Technology should move billions of dollars in the coming years. Expert guides care entrepreneurs should take to better take advantage of new resources
Brazil has more than 80 million online consumers, who move almost R$ 90 billion per year, according to a survey by Ebit | Nielsen. The numbers of e-commerce in the country grow and entrepreneurs in the sector must be aware of innovations and trends that can be applied to business, to take advantage of opportunities and this broad audience. This is the case of Metaverso, a 3D virtual space where people can immerse themselves and interact through resources such as augmented reality. Recently announced, the technology has had a lot of repercussions and has already been embraced by major brands, which are betting on virtual stores and fitting rooms and also on the commercialization of virtual 100% products.
The Metaverse is expected to move billions of dollars in the coming years, according to consultancy Ernst & Young, and revolutionize the consumer journey. “E-commerce that includes Metaverso as a new channel of interaction and purchase will provide new experiences to customers. It will be possible, for example, to enter a virtual store with an avatar, try on several t-shirts and buy only the one that looks best. The consumer will have an experience that is very close to an activity they would perform in the physical world, being able to test products and services in a very realistic way”, explains Eric Vieira, head of E-commerce at Grupo FCamara, a consultancy for technological solutions and digital transformation.
Adhesion requires adequate infrastructure and advance preparation
Large companies in the country are already venturing with the new technology. This is the case of TIM and Lacta, which recently opened stores in Metaverso. Vieira points out that businesses of different sizes will be able to take advantage of the new possibilities, but for that the entrepreneur must be aware of the aspects inherent to the implementation of a new sales channel.
“The opening of a new channel is always a challenge, both in terms of the concern to maintain a good user experience, as well as the technical issues of implementing an adequate infrastructure. In the Metaverse, this will be no different. Online retail will have to provide a good shopping experience, considering that the customer is not yet acclimated to the new channel. Therefore, it will be necessary to minimize the risks of rejection”, explains the executive.
In this sense, the infrastructure architecture can significantly impact the success of this type of initiative. It is necessary to implement an environment suitable for the volume of accesses and interactions, and at that time, another challenge may be encountered, which is the availability of qualified professionals. Therefore, for this to happen, there needs to be incentives and projects to train specialists in the e-commerce business combined with new technologies, so that these people are able to make these experiences excellent, since it is still considered that currently the number of professionals in the area is scarce compared to the growth of the sector.
“In addition to this growing need for professionals specialized in digital business and commerce, there will be few people with technical knowledge of Metaverse in the market. All these points must be considered and those who anticipate their preparation to enter the new universe of possibilities will be at an advantage. An e-commerce that has a strong presence with a website, application and marketplace, by joining Metaverso it will achieve a more prominent position in relation to competitors”, concludes Vieira.
