50% of shoppers want to buy gadgets through the metaverse

The 400-person study was conducted by future retail agency Outform to identify shopping behaviours in the consumer electronics category. It found that nearly half (45%) of consumer electronic shoppers who are open to the metaverse believe exploring and evaluating products through it will be the future of shopping. More than four-in-ten (41%) say that it’s the most convenient way to shop going forward.

The research also found that elements that will become the everyday in the metaverse have become paramount to informing the purchase decisions of consumer electronics shoppers. Almost eight-in-ten (79%) are willing to use AR tools in-store to explore and evaluate products. Almost three-quarters (73%) of shoppers say the same for VR, and nearly seven-in-ten (67%) expect virtual try-before-you-buy experiences so that they can test products.

The research also makes clear the indispensable role of the smartphone when it comes to validating in-store shopping for tech. Nearly eight-in-ten (77%) consumer electronics shoppers say that they rely on phones to make purchase decisions in-store. More than half (55%) use them to access customer reviews and a similar number (54%) do so to conduct further research of the products that they’re interested in.

Simon Hathaway, Group MD EMEA at Outform, said: “We know gadget lovers are willing to queue early doors for the latest product drop and are eager to experiment with the newest innovations. Our study shows they’re ahead of the curve in how they shop too, with virtual technologies, AR and VR now driving a greater propensity to purchase.

“In bricks & mortar stores, smartphones are now a linchpin to sales for any consumer electronic brand or retailer. The ability to ensure shoppers can access contextually relevant content to make a purchase - everything from customer reviews to product demos - through mobile-friendly tools such as QR will be an important driver in 2023.”