CNN reported that the parent company Facebook and Instagram is entering a new area in physical store retail.
On Monday, Meta announced the launch of the Meta Store – the company’s first attempt to sell physical products including the Quest 2 virtual reality device and the Portal video calling device. The store will also offer affordable Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses developed with Ray-Ban.
Unlike the Apple Store, the Meta Store currently has only one store and will be located on the company’s campus in Burlingame, California.
Meta is the latest big tech company to open a physical store to sell hardware devices. Google opened a similar store in New York last year. Microsoft closed 83 stores in 2020 but reconfigured a few “experience centers” and started selling products in them in 2021. Apple has also built hundreds of stores into its core business in the year. throughout many years.
The store will open May 9 and Meta will let people use a variety of demo products and will include a VR space allowing customers to try out apps like Beat Saber and Real VR Fishing.
“Meta Store will help people connect with our products – which could be the gateway to the virtual universe of the future,” said Meta Store head Martin Gilliard.
Because the store is located within Meta’s headquarters, Meta employees “have more opportunities to experiment and create experiences for customers”.
Meta is a leader in the small but rapidly growing field of VR devices. IDC Research Center predicts nearly 11 million VR devices will be delivered in 2021 – a 96% increase from 5.6 million delivered a year ago. Ubrani believes that Meta’s Quest 2 will account for 80% of the shipments.
It is not clear if Meta plans to take the Meta Store beyond Burlingame like what Apple started in 2001 with the Apple Store and then went around the world. A spokesperson for Meta said that the company has not yet commented on whether it will expand the Meta Store further.
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