How small businesses can Use metaverse to increase customers?

Almost 71% of business executives think the metaverse would be suitable for business, and that's probably why the big wigs of business have already stepped into it.
 

But what does metaverse entail for smaller businesses?
 

In its literal sense, the metaverse is a digital alternative to the real, physical world. It is a realm where digital and physical worlds combine and offer people new, immersive, 3D experiences.
 

Regardless of its glitz and glamor, the metaverse is still surrounded by a lot of skepticism, with people going as far as calling it a fad. But the internet was also labeled as a fad many years ago.
 

The metaverse may potentially be the revolution we expect from the future. And this revolution may already have begun. So, it might be a good time for businesses to learn what it promises, see its benefits, roll their sleeves and dive in.
 

Here's how the metaverse is expected to revolutionize, or at least evolve, the current business scene:
 

  

1- Revamped shopping experiences
 

The metaverse is expected to blur the lines between digital and physical and merge online and offline shopping experiences, creating a more immersive eCommerce ecosystem.
 

If the Big Techs manage to deliver on their vision, customers would be able to put on their AR/VR headsets and go into virtual malls, browse through virtual stores, speak with digital salespeople and enjoy an outdoor shopping experience, all while staying in the comfort of their home.
 

And a fraction of this "future" is here already with the introduction of AR in retail. Online furniture retailers Wayfair and IKEA started offering AR experiences to their customers, so they could try furniture before making a purchase.
 

So, for small businesses, the early waves of the metaverse bring an opportunity to get into AR and deliver on the current customer expectation — giving them the ability to "try" things before they can buy as they shop online.

2- New customer engagement approach
 

The metaverse may take the current digital marketing approaches to the next level, offering new opportunities for brands to engage and communicate with their audience.
 

With the metaverse approach, community building might take an exciting turn where businesses can organize live, immersive and significantly more engaging events such as virtual tours and 3D webinars. This could be a kind of local gathering where the audience has the opportunity to meet and engage in a highly interactive way.
 

With these personalization capabilities, businesses can try new ways to hook their audience and keep them engaged, potentially building more substantial and profitable partnerships.
 

3- A new form of advertising
 

With entertaining content in different sectors, such as virtual gaming, comes opportunities for advertising where businesses can put up their ads for people to see. Virtual sign boards can also potentially drive exposure, similar to physical billboards.
 

With the metaverse's immersive content offerings, businesses can try new ways to drive the audience's attention through 3D interactive ads and leave a more profound impact.
 

4- Increased exposure to a massive audience
 

Even with the ease of eCommerce, people still like to make in-person brick-and-mortar store visits. The metaverse is free of geographical constraints, meaning you can offer an in-person store experience to your customers. As a small business, Metaverse stores can bring down investments in real estate.
 

Customers can have great experiences at fantastic stores through personalization. Engaging avatars acting as your sales associates may reach and influence more people by offering individualized experiences.
 

Apart from salespeople, the metaverse may also allow you to personalize your virtual stores according to each individual's moral, social and cultural beliefs and take web personalization to a new level.

Source: entrepreneur website