Metaverse FOMO is no match for a steep learning curve

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Nearly three-quarters of US adult internet users agreed it will take them a while to understand how to use and join the metaverse, according to an August 2022 Sitecore survey. That’s not great news considering 64% said they won’t engage in the metaverse if it’s hard to figure out or use.

Beyond the chart: Despite many major brands dipping their toes into the metaverse, the technology just isn’t taking off the way some (cough, Meta) had hoped. In the US, the number of people accessing virtual reality (VR) in general will grow by only single-digit percentages through 2025, plateauing at just over a fifth of the population, per our forecast.

To speed up adoption, marketers and VR platforms need to take the time to educate consumers, not only about what the metaverse is and how to use it, but also the benefits that it can provide.

More like this:

• Report: The Future of Meta
• Article: AR/VR shopping still hasn’t reached 90% of US adults
• Article: Roblox is gaining users and brand partnerships—but growing revenue would be great

Methodology: Data is from the October 2022 Sitecore report titled "Perceptions of the Metaverse" conducted by Advanis. 1,000 US internet users ages 18-70 were surveyed during August 15-19, 2022. Respondents indicated that they currently engage with the metaverse, or want to do so in the near future. The respondent base was 13% Gen Z, 52% Millennials, 22% Gen X, and 13% Baby Boomers. In addition, 332 US consumer brand marketers were surveyed during August 15-September 21, 2022. Respondents indicated that they are professionally aware of the metaverse, and can answer questions about their organization's digital marketing/advertising, analytics, website, ecommerce, CX, or customer data. For both surveys, respondents were recruited from an actively managed online panel, and were offered an incentive to participate. Sitecore is a provider of customer experience management software.