April 2023

It’s technical, complicated and largely untested, yet retailers shouldn’t be averse to the metaverse. “The massive query retailers have been attempting to answer is whether or not or not an investment in prolonged reality technologies will tangibly grow a brand’s fan base and create real business opportunities that don’t exist already in-store or through a typical online website presence. The short answer is yes,” said Mike Riggs, managing principal of IA Interior Architects, a world firm of architects, designers, strategists and environmental specialists. “Like most things in life, a moderated approach to adoption and consumption would work best for retailers, as the actual and virtual worlds proceed their convergence. Retailers shouldn't ignore the inevitability of at-home XR (prolonged reality) technologies influencing in-store...