Según la publicación del portal The Drum
Web3 is already beginning to revolutionize the retail industry. Here’s how it can be leveraged to engage customers through what ‘metachannel’ experiences, writes Frog exec Liron Reznik.
What comes after omnichannel retail? As Web3-related technologies — like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) — gain traction, we could enter the age of metachannel retail.
Some brands are already designing stores that bridge the physical-virtual divide and upend the traditional idea of a store. Nike, for example, has drawn millions of visitors to its virtual shopping experience on an online gaming and commerce platform, and complemented that with a hybrid experience (blending physical and virtual elements) in one of its major retail locations.
How can retailers blend virtual and physical experiences to move beyond omnichannel in ways that satisfy customers and employees? Thinking carefully about design and implementing a human-centric approach are two key first steps.
Where retail is now, and where it’s headed
The evolution of omnichannel retail has been about much more than the ability to shop across platforms. Brands and retailers have become part of their customers’ online and real-life communities, through social engagement, customer forums and feedback, and growing commitments to sustainability and other values.
Today, Web3 technologies are driving new ways of engaging, doing business, making decisions, and redefining people’s identities via new virtual components. For the moment, technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) may feel like exciting novelties. But as these and similar experiences become more common, an omnichannel program without them will be increasingly disconnected from a new world where customers expect not just online and in-person experiences, but also virtual experiences.
Building metachannel experiences requires designing with human beings — not just technology — in mind. There are three key areas to consider during the design stage: (1) customers’ sense of self and identity, (2) their values, and(3) their desire for communities that reflect their values, where they can be their authentic selves.
Celebrate customers’ authentic selves
Metachannel retail experiences can give customers a sense of extended identity—virtual spaces where they can try out new ways of being or explore interests they may not be able to engage with in their physical surroundings. These experiences can range from relatively simple AR tools (to modify users’ digital appearance) to VR tools for creative projects with far-flung collaborators.
Younger consumers, in particular, are blurring the boundaries between physical and virtual identities. 1 in 3 Gen Zers responding to a recent survey, for example, said that “their online identity is their most authentic self.” But it’s not just younger generations that can benefit from experiencing the freedom of the virtual self. Some senior care communities use VR to allow residents to revisit their old neighborhoods, previous travel destinations, and favorite hangout spots — places they can no longer physically go to — to improve their well-being.
So metachannel experience planning starts with understanding how your customers see themselves, how they would like to see themselves if real-world limitations were lifted, and how you can bring those visions into reality.
