TRENDING
With the development of Augmented Reality ( AR ) and Virtual Reality ( VR ) technologies , the increased pace of digitisation due to the pandemic and greater concern for sustainability , organisations across sectors have developed immersive experience pilots and demos at a fast pace in recent years . For the consumer products and retail ( CPR ) sector specifically , some businesses are piloting immersive use cases such as AR for virtual home decor , electronics and other items ( 24 %) or to create new , more engaging , consumer experiences ( 25 %).
According to the report , 66 % of organisations now have a one-to-two-year roadmap for immersive experiences and 15 % of organisations aim to have some Metaverse presence within one year , while 45 % believe it will be mainstream within three years . However , many organisations are currently adopting a prudent approach .
In addition to external factors hampering such initiatives ( lack of maturity of the technology , lack of connectivity infrastructure etc .), the report finds that there are significant internal challenges for businesses to take full advantage of this consumer appetite and scale up – a lack of strategic planning , and for nearly 40 % of organisations , immersive initiatives are still considered one-off projects rather than one link in a chain of continuous improvement . Nearly two-thirds ( 62 %) of businesses admit that there is no management commitment to immersive initiatives and over half ( 56 %) cite that they have no clear roadmap to adoption .
Safety , privacy and inclusivity aspects are important for a sense of community
Curiosity about the Metaverse is perhaps tempered by worries about the technology itself . Based on a
Research methodology
The Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 8,000 consumers over the age of 18 years in 12 countries across Asia Pacific , Europe and North America in July and August 2022 to understand what consumers think about AR / VR and other mobile / web-based immersive applications including the Metaverse . It also surveyed 1,000 organisations across consumer products , retail , discrete manufacturing , life sciences , media and content , telecom , banking and insurance sectors to investigate how organisations are harnessing these immersive technologies for their internal operations . This research was supplemented with in-depth interviews with executives and technology partners in this space , as well as a social listening study comprising Google search analytics , social-media analytics and sentiment analysis and emotion detection .
social media scan of over 180,000 conversations , the research found that concerns around sexual harassment , personal safety and privacy issues are top of consumers ’ minds .
If the Metaverse is considered to be a network of virtual worlds , safety and ethical aspects will be important to establish the sense of community that is central to its mass adoption . Whether for consumer or employee / workplace use cases , brands will need to address these concerns before they create and deploy their virtual spaces , and have a way to regulate them while balancing privacy and security issues . p
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