Metaverse and Its Commercial Applications: Opportunities and Challenges for Companies

Abstract

The constant technological evolution has affected many people in recent years. In this new environment, a recent phenomenon called metaverse has grown exponentially after the emergence of the company Meta, formerly Facebook, which showed interest in developing technologies related to this platform. Therefore, this study proposed to analyze the current commercial applications of the metaverse, in addition to identifying opportunities and challenges faced by companies in its implementation. The study is based on bibliographical research of an exploratory-descriptive nature, consisting of a qualitative and a quantitative data analysis. Through the search carried out, a file was created containing 99 different publications found on the Internet on the metaverse topic, which were categorized, in order to understand the market's vision of this technology. Among the technologies associated with the metaverse, NFTs, avatars, virtual reality, blockchain, and augmented reality stood out. The study also mapped the main commercial applications of the metaverse, the benefits obtained, barriers to adoption, and future expectations regarding its use. The research is expected to help managers and academics interested in implementing this new technology in the business environment, in addition to listing the opportunities linked to the metaverse and understanding how companies are appropriating this new technological platform to do business.