Web3 has over 300 million users worldwide. What interests people the most in the metaverse? Buy things.

In just a few months, the metaverse has evolved considerably, stimulated by major players such as Microsoft, Apple or Meta. To find out what people are doing in the virtual world, Marco*, a communication agency, has launched a global survey on the metaverse. Result: virtual shopping is popular.

Southern Markets Further Ahead in The Adoption of 3.0

With 43% of the population located in the northern markets (Europe and the United States) claiming to have already visited the metaverse at least once, the southern markets (Africa and Latin America) seem to be ahead in adoption of Web3, with an average of 60%. On the North side, it is the United States and the United Kingdom (49%) which pull the average upwards. On the South side, Brazil (68%) and Mexico (66%) stand out.

At the heart of this growing global community, the development of the metaverse remains more timid in France and Europe. The survey reveals that France ranks last in the European ranking in terms of Web3 experimentation, with 37% of its population having already been to the metaverse, tied with Portugal. The leading pack is formed by the United Kingdom (49%), followed by Spain (46%), then Italy and Germany (42%). In France, the use of these virtual worlds is mainly for entertainment purposes: video games come first, for 51% of French users, followed by concerts (32%), then art exhibitions (28%).

A Consumerist Use

Shopping is one of the most frequent uses of metaverse users, counting more than a quarter (28%) in the South as in the North. The survey also reveals that more than one in four French users (27%) have used the metaverse for shopping. At European level, this use is even the second use (26%), behind video games (46%) and ahead of concerts (18%). In the United States, shopping in the metaverse is also on the second step of the podium with 38% of followers. And while one in five users in Latin America use the metaverse for shopping (21%), this represents more than a third of users in Africa (34%).

A Commercial Potential That Attracts Brands

Figures that show that the commercial potential of Web3 is growing. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, these virtual worlds constitute a market projected at 800 billion dollars in 2024. A sign that the new economy of the metaverse is an identified opportunity for brands, many commercial players such as Gucci, Amazon, Disney or Tinder are investing in it. . An ecosystem which, according to Paul Baeyaert, Marco’s head of Europe & Maghreb markets, is changing the way we interact: “The immersive experience of these worlds is becoming a key dimension for marketing and advertising and, although discovery phase, this new communication medium has already taken on a large scale. Just like digital 15 years ago, metaverses represent a real economic potential that must interest brands today if they want to be able to anticipate change. »

Note that these new 100% virtual forms of commerce have also seen the appearance of adapted currencies, in the form of cryptocurrencies. Here again, the markets of the North still seem far from having reached their full potential: according to the survey conducted by Marco, only 24% of respondents say they have already invested in cryptocurrencies. A percentage that drops to 19% in France, the second lowest market in the North, behind Italy (16%). In the South, nearly one in two respondents (45%) have already invested in cryptocurrencies, compared to 49% in Africa and 39% in Latin America.

Finally, some differences in use are also observed between the Northern and Southern markets. The educational aim is in particular much more present in the South, particularly in Africa, where it ranks second use of users at 40% (behind video games at 50% but ahead of shopping at 34%).

This article is originally published on ladn.eu