What impact can the metaverse have on the evolution of logistics?

14 July 2023

The metaverse promises to impact logistics and consumer behavior, as there are no limits to interactions between businesses and customers. In this article, you will discover the changes this new virtual world brings to the supply chain.

In recent decades, technology has made a significant leap, surpassing the limits of our imagination. Much of what was seen in science fiction movies has already come true and has completely changed the way we relate to the world.

If smartphones, social networks, and the internet have transformed the consumption model, imagine the arrival of a virtual world where people can interact, shop, have fun, and work, in short, have a parallel life in a completely digital scenario? This is the promise of a proposal already experimented and applied that promises to revolutionize society: the metaverse.

When the CEO of Facebook (currently Meta), Mark Zuckerberg, announced that in the coming years the company would become a “metaverse institution,” the term became trendy and sparked interest in various companies worldwide. After all, if with social networks Zuckerberg managed to influence and transform consumer relationships, with the metaverse there will surely be a new upheaval.

But after all, what exactly is the metaverse? What impact does it have on business relationships? How important is updating and studying the topic for logistics? In this article, you will find some answers to these questions, discover that the metaverse is an important issue for the future of logistics, and understand the implications for your business. Shall we go?

What is the metaverse?

Although it seems like a new term, the metaverse is not as new as we imagine. The theme has been addressed in series, films, and even in literature, such as the book “Snow Crash” (1992) by Neal Stephenson, which tells the story of Hiro, a pizza delivery boy who becomes a samurai prince in a virtual world.

In games, the metaverse is one of the most frequently observed resources. The Sims, Second Life, Free Fire, Fortnite, Minecraft, among others, are excellent examples where players can create alternative lives and parallel universes in a digital environment. All this through avatars, virtual currencies, and specific spaces, according to the peculiarities of each game.

In other words, the metaverse can be understood as the possibility of creating and accessing an alternative, in some cases fictional, reality where the user can live a new immersive experience in completely virtual environments. The metaverse is therefore not something physical and real but aims to create a sensation close to reality through its structure and high technology.

In a more direct definition, we can say that the metaverse is a virtual world that has direct associations with the real world and allows a transition between both contexts, reinforcing the concept of phygital. It is a digital, three-dimensional, highly immersive, and collaborative environment.

Based on this idea of immersion, various experiences are being developed by countless companies worldwide. With the pursuit of increasingly efficient technologies, the race for 5G, and the development of robust devices, the great trend for the coming years will be the lower price of virtual reality and augmented reality devices, as well as the dissemination of the metaverse in society.

All this movement pursues the same goal: to attract users’ attention to new realities, where it will be possible to create profiles and interact in virtual spaces with friends, family, colleagues, but also study, work, shop, sell, travel, among other possible activities in the real world.

What impact does the metaverse have on logistics?

Now you know what the metaverse is, and although it seems recent, it is very likely that you have already encountered this experience (or something very similar) at some point while browsing the Internet. You might also be wondering: “what impact could this event have on logistics?” This is the big news for managers.

We noted above that with the democratization of devices and structures that facilitate access to the metaverse, more and more people will enter this new virtual world, being able to interact, consume, work, and even make big deals.

Let’s now think about the great opportunities companies can obtain by reaching the metaverse and offering users great digital experiences with their products and/or services. It is an evolution, especially for the marketplace, which will be able to entertain, interact, coexist, advertise, and sell to its customers directly in the metaverse.

Similarly, work relationships can be modified, and new tools and resources will be available, ensuring greater agility, precision, and predictability, as well as cost reduction.

All this change has a direct impact on logistics, in aspects such as:

Planning, simulations, and training

Since the metaverse allows the creation of a virtual reality associated with the real world, it is possible to design the entire structure of a distribution center and chain operations. This offers the possibility to study processes, simulate operations, diagnose bottlenecks, design routes, among other actions that ensure greater efficiency and assertiveness in resource investment and logistics planning.

