Nine out of ten users are curious about the metaverse

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Nine out of ten users are curious the metaverse

Organizations await the metaverse and immersive experiences to be an important channel not only for user interactions, but also for improved employee and workforce experienceswith

Paris, December 8, 2022 – According to a new report from on catch it Research Institute, ‘Full immersion: What fascinating experiences and the Metaverse Leverage customer experience and operations, 77% of consumers expect immersive experiences to influence the way they interact with people, brands and services, and seven in ten organizations say they believe immersive experiences will be a key differentiator in their markets, particularly in relation to the customer journey. Outside of the small group of metaverse experienced users¹Tthree-quarters say they currently use it and will continue to do so, which shows has business potential that can harness the power of this highly touted an immersive experience.

In July and August 2022, Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 8,000 consumers and 1,000 organizations in 12 countries to understand what potential consumers and organizations see in these immersive and metauniversal experiences, whether delivered via headsets or mobile/web browsers, etc. n. The report finds that while the actual decentralized “metauniverse” based on blockchain technology is still in development, the broad opportunities it provides to drive value in business are already being realized.

“We’re starting to see a more thoughtful and nuanced approach to design immersive experiences and on specifically the metaverse,” commented Charlton Monsanto, Head of Global Immersive Experiences at Capgemini. “This The report supports the idea that early interest in on a user-centric metauniverse driven by investment from big players, must think enough about the real challenges around ergonomics, accessibility, safety and privacywhich organizationwith are now working to address. The potential of on the metaverse is transwithformative and consumer curiosity remains high. Immersive experiences – including the metaverse – for internal use cases can be more impactful for organizations, certainly in the short term.“

Users are aware of the immediate potential of immersive use cases
The research found that consumers are intrigued by the prospect of immersive and metauniverse experiences and would like to use the metauniverse primarily as a place to interact with family, friends (43%) and even colleagues (39%). Among the brands they would be most interested in interacting with in the metaverse, they cited retail shopping (78%) and consumer product organizations (77%), i.e. improving their shopping experience or trying out high-involvement products such as cars, furniture and consumer electronics.

There is significant potential for employee and workforce experience
As indicated by the interviews, organizations have already successfully implemented immersion and metaspace initiatives, particularly to improve operational efficiency, for example:

• Retail floor plan at CPR, where floor view virtually enables organizations to plan the design of their retail store without teams having to travel there
• Training and education of medical professionals (and other industries), which allows surgeons to plan, rehearse and perform procedures using headsets and 3D patient scans
• Automotive testing and digital prototyping, where VR is used for design and engineering reviews. By reducing the number of prototypes built, organizations can save millions of dollars while enabling significant environmental savings.

However, many organizations lack a clear strategy for scaling their immersive and metaspace initiatives
With the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, the increased pace of digitization due to the pandemic and greater concern for sustainability, organizations in various sectors have developed immersive experience pilot programs and demonstrations at a rapid pace in recent years. Specifically for the consumer products and retail (CPR) sector, some businesses are piloting immersive use cases such as AR for virtual home decor, electronics and other items (24%) or to create new, more engaging consumer experiences (25 %).

According to the report, 66% of organizations already have a 1-2 year roadmap for immersive experiences, and 15% of organizations aim to have some presence in the metaverse within a year, while 45% believe it will become mainstream within three years old. However, many organizations are now taking a sensible approach.

In addition to the external factors impeding such initiatives (lack of technology maturity, lack of connectivity infrastructure, etc.), the report found that there are significant internal challenges for businesses to take full advantage of this consumer appetite and increase – lack of strategic planning, and for almost 40% of organizations, immersion initiatives are still considered one-off projects rather than a link in the chain of continuous improvement. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of companies admit there is no management commitment to immersive initiatives, and over half (56%) cite no clear roadmap for adoption.

safety, privacy and aspects of inclusion are important for a sense of community
Curiosity about the metaverse is perhaps tempered by concerns about the technology itself. Based on a scan of over 180,000 social media conversations, the research found that concerns around sexual harassment, personal safety and privacy are top of mind for consumers.

If the metaverse is considered a network of virtual worlds, safety and ethical aspects will be important in establishing the sense of community central to its mass adoption. Whether it’s consumer or employee/workplace use cases, brands will need to address these issues before creating and deploying their virtual spaces, and have a way to regulate them while balancing the issues with privacy and security.

Read the full report here.

Notes to the editors

* Capgemini defines a metaverse as a type of immersive experience and “network of virtual worlds” where people can play, shop, communicate, learn and work through their avatars. Using an open network of decentralized 3D virtual and hybrid spaces, the metaverse exists parallel to the physical world and is designed to combine online digital and real experiences regardless of place, time or device.

** Capgemini defines an immersive experience as one that combines one or more of the following interactions during a journey, moment or task:

• Flat (2D) User Interfaces: Enhanced experience available through a flat interface such as a smartphone/personal computer (PC)/app such as an advanced camera for scanning QR codes, virtual viewing of houses, cars and locations (Google Maps ‘ Live View) or virtual trying on cosmetics, glasses and clothes or placing furniture (Amazon AR, IKEA AR).
• Natural and Spatial Interfaces: Experiences realized through natural sensory interactions (audio, visual/sight, temperature, gesture, haptic, touch, movement and smell). Examples of this are voice assistants (eg Siri, Alexa); gestures (Microsoft Kinect, Nintendo Wii) or by touch (eg using Nest thermostats). Spatial interactions where we interact with space through biometric sensors (ie facial recognition)
• Augmented Reality (3D): AR, VR, MR experiences accessible through headsets and 3D visualization and projection that enhance reality or create simulations. These interactions can enable augmented reality (Google Glass, car heads-up display mounts, etc.) or virtual reality (Oculus, SteamVR, etc.), or a combination.

Survey respondents were given the same definition of “immersive experiences” and “metaverse” as defined above, along with detailed illustrations.

Capgemini’s Metaverse-Lab, a coordinating center for research and solutions, is designed to help clients explore the possibilities of emerging technologies and shape and execute their metaverse strategies. Research and development programs cover the future of fascinating human-machine interfaces and controllers, working in the metaverse, digital twins, blockchain, Web3 and decentralized approaches. Read more about here.

Methodology
Research institute Capgemini surveyed 8,000 consumers aged 18+ in 12 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America in July and August 2022 to find out what consumers think about AR/VR and other mobile/web-based immersive applications including metaverse,. It also surveyed 1,000 organizations in the consumer products, retail, discrete manufacturing, life sciences, media and content, telecom, banking and insurance sectors to examine how organizations are using these compelling technologies for their internal operations. This research was supplemented with in-depth interviews with executives and technology partners in this space, as well as social listening research including Google search analytics, social media analytics, and sentiment analysis and emotion detection.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The group is driven every day by its goal to unleash human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of over 350,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the full range of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast-paced and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. In 2021, the Group reported global revenues of €18 billion (about US$21 billion at 2021 average exchange rates).
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¹ “Metaverse Experienced Users” represent 4% of the sample and approx. 380 users

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