method of managing content is in silos. This means that you can’t reuse the information from your site.

This separation is possible through a traditional database, however for content teams and developers to work together with one another, the headless CMS is front-end-independent and much more user-friendly. It serves as a single shared content hub , and may even provide a visual interface for marketers and editors.

Get Started Today

The creation of 3D-based ecommerce experiences can be intimidating However, as we’ve learned your team has the expertise to begin and test out different concepts. Your customers are eager to enjoy a wonderful experience and to purchase from your company. What you build today could be the beginning in a series of 3D experiences you design to create the future in the metaverse.