A new study from “future retail agency” Outform has found enthusiasm among consumer electronics shoppers for researching and buying products via the metaverse. 45 per cent of 400 consumers surveyed said they believed exploring and evaluating products through the metaverse will be the future of shopping.

The research also found that elements that will likely become the norm in the metaverse have become paramount to informing the purchase decisions of consumer electronics shoppers. 79 per cent said they were willing to use augmented reality tools in-store to explore and evaluate products. 73 per cent said the same for virtual reality, and 67 per cent said they expect virtual try-before-you-buy experiences so that they can test products before buying.

The research also makes clear the indispensable role of the smartphone when it comes to validating in-store shopping for tech. 77 per cent of respondents said say that they rely on phones to make buying decisions in-store. 55 per cent use them to access customer reviews and 54 per cent do so to conduct further research of the products that they’re interested in.

Last year, UK retailer Argos teamed up with Ocean Outdoor and LandVault to launch what it called the world’s first Web 3 metaverse DOOH package – a billboard campaign that ran in physical locations in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and also on 45 digital billboards in Decentraland and Somnium Space.