For hardware: Meta wants to open its own stores
From social network to stationary retail: Meta wants to open its own stores to sell Ray-Ban glasses and Quest.
Test station of the Meta Ray-Ban glasses at Connect 2024.
(Image: ema)
Meta's Ray-Ban glasses are already said to be a bestseller, as evidenced by Meta's latest quarterly figures. The Quest, Meta's VR headset, is also doing well at times. Both are now apparently set to receive a further boost. Meta is planning to open stores where people can try out and, of course, buy the devices. So far, the Quest and accessories can only be ordered online. Ray-Ban Meta Glasses are already available in some Ray-Ban stores and from certified retailers.
Business Insider reports that Meta now also wants to open its own stores. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said several times that he believes that eyewear will become the next most important device category. He is not alone in this view; Google has also unveiled new AI glasses, and Apple and OpenAI are also working on their own. It therefore comes as no surprise that Zuckerberg wants to drive sales with brick-and-mortar retailers and, if necessary, is willing to pay for it.
At least with Ray-Ban glasses, it makes sense to try them on in a store before buying. They are available in different designs, colors and sizes. It is also possible to fit prescription lenses in the glasses –, at which point an optician is required at the latest.
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Meta stores with a setting for testing
The functions of the glasses and headset can also be tested in a store to find out whether you suffer from VR nausea, for example, before you buy. At the in-house Connect trade fair last fall, Meta created a setting in which you could play games with smart glasses, use Meta AI to scan a QR code or ask questions about a model building course with model cars. The Quest could also be tested in a container living room. Meta could also set up similar setups in stores. Apple, for example, also uses stationary retail outlets to demonstrate products and even give introductions and courses.
The first Meta store already exists in California, specifically on the campus of Meta Reality Labs, the Meta subsidiary that is responsible for the Metaverse, among other things. Reality Labs is based in Burlingame, near San Francisco Airport – and is probably not the first port of call for most customers. The store has been around since 2022, and Meta has also set up a pop-up store on the main campus in Menlo Park for Connect.
(emw)
