7 Companies With Metaverse Stores—But Are They Worth Visiting?

Online shopping has transcended different levels, and many brands have already expanded into the next big thing, the next frontier—the metaverse. This virtual reality promised to be exciting for us, and many companies and brands have been exploring the metaverse space in marketing their products.

What are these companies, and how successful have they been in the metaverse so far?

1. Nike

Nike dominates the sportswear industry and has delved into the metaverse world to chase new frontiers. Its first dip in the metaverse waters was launching Nikeland on the Roblox platform.

In this metaverse, Nike’s enthusiasts can engage in sports games, compete in virtual sneakers and apparel challenges, and interact with other Nike enthusiasts worldwide. Since its launch in November 2021, it has had several events with millions of visitors, with Nike planning to add more features and experiences to Nikeland.

In December 2021, Nike pursued a bit further in its quest to explore the metaverse by acquiring a digital fashion company, RTFKT. This company is known for creating virtual sneakers and digital collectibles, with its top NFT collections including Cryptokicks, CloneX, MNLTH, and several others.

In collaboration with RTFKT, Nike launched its Nike Air Force 1 Forging Event, where users could buy from any of ten NFTs collections featuring two editions from Takashi Murakami from April 24-May 8, 2023. Anyone who buys an NFT during the event gets a physical copy of the NFT (i.e., Nike sneakers).

In November 2022, Nike launched .Swoosh, a Web3-enabled metaverse platform where you can collect, buy, design, and co-create Nike virtual products and participate in virtual community events. Nike launched its first virtual collection, Our Force 1 (OF1), making it available on May 8, 2023, to a select invited group and general members on May 10, 2023. As of the time of writing, Cryptokicks holders have access to .Swoosh IDs, but you can only access the platform in the United States or some select European countries.

2. Samsung

Samsung launched the Samsung 837X at CES 2022. The 837X is modeled after its New York City physical store and is an immersive metaverse store hosted on the Decentraland metaverse.

Samsung 837x, which held its opening from January 6-January 8, 2022, allowed people to collect rare NFT badges and exclusive wearables for their avatar while exploring their main feature experiences:

• Connectivity Theater: where Samsung showcases, educates, and allows participants to try out its latest products and services virtually.
• Sustainability Forest: a virtual forest in 837x where Samsung educates, quizzes, and allows participants to interact with their sustainability initiatives by virtually planting trees.
• Customization Stage: where users can customize their Samsung products by choosing the materials, colors, and features of their smartphones, TVs, and appliances

You can also purchase, tour the immersive SmartThings Home, and explore all the latest Samsung technology at their several Samsung experience stores, including 837x in New York in the United States.

3. Gucci

Gucci launched in the metaverse to mark its 100th anniversary, collaborating with Roblox to create a virtual garden exhibition, Gucci Garden, in 2021. This virtual garden has four immersive virtual spaces (Boutique, Bookstore, Gucci Osteria, and Gucci Giardino 25) where you can explore and buy digital collectibles.

Gucci also purchased an undisclosed portion of land in the Sandbox metaverse platform in October 2022, called the Gucci Vault. It is a virtual recreation of their physical store in Milan, where you can explore art, NFTs, and vintage Gucci fashion pieces like clothing and accessories for sale. They also collaborate with other brand creators and artists in exploring fashion in the metaverse. You can also play games while interacting with other Gucci enthusiasts and learning more about Gucci’s history and culture.

4. Heineken

Heineken debuted its first virtual beer, Heineken Silver, on the Decentraland platform, making it exclusively available in its virtual brewery in March 2022. At the launch event, participants were shown how the beer is brewed with Binary Coded Hops grown by non-character farmers and the brewing process overseen by the dedicated Heineken’s Virtual Brewing Assistants. They could also savor the pixelated lobster and caviar while meeting with Heineken ambassadors like Thierry Henry.

Of course, there is no actual (real) Heineken Silver you can buy and drink physically, but you can get your hands on the product in several ways. For example, you can grab a virtual beer via Heineken’s Snapchat Virtual Lens, AR filter for iPhone (both of which you can access on their official website), or explore their brewery on Decentraland. On another note: it is possible to buy virtual land in the metaverse in case you want to have a portion to yourself.

5. Bulova

Bulova, an iconic American watchmaking company, collaborated with D-CAVE, a lifestyle metaverse marketplace, to launch two new Computron LED watches, launching one on a dedicated space in Decentraland in March 2022.

You can buy the iconic design version of the watches, inspired by gaming, for $450. The other version of the watches, the Special Edition, was only available via NFT drop when it first launched. But now, you can get it by minting one of their 1,000 Phygital NFTs. At the time of writing, only 10 NFTs have been minted. With a minted NFT, you also get a wearable version of the watch for your avatar and a physical (Special Edition) Bulova Computron watch.

6. Burberry

Burberry is one of the metaverse’s most active luxury fashion brands. Burberry announced a collaboration with Mythical Games in August 2021 to release a limited-edition Burberry Blanko in-game NFT collection in the immersive Blankos Block Party multiplayer game. With a renewed partnership, Burberry followed up with a second Blanko NFT collection release in June 2022.

Burberry partnered with Roblox to launch its signature Lola bag to the Roblox platform via ten limited and five free emote designs in July 2022. Customers could buy from its virtual Lola handbag collection for their avatars, 800 Robux each for the limited designs.

Burberry was also present at the debut of Metaverse Fashion Week (MVFW), a digital virtual fashion show held on Decentraland, a blockchain-based metaverse, in March 2022. The show featured Burberry’s latest digital collections, with more than 100,000 guests in attendance.

7. Hyundai

One from the automotive industry, Hyundai, also has a bite of the metaverse. It launched its immersive virtual city, Hyundai Mobility Adventure, and Hyundai Pavilion on Metaverse Space in January 2023 on the Roblox platform at the start of the Auto Expo 2023 event. In the virtual space, people could interact with other users using their avatars and explore Hyundai’s city while checking out different Hyundai technologies and car models.

The company’s flagship models of interest in the virtual city were the NEXO, IONIQ 6, TUCSON, VENUE N Line, and the much-awaited Hyundai IONIQ 5, the first all-electric SUV from the company. In addition, some mini-games allowed participants to try out Hyundai’s high-tech features like air purification by fuel cell electric and V2L technology.

While the metaverse has existed for over two decades, it is still widely considered an emerging technology. However, with several companies and brands biting a piece of the metaverse cake, there is a promise that it will revolutionize how we shop and consume products.

As the metaverse continues to evolve, we hope to see more companies opening up virtual stores and providing their customers with new, exciting, and more immersive and engaging shopping experiences.