Once upon a time, people would clip coupons from magazines and local businesses would advertise by printing discount vouchers in newspapers. Loyalty cards evolved from a “credit card” format to their digital twin: first simply photographed or scanned, then natively included in generic or brand-specific apps.
Then the company website, e-commerce, and social networks became more or less static showcases on the web 2.0: they opened up the products and services offered by small and large companies to the world.
Just when many began to agree with those who argue that “everything that can be invented has already been invented” (a phrase attributed to US judge Charles Holland Duell I (1850-1920)), along came Web3, Blockchain, NFTs and the Metaverse… or rather, the Metaverses, in various forms of virtual, augmented and immersive reality.
Thus, new worlds to explore and new digital activities were born that impact the real world much more than one can imagine. Visitor engagement and the search for a unique experience are increasingly important drivers for launching a product, maintaining brand reputation, renewing attention to an increasingly competitive and decentralized market.
We are already witnessing fashion shows announced in the Metaverse, movie trailers projected in virtual cinemas, teams in different sports giving their supporters the opportunity to collect stickers, autographs, events through NFTs, trade them, and collect them.
All of this with rewards that can only be enjoyed by those who own that specific “digital token” in the Blockchain, becoming real exclusive clubs, true “communities within communities,” with reserved gatherings.
In the automotive sector, road tests are preceded by online trials, not only increasingly realistic but also enabling the collection of an NFT “participation proof” that can be transformed into a physical discount or benefit to be redeemed in the real world.
Even pizza is already in the Metaverse, as well as piadina romagnola, wines, soft drinks, and many other food products that seem distant from the Blockchain: even the food market is being charmed by Web3 and the new opportunities that can be developed.
B2B and B2C commercial transactions become B2A (“Business to Avatar”) with the possibility of home delivery rather than in-store pickup: the user experience of purchasing evolves and completes in the physical world.
The contact between company and customer/user/consumer is increasingly “multichannel” and “transmedia”: Web3 adds the third dimension to this space. As for the fourth… it will take time! Time also for technical and regulatory development, desirable standardization/interoperability, and necessary transparency: the entire DAO (“Decentralized Autonomous Organization”) world relies on and integrates with the real world.
The true value of Web3 lies precisely in the new business development opportunity it offers to companies, otherwise it would be just a video game.
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