What will packaging look like in the Metaverse? Let’s speculate on current technologies and future scenarios in the virtual age.
Packaging in the Metaverse. By now, we all agree that the future is digital. But will it also be virtual? The Metaverse is a topic for discussion that has come about very recently. But what is it, and what does it mean for the world of retail and packaging?
What is the Metaverse?
The Metaverse, by definition, is a virtual reality space. Here users can interact with a computer-generated environment co-created by other users. The term has been around since the late 1990s. Early versions included gaming platforms such as Second Life, where avatars populated virtual worlds where they socialized while exploring them.
However, more recently, experimentation on the Metaverse has extended to retail and packaging. In packaging, the Metaverse connects the physical product with the digital world.
E-commerce has become a dominant trend recently, especially during the pandemic. But now is the time for an even more dramatic evolution of online shopping.
Packaging in the Metaverse
Product integration into the Metaverse opens up new potential for eCommerce, engaging consumers in entirely new ways. We may not be ready for a 100% virtual shopping experience. However, there are specific strategies to feature products digitally and virtually to consumers in a memorable way.
Augmented reality
One of the ways to transport packaging to the Metaverse is augmented reality. Augmented reality allows consumers to view products digitally next to them by clicking on a link or scanning a QR code.
This link or QR code will display the product in 3D on a user’s interface (for example, a mobile phone or tablet) and allow them to place it within their physical environment through a camera virtually. Thus, the physical and digital worlds integrate.
This technique is particularly effective for furniture and accessories in the home, for example, as the consumer can see what the product would look like in the chosen location before making a purchase.
Retail Environments Retail
Virtual environments allow consumers to experience a “store” in the Metaverse. It could be a copy of an existing shop or something new and artificial to conduct tests.
It may sound like science fiction, but consumers will soon be exploring virtual environments to shop. So, of course, this means there will be a need for virtual packaging! Virtual retail opens the door to new opportunities in unique interactive packaging experiences. Not only that, but brands will also have to start thinking about how packaging design can differ for this virtual world, just as they have had to rethink it for eCommerce.
Packaging for online and brick-and-mortar products is likely, not identical, as digital has unlimited capacities. In the virtual world, it can be enhanced with interactive visual effects, providing virtual “unboxing” experiences in which the consumer can digitally unpack the product.
Why think about the future of digital packaging
By developing packaging for the Metaverse, you can create a unique experience for consumers.
Innovative Brand Perception
Although digitally enhanced packaging is becoming increasingly common, it is not yet the norm. Therefore, by adapting to the future of digital packaging, your brand will be perceived as innovative and at the forefront of digital technological advances.
Creating longevity and innovation in an ever-changing world is critical to delivering exciting and engaging consumer experiences.
Acquiring Valuable Data
Data will also be a great advantage of the Metaverse. Like eCommerce, the Metaverse will allow businesses to track consumer behavior deeper.
The data collection will allow products to launch in a digital space before putting physical prototypes into production, as in marketing research, but much less expensive.
Conclusions
Are you looking for the technological avant-garde in packaging? You found Packly. Start experimenting with our platform by creating a prototype. Maybe we will soon see it developed in the Metaverse!
