How much can the metaverse intervene in everyday life in the future? On February 14, Gartner, a third-party research organization, released the latest forecast report that by 2026, 25% of people will work, shop, study, socialize or play in the metaverse for at least an hour a day.
Vendors are developing ways for users to replicate their lives in the digital world,” said Marty Resnick, research vice president at Gartner.
From taking virtual courses to buying digital land and building virtual homes, these activities are currently taking place in independent environments. but ultimately they will all take place in the unified environment of the metaverse, where technologies and experiences will all come together.”
Gartner defines the metaverse as a collective virtual shared space formed by the fusion of physical and digital realities augmented by virtual technologies.
This space is persistent and able to provide an enhanced immersive experience. It is device-independent, so it can be accessed from any type of device such as tablets, head-mounted displays, etc.
Since the Metaverse does not belong to anyone vendor, Gartner predicts that it will produce a virtual economy powered by digital currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Metaverse will impact every business that consumers come into contact with on a daily basis.
Gartner believes that the metaverse will also impact the way people work. Businesses will provide employees with a platform for easier interaction, collaboration and communication through immersive workspaces in virtual offices.
Since the Metaverse will provide the framework, businesses do not need to create their own infrastructure for this. Additionally, the virtual events that have become popular over the past 18 months will lead to more collaborative and immersive networking opportunities and workshops.
Resnick said: By moving from digital to metaverse businesses, companies will be able to expand and strengthen their business models in unprecedented ways. By 2026, 30% of the world’s corporate organizations will have products and services for the metaverse.
Metaverse technology has only just begun to spread, and it is very fragmented. Gartner cautions businesses against investing heavily in a particular metaverse.
It’s impossible to know which investments are viable long-term, but product managers should take the time to learn, explore the metaverse, and prepare accordingly, so they can stay competitive, Resnick said.