Are you ready to conduct business in the metaverse?
Facebook converted all of its apps and technologies into a new company and brand called Meta in October 2021. Metaverse resurfaces as a new buzzword. People want to know if we will soon live in the metaverse.
Some companies have already gotten into the metaverse
It does not take long for some pioneers to jump into the metaverse. McDonald’s is one of them. On February 4, the company filed 10 trademark applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for both McDonald’s and McCafé, such as:
- Virtual food and beverage products, including NFTs (an NFT is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on the blockchain that can track a unique digital asset’s transfer, ownership, and properties, according to Napoli, 2021)
- Operating a virtual restaurant online with home delivery features
- Online actual and virtual concerts
The idea is: when people feel hungry while hanging out in the metaverse, they can just “walk” into a McDonald’s there without coming back to the real world to place an order. Then, the food will be delivered to their door minutes later.
Panera Bread also filed a trademark for “Paneraverse” on February 3, also including NFTs, virtual entertainment services, and a virtual reward program. Other companies like Nike, Gucci, Microsoft, and Crocs are working on their offerings in the metaverse.
Not everyone is buying the metaverse idea, however
Apple recently updated its privacy setting, allowing users to choose how they want to share their data. Many people choose to opt-out of sharing their privacy and data. Yet, for companies like Meta, collecting user data and knowing everything about a user is the core of their business model. Google is likely to introduce a similar privacy setting as well. The update of Apple’s privacy settings is one of the reasons why Meta saw a $10 billion drop in revenues lately.
What can the hospitality industry expect from the metaverse?
The metaverse removes the barriers between humans and machines. Companies can now “humanize” most of the robotic services in both the real world and the metaverse, which can be a win-win for customers and companies. For example, travelers may feel they are still getting the automatic services from a real human being. Companies can use AI-powered avatars to address the labor shortage challenge. Additionally, the metaverse can create a virtual workspace for work-from-home staff. Training and workshops can also be offered in the metaverse.
Are you ready to bring your business to the metaverse? If so, from which areas will you start?
