Bitkom: German companies are hesitant to enter the metaverse
Opinions on the metaverse are mixed: many companies see no future, while 10% believe their business model is under threat. This is the result of a survey.
(Image: PopTika/Shutterstock.com)
Many companies in Germany are skeptical about the metaverse. To mark the release of Apple Vision Pro in Germany, the digital association Bitkom conducted a metaverse survey in which 605 companies with 20 or more employees took part.
At present, the metaverse is still a dream of the future for many companies, partly because the technology is not exactly cheap. Around a third (37 percent) of the companies surveyed assume that noticeable changes in the "economy and society" as a result of the metaverse will only occur in ten years at the earliest – a quarter of the survey participants think they will never come.
"The initial euphoria about the metaverse may have subsided, but there is no reason for a swan song," says Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder. "On the contrary: many applications are already in practical use, especially in the commercial sector. This applies to the industrial metaverse with digital twins in production, among other things." Siemens had already proclaimed the age of the industrial metaverse at the beginning of the year.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
The majority are undecided
The survey shows that many companies are still undecided as to how they should evaluate the metaverse. 43% of respondents are still undecided, while just under a quarter are interested and open-minded (23%) or critical and opposed (24%) to the metaverse. One in ten companies even sees its business model under threat. 15 percent feel that their existence is threatened by the metaverse. The majority, 83 percent of respondents, want to wait and see and observe the experiences of other companies.
Although a fifth of respondents see the metaverse as an opportunity, there is also an almost equally large group (17%) who see it as a risk. In addition, 37 percent believe that the metaverse will not affect their company. According to the survey results, more needs to be done in terms of standardization. Other barriers to market penetration include the issues of data protection and IT security. This is also linked to the shortage of skilled workers.
Gaming industry, tourism, media and entertainment
43% see no benefit from the metaverse in their own business area, but do in other sectors. Interest is particularly high in the gaming industry (74 percent), followed by tourism (60 percent), media and entertainment (54 percent) and the IT and technology sector (52 percent) – but also in sectors such as healthcare, logistics, sports and retail.
(Image:Â Bitkom Research)
44% of respondents see "better collaboration within the company" as the biggest advantage. 43 percent are of the opinion that new products or services can be better developed in this way. 39 percent saw a new way of communicating with customers.
Videos by heise
Three quarters of companies see a lack of practical applications as the main problem for the spread of the metaverse. In addition, many companies feel that the technology is not yet fully developed (73%) and criticize insufficient standardization (55%). Regulatory challenges, such as data protection requirements (67%), legal uncertainties (44%) and IT security requirements (36%), are further obstacles. Internally, there is often a lack of knowledge (52%) and qualified personnel (46%).
However, according to Bitkom, companies would like information on marketable metaverse applications, better legal and ethical assessment aids and the availability of skilled staff. More than a third of respondents (37%) are also interested in a more intensive exchange with universities and research institutions.
Despite the current reluctance, the survey shows that investment in the metaverse could increase in the coming years. While only 2% of companies have invested so far in 2023, 6% are planning to invest in the metaverse this year, 9% by 2025 and as many as 22% after 2025.
Some of the world's largest companies are investing in the metaverse: Apple's Vision Pro VR headset is technically successful, but too heavy and uncomfortable. Meta has been investing in its own metaverse for years, has renamed the company for this reason and is sinking billions into research and development.
(mack)
