Despite turbulent market conditions over the last year, the metaverse and its potential utility remain steady in the minds of consumers.

According to data from a new survey by Capgemini, a business and technology strategy adviser, over three-quarters of consumers expect their interactions with brands and individuals to be impacted by the metaverse. 

This also goes for organizations, as 7 out of 10 believe that the metaverse and immersive experiences will be market differentiators in terms of customer experience.

The report surveyed 8,000 consumers, along with 1,000 organizations in 12 countries across different sectors, to understand metaverse competency, interest and impact.

Included in the mix was a group of 380 consumers who self-identified as “metaverse-experienced,” of which three-quarters said they actively participated in the metaverse.

Data revealed that 93% of surveyed consumers said they are curious about the metaverse. Of that number, 51% said they would use the metaverse as it becomes more accessible to them.

Charlton Monsanto, the global immersive experiences offer leader at Capgemini, said the “consumer-facing metaverse” needs to address the challenges of accessibility and privacy, among other things, in order to move forward:

“The potential of the metaverse is transformative and consumer curiosity remains high.”

Education and accessibility go hand in hand with emerging technologies and remain the biggest challenges for tech-savvy brands to communicate with consumers.

The survey also touched on the type of metaverse interactions consumers look for, to which 43% of respondents said they would like to interact with friends and family. This was followed by interactions with colleagues (39%), gaming-related experiences (33%) and commercial activity (28%).

With such an emphasis on connectivity, development in the metaverse has seen a rise in events that allow people to connect with one another, such as festivals and concerts.

Entire nations have even begun using the metaverse to preserve their heritage for future communities to interact with.

Recently, the metaverse developer Animoca Brands announced they will open up a billion-dollar metaverse development fund for startups in the space.