33% UK consumers plan to use metaverse for online shopping: Study

11 Apr '22

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

A third of British consumers plan to use the metaverse for online shopping and expect to see high street brands present in the virtual world, according to a study of 2,000 UK adults by Vista. Fifty-nine per cent of Brits are familiar with the metaverse and anticipate it will take around 15 years before it goes mainstream, the study revealed.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents predict it will be most popular with Gen Z and millennials amongst all age groups.

British shopping habits have shifted and small businesses need to stay on top of emerging tech, the study showed. Almost two thirds of Brits (64 per cent) said that the pandemic increased their online shopping, with 65 per cent saying it is important for small businesses to have an online presence.

But as over three-quarters (76 per cent) of Brits still enjoy shopping on the high street, the metaverse offers small businesses an exciting opportunity to blend virtual content with the real-world experiences that shoppers crave, it found.

Of everything that could be available in the metaverse, Brits are most likely to use it for online shopping (29 per cent). This was followed by social media (20 per cent), concerts/live entertainment events (19 per cent) and online streaming services (19 per cent), according to British media reports.

The most popular small businesses on the metaverse’s high street are predicted to be fashion stores (17 per cent), electronic stores (17 per cent), everyday grocery stores (15 per cent), booksellers (15 per cent), vehicle showrooms (15 per cent) and virtual estate agents (15 per cent).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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