Metaverse is this digital space where people from all over the world can interact live in a virtual environment. In itself, this isn’t entirely new – remember the virtual gaming world Second Life – but it’s been on everyone’s lips ever since big tech companies like Facebook have focused on its further development. It is even seen as the most important trend of the future.
Of course, there are also Swiss companies involved. The last example: Helvetia Insurance. Basler Versicherungsgruppe initiated consultations on the Metaverse. If you have a VR headset, you can now book an appointment with Helvetia or its subsidiary Smile on Metaverse and then meet with an insurance consultant and discuss insurance solutions, again in avatar form, with your own avatar.
Does this actually correspond to a customer need?
Show presence in metastore
When asked by Blick, Helvetia’s Chief Accounts Officer Jan Kundert (42) explains: “There is already a customer need.” This is still manageable. It doesn’t give any numbers. But according to Kundert, households in Switzerland already have 300,000 VR glasses. Additionally, Apple’s massive investment in mixed reality headsets indicates that Metaverse will become even more important in the foreseeable future.
“We don’t want to miss out on this development and we want to be in the metaverse as early as possible,” explains Kundert. In addition to the consultations that have already been initiated, other application areas in the metadata such as events or training implementation are also being evaluated. The first learnings are now made with consultancy services.
It cannot be said how much it cost Kundert to enter the Metaverse. This is not a complete reorientation of the business model. Rather, it is a matter of establishing a presence in this space where other companies and individual competitors are also active and offering new options for customer service.
Kundert also reminds that younger generations are already intimately familiar with the Metaverse. “If they become potential customers in a few years, we have to be ready.”
Switzerland only in the beginning
Mark Forster, head of the Metaverse task force at the digital advertising association IAB, explains that the horizon has so far invested $120 billion in Metaverse worldwide. Banks, consumer goods manufacturers and others are already active on the Metaverse and buy or sell NFTs (“non-fungible tokens”), i.e. virtual objects.
In Switzerland, too, some companies are operating in various areas of the Metaverse landscape, including Credit Suisse, Helvetia, and numerous tech and crypto companies. Blick editor Ringier is also actively involved with the Metaverse, as he explained at Metaverse Summit.
However, according to a study by consulting firm Deloitte, only 7 percent of Swiss surveyed said their company is already active in the metaverse. According to the research, this figure is 17 percent worldwide.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
