The 2023 Hurun China Metaverse Potential Enterprises List recently released by Hurun Research Institute shows that 200 enterprises worth more than 1 billion dollars have already made layouts or taken practical actions in the metaverse and its related fields. These enterprises are widely involved in various aspects such as underlying components, terminal products, new industry investment, virtual platforms, new standards and specific applications, showing the diversification and activity in the field of meta-universe.
I. Six Actions of Enterprises Related to Meta-Universe Field
In the past year, these enterprises on the list mainly have six major actions in the field of meta-universe:
1. new underlying components: for example, MediaTek launched HPC chips for meta-universe CoWoS package, which provides powerful computing power for meta-universe.
2. New terminal products: DJI launched AVATA, a new VR drone, which demonstrates Metaverse's innovation in terminal devices.
3. Investment in new industries: Haier put into production the world's first Metaverse Future Factory in Shanghai, marking the deep integration of Metaverse with manufacturing.
4. New virtual platform: Lilith launched Da Vinci, a UGC creation platform that provides users with a platform to create and share metaverse content.
5. New standards: Huawei and Ali have become founding members of the global "Metaverse Standards Forum" to promote technical standardization in the field of metaverse.
6. New concrete applications: Ctrip held its first annual metaverse conference on Planet Sugar, demonstrating the potential of metaverse applications in corporate activities.
The development of meta-universe and consumer expectations
According to retail fair, meta-universe is still at an early stage of development and there are different voices in the market about its future prospects. However, the respondents' understanding and expectations of the metaverse generally share the three commonalities of immersion, strong interactivity and socialization. In particular, Generation Z is most interested in strong interactivity, while Generation Y and Generation Z also show strong interest in immersive features.
In order to realize immersive experience, it is necessary to truly restore the five senses (vision, hearing, touch, smell, vestibular sense). Under the current level of technological development, the solutions for hearing and vision are relatively mature and continue to be optimized and upgraded, but the sense of smell, touch, and vestibular sense are still in the research stage.
Third, the influence and reconstruction of meta-universe on the field of consumption
With the advancement of technology and the expansion of application, the metaverse is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the consumer field.
More than 70% of the respondents indicated that they had participated in metaverse-related activities or experienced services in the past year, of which 33% had participated in metaverse showrooms, exhibitions, trainings, summits, etc., through smart terminals/computers, 32% had used VR headsets to experience activities, and 30% had purchased digital products.
IV. Meta-universe and future retail outlook
In the future, with the continuous expansion and integration of virtual space, the meta-universe world may be a multifaceted world composed of several huge and extremely rich meta-universe spaces. The consumer field, as one of the important scenarios of meta-universe application, will usher in great changes and development opportunities.
According to the results of this research, consumers have high expectation for purchasing various real-world products or spiritual consumption products through the metaverse, and they think that the three-dimensional, visualized and interactive presentation form will enhance their knowledge and immersive experience of the products. At the same time, they find their own interested marketing scenarios to interact with and establish real social networks to maintain closer ties with brands and other users. According to retail fair, this undoubtedly brings more possibilities and innovation opportunities for the consumer sector.
In order to realize these development trends, there are five key technologies that may have a significant impact on the future of retail:
1. Cloud computing platform: Cloud computing has the ability to realize "goods follow the heart" and "connect with the heart" of customers. This means that, through powerful data processing and analysis capabilities, the cloud computing platform can understand the needs of consumers in real time, and provide personalized product recommendations and services.
2. Artificial Intelligence Customer Service: AI-driven intelligent customer service can answer customer questions in real time and provide personalized service, thus solving various problems that consumers may encounter in the purchase process.
3. Digital logistics and Internet of Things: These technologies can optimize inventory management, improve logistics efficiency, and ensure that goods appear in the right place at the right time in the right quantity, thus providing customers with the ultimate "price-quality ratio" experience.
4. VR/AR technology: virtual reality and augmented reality technology can allow customers to experience the products "immersively" before shopping, which is especially suitable for those products that require actual experience to make a purchase decision.
5. Flexible Supply Chain: Through a highly flexible and responsive supply chain system, it is possible to achieve a "what you think is what you get" production model, i.e., production adjustments based on real-time consumer demand, minimizing waste and meeting personalized needs.
Taken together, these five technologies are likely to provide a powerful impetus for the future of retail. According to retail fair, as these technologies continue to evolve and converge, the retail industry is expected to achieve a higher degree of personalization, intelligence and efficiency, thus providing consumers with a better, more convenient and innovative shopping experience.
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