Another advantage is conducting training in these environments, bringing together employees from different locations, who will be able to interact with each other and the space (operational simulation, for example) and exchange experiences, ensuring high-level learning and avoiding future errors.

The metaverse also allows organizing company meetings in an immersive environment, which will enable rich exchanges and closer contact between the different links of the chain.

Personalization of care and strengthening of phygital

It is already known to everyone that the relationship with the consumer has increasingly shifted towards personalized, agile, and precise service. Omnichannel has also been strengthened, with a frequent transition between physical and digital channels. The customer can start the search for a product digitally and complete the purchase physically, and vice versa.

With the arrival of the metaverse, these two aspects are exalted to the extreme. This is because the user can have an even more immersive experience of a product in the virtual environment, in addition to personalizing it. Therefore, companies must be ready to meet the new needs that will arise from these experiences, which will surely include greater speed, stock accuracy, preparation to meet customized orders, etc.

It is worth adding that there is a great advantage for companies with the rise of the metaverse. Thematic or flagship stores can be created that will allow numerous product and experience tests, which will mean greater assertiveness in launching merchandise if previously tested in a virtual environment.

Record-time deliveries and last-mile logistics

Today, even without the direct influence of the metaverse on the consumption behavior of users who consume on the Internet, companies are already observing market demands in terms of competition and service quality, especially regarding delivery.

More and more customers compare prices, quality, service speed, company reputation, delivery, and shipping costs. If your logistics chain can operate at the speed required by the market, it is an excellent path towards the future of your business. In the metaverse, this will constitute an important element of differentiation, an opportunity to accelerate results, offer quality, increase visibility, and profitability of the company.

To give a better example, let’s imagine a customer visiting a virtual store in the metaverse and making a purchase using the click and collect model, meaning the sale is completed online, but the product is picked up physically. For the experience to be satisfactory, the last mile must be executed with maximum agility and efficiency.

This means that companies working with mixed sales channels must change their status quo and start thinking about strategies and improvements for the supply chain as a whole, automating processes using management systems that offer the necessary technology for integration and the speed required in the metaverse process. (Learn more about the OMS system).

Control towers and user experience

An important positive impact for logistics within the metaverse is the possibility of analysis and research for better solutions and strategies based on logistical needs. This visibility will help managers make decisions and align teams, especially since users will be able to directly monitor processes within the warehouse.

With the metaverse, control towers and logistical information will be even more technological and integrated between virtual and physical environments, enabling increasingly rapid and humanized processes, primarily thinking about the customer experience.

How to prepare your company’s logistics for the metaverse?

Technology. This is the keyword for the future of companies inserted in the metaverse, especially in the field of logistics. Additionally, changing the organizational culture, updating studies and mindset, to seek innovation, are important steps to ensure good performance in the metaverse.

Investments in artificial intelligence, supply chain automation, task decentralization, the internet of things, big data, and management systems are initiatives that mark technological progress and increase preparedness for future results. Just because your company has survived until today without investing in new technologies does not mean it will continue to grow and develop over the years.

Therefore, if you want to prepare for the future, integrating your logistics into the metaverse, the right time is now:

– Invest in online logistics.
– Research new management technologies for your warehouse.
– Integrate your entire business ecosystem.
– Optimize and standardize logistics processes.
– Eliminate waste and save resources.
– Train your employees and value human intelligence integrated with robotics.
– Look for suppliers and partners who work with essential technologies for development and high productivity, aiming for better results.

As the metaverse advances and becomes an option for much of the population, companies will need to adapt to this new reality. The sooner you, the manager, seek to update yourself and look for partners to help you on this journey, the greater the chances of obtaining excellent opportunities and moving forward in the market.

Is your company ready for the metaverse? Discover Deagor technologies that help you adapt in a personalized way to the future of logistics. Contact us and take the first step to grow your business!