Shopping in the Metaverse? 52% of Americans Say It's a Scam
We all shop online, but how willing are you to fork over your cash from inside the metaverse? What's being touted as the next iteration of the internet promises to be big for buying and selling digital goods, but most users don't seem ready to fork over their cash just yet.
CouponFollow(Opens in a new window) recently surveyed over 1,000 US residents about their plans for the metaverse and found that only 31% of respondents are excited about it. Nearly half of all respondents have no idea how this kind of virtual shopping is even supposed to work.
Only 20% of Americans say they have made at least one purchase in the metaverse; 18% of those respondents have spent more than $1,000 already. About 26% have spent less than $1,000.
Perhaps the main reason people haven't adopted this new form of online shopping is that (other than not understanding it), they simply don't trust it. About 52% of respondents are worried about scammers, while potential ID theft and privacy issues are other causes for concern.
Respondents also don't like the lack of moderation on these emerging platforms, showing that they are concerned about potential abuse from other users.
More than one in six Americans say they plan to open a business in the metaverse, CouponFollow says, but who will be buying all these digital goods? The survey shows that Amazon, Samsung, Disney, Nike, and Apple are the top five brands that will get people to shop in the metaverse, but will shoppers be willing to bet on small businesses in digital spaces?
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