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Carrefour enters metaverse with virtual game plot The initiative will enable players to build and monetise their experiences.
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? French retail giant Carrefour has officially joined the metaverse after buying a plot in virtual game The Sandbox, where players can build and monetise their experiences.
SAY WHAT NOW? First things first: the metaverse. Think of it as another name for virtual worlds, or an amplified virtual experience of the likes of Fortnite.
FORTNITE? It’s a multi-player video game. Ask an 11-year-old.
since Facebook’s announcement to enter the race.It was only a matter of time before heavyweight retail names made their move, and Carrefour has chosen to do it on The Sandbox.
WHAT DID CARREFOUR DO? Essentially, Carrefour bought a virtual field upon which to build its virtual store. According to the company, the area acquired is equivalent to “30 supermarkets in the metaverse”.The area – or parcel number 33,147 as it’s called – is expected to house some of the retailer’s plans for digital transformation, assuming the metaverse catches on.
SO, WHAT’S THE METAVERSE IS IT REALLY SOMETHING AGAIN? The metaverse is literally the com- I SHOULD BE THINKING bination of the digital and physical ABOUT? worlds. This virtual world consists of avatars (persons) who buy clothes, houses, and experiences just as their physical counterparts would in the real world, making the benefits for companies endless. There is currently a proper land rush going on for investors looking to buy virtual plots in the metaverse, with prices for some of the land having soared as much as 500% in the last few months,
It is no secret that virtual games such as Fortnite, Sandbox and Decentraland have made the concept of metaverse a lot more widespread than it used to be in the early 2010s. Remember, although the metaverse is not a new concept, this type of attention on it is. It was only in 2003 that Second Life allowed people to create an avatar or themselves and live in the virtual world the game offered them.
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I’M NOT CONVINCED You’re not alone. “It is not our objective to sell virtual sneakers at €10,” LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault recently said. He doesn’t outright rule out the positive impact the metaverse will have on retail – besides, LVMH has already made some moves towards the new virtual world, having partnered with
