“Some people call it hype and say it won’t stick around for long because it failed to meet their expectations. But we believe the metaverse has the potential to become mainstream in the years to come.”
A hype or revolutionary, the metaverse is already leaving its footprints around.
More than half of companies believe it is a risk worth taking and 22% of them think the metaverse is “the future” of business. In fact, 68% believe it will boom in the next five years.
However, while many tech giants and huge brands like Microsoft and Nike have already invested in the metaverse, many other businesses still hesitate to adopt this trend.
What are the advantages of entering the metaverse? And what new technologies by AR/VR companies should we look out for in 2023?
To shed light on these grey areas, we talked to 4Experience CEO Jolanta Kubatek.
She also discussed about the industries that can benefit from the metaverse the most, and the key technologies to use to create engaging customer experiences.
Who Is Jolanta Kubatek
Jolanta Kubatek is the CEO of 4Experience, a 3D solutions company where she helps the company deliver services that solve real-life challenges. She has a long-lasting career in marketing and is the founder of Fasteps where she makes it possible for organizations to explore the secrets of internet marketing.
Spotlight: What are the key advantages of entering into the metaverse and when should businesses get on it?
Jolanta Kubatek: The metaverse has the potential to change the way in which brands interact with their customers and is already doing so. Metaverses also open up new revenue opportunities and are a great way to increase brand visibility and build a community.
When should businesses get on it? Well, many global giants like Nike, Coca-Cola and Hyundai are already using immersive worlds to create brand-new virtual experiences that truly engage their clientele. So we'd say it's high time companies take the metaverse seriously. Brands that don't might have a hard time catching up in the future.
Metaverse seems to take on, especially in the eCommerce industry. In your expert opinion, which industry will benefit the most from it?
It’s hard to judge how exactly the metaverse will evolve. It all depends on the pace of advancements in technology, which will be largely dependent on how the public reacts to new hardware like MR headsets.
As for the industry that could benefit the most, entertainment comes to mind first. With virtual events, immersive games and VR movies, it’s bound to leverage the potential of the metaverse. Virtual worlds are also being used extensively for marketing. They’re an excellent place for building brand awareness and a community, so virtually any business can benefit from them.
Finally, as you’ve mentioned, there is eCommerce. However, we prefer to use the term i-commerce (or immersive commerce) when it comes to metaverses. Thanks to XR and NFTs, there’s a whole new way companies can create shopping experiences in the virtual world.
Imagine you want to buy a pair of sneakers. Instead of visiting a brick-and-mortar shop or website, you enter a store in the metaverse. There, you see an almost unlimited number of brand-new clothes and shoes. You choose a pair and buy one.
This is where NFTs and their smart contracts come into play. In short, if you buy a piece of virtual clothing as an NFT, you can use it in the metaverse for your avatar. But if that asset has a smart contract, you can expect a courier at your door with a physical pair of sneakers!
Well, not instantaneously, of course. But the fact that you can easily buy something in the virtual realm and then use it in the real world sounds super exciting!
Aside from AR/VR, what other technologies can businesses take advantage of to create more engaging customer experiences?
Things our clients find highly beneficial are 3D visualizations and configurators. 3D models of products enable customers to picture and better understand a product before purchasing it. Visualizations are oftentimes even better than actual photos. For example, in the real estate industry. Why make your clients look at images when you can give them a virtual tour of the place?
Customizing products is becoming incredibly popular too. After all, who wouldn’t want something made just for them? Statistics show people are more willing to make a purchase and even spend more money if an item is personalized.
3D visualizations and configurators are often one project or come one after another. That’s because once you have 3D models of your products, you have an excellent base for developing a configurator.
4Experience works with brands like Ford and Lenovo. Can you share your most notable projects and how they became a success?
Our team has worked on many VR training projects we’re really proud of. For example, we developed a complete training solution for DPD. They needed a tool that would facilitate the training of new employees in different real-life scenarios. A high fluctuation of employees was causing excessive learning costs and a lack of skills among newcomers.
The application we created was a realistic representation of three main scenarios the staff would encounter at work. It trains newcomers effectively without the need to engage an instructor or experienced employee in the process, it also costs nothing to operate. Finally, it was available from anywhere in the world. All an employee needed was a compatible VR headset.
I believe the project turned out so great because of how we focused on the specific needs of our client and thanks to our attention to detail. We really did our best to meet expectations and succeeded in that.
As Piotr Frandzel from DPD said: “The quality of the apps was outstanding. The team modeled every single detail with such accuracy that the simulations feel lifelike. They were always supportive and understanding, even with the large scope of work we entrusted them with.”
We’ve also just recently completed an advanced VR game. It’s a multiplayer shooter where players fight each other in a physical arena, holding physical weapons models but with headsets on.
It’s all based on a sophisticated set of motion sensors and trackers that record their every move and represent it in-game. The software supports haptic vests too. So the participants are in virtual reality but can walk freely and interact with the environment in a natural way.
Which among your services received the most demand in recent years? Why is that?
A large portion of our clients request VR & AR training and onboarding solutions. And we’re not surprised - the knowledge retention for virtual reality training can be twice as high as in standard lectures. XR technologies provide a unique and very engaging way of learning new skills. And engagement is key. Without it, even the best curriculum can become useless.
3D configurators are also very popular among our clients. Finally, we’ve noticed increasing interest in R&D medical projects as there’s a growing demand for innovative solutions to complex medical problems.
What new technologies are you most excited about in 2023?
We’re most excited about advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning and the development of mixed-reality technologies. 2022 saw the introduction of two new VR headsets with full-color pass-through.
We have to mention CES 2023, too, as it brought amazing new hardware in the field of XR. One of the new devices is the HTC VIVE XR Elite, something its manufacturers call the “all-in-one XR solution.” What’s possibly even more exciting, TCL announced the RayNeo X2, an AR device that could be mistaken for a pair of regular glasses while offering a full augmented reality experience.
In our opinion, these and similar developments will make XR more accessible and widespread, which we look forward to.
Lastly, is the metaverse hype or revolutionary?
Some people call it hype and say it won’t stick around for long because it failed to meet their expectations. But we believe the metaverse has the potential to become mainstream in the years to come. Even though it’s still in an early stage of development. As the technology and infrastructure around the metaverse continue to grow and develop, it could be a transformative force in the way we interact and collaborate with each other online.
Thank you for your time, Jolanta Kubatek. Best of luck to you and 4Experience!
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