A study has revealed that the UK public lacks enthusiasm for the metaverse, with privacy concerns paramount.
Only 28% of Brits are excited by the metaverse, with 36% saying they are not excited at all, the research from digital experience company Acquia revealed.
Despite hype and speculation from within the corporate world, Brits’ excitement is well below that of consumers in France (45%) and the US (34%).
Two-thirds of the UK population are not willing to pay anything to benefit from additional functionality in the metaverse, with the average amount that consumers are willing to pay £2.29.
In contrast, French respondents would be willing to part with an average of £4.02, and US consumers would be willing to pay £2.90.
UK consumers are most interested in new experiences (32%), which suggests that the specific features and use cases have not yet piqued the interest of the British public. Opportunities for learning (29%) and socialising in a virtual environment (23%) are the next most exciting features, with better workplace experiences and professional development rated the least interesting (16%).
“The metaverse promises rich opportunities for marketers to deliver digital experiences that can create and strengthen consumer loyalty with the brand. However, our research suggests that there are still some pretty significant barriers that will need to be overcome before consumers can truly get excited”, said Tom Bianchi, VP corporate marketing at Acquia.
In terms of trust, 56% of UK consumers are at least somewhat concerned about data protection and privacy in the metaverse. Only 9% of the UK public have no concerns at all about these issues.