Although it was created years before, the concept of Metaverso gained another dimension (pardon the pun) after the movement made by Facebook to change its corporate brand to Meta and say that developing this new “world” will be the company’s priority In the next years.

The idea of the Metaverse was already present, albeit conceptually, in games from the 2000s such as The Sims, for example, and even, later, Second Life. Nowadays, those who play Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite, extremely popular games, are immersed in different metaverses, commanding their “avatars” and even already moving the digital economy, with the sale of clothes, accessories or instruments for this digital personality.

However, as with other innovative technologies, the movement of a major player in the information technology industry towards this trend will certainly leverage new solutions and products for this new world, which will unfold both in the digital and physical environment, offering a unprecedented interoperability of data, digital asset offerings and experiences.

Accelerating the development of the technologies needed to bring the Metaverse to its full potential has been one of the goals of the IT industry at large. In addition to Meta, giants such as Microsoft, Sony and the Chinese Tencent are already moving and investing to create their own Metaversos. However, those who believe that they will be the protagonists of this new reality, which mixes the physical and virtual worlds in the coming years, are mistaken.

There is no doubt that these giants will play a key role in building what we might call the “building blocks” of the Metaverse. The construction of content, which will form the different “worlds” and give life, albeit digital, to this environment, will come from “non-IT” companies from different sectors — fashion, retail, health, entertainment, health, etc.

Using the underlying technologies, a fashion retailer could, for example, allow its avatar (with its exact measurements) to try on a garment in the digital world before buying it and receiving the physical product at home. Entertainment companies will be able to offer shows with an immersive experience never seen before. Through virtual reality glasses and other equipment that will still hit the market, it will be as if you were there.

A car industry will allow the customer to have the feeling of being inside the car of their dreams virtually, helping the brand to attract them to the dealership. In terms of education, the advancement promoted by Metaverso promises to be enormous, taking the experience of online courses to another level.

I cite here just a few examples, but the possibilities are endless for companies, from any segment, to benefit from the Metaverse in their business. Even though IT development is not the core business and technology and marketing managers may still be dealing with a new concept, there are already qualified partners to help them take their first steps into this new world. And if your company is still not moving in this direction, it's time to start.

*Max Cardoso is a solutions architect and evangelist at Grupo V8