In the west, the term “Metaverse” has become increasingly widespread. You might say it is one of the big Buzzwords of 2022. It is convenient to think that the boom is closely linked to Facebook’s change of name to Meta, but in fact, the Metaverse is not a new concept. Virtual universes have existed for a long time, and interactive communities exist in a wide range of areas such as gaming, art, cultural activities, real estate, fashion, and much much more.
As a marketer, it’s important to catch up with new movements and evolve with the latest trends. In this insight, NBH brings you a quick guide on what to know about the metaverse in China.
What is metaverse?
Metaverse can roughly be described as virtual worlds where people can play, live and interact through avatars. The metaverse is still early in its evolution and there is not a single metaverse for everyone to turn to. It’s like several small parallel universes that add the three-dimensional layer to the web and creates a more authentic and natural experience. This is done with the technology of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) which in recent years have become much cheaper and more powerful.
In a near future, a lot of social interactions, business interactions, and entertainment are predicted to be held in this whole new world. Imagine having meetings, closing deals, watching a new apartment, or attending a Rihanna concert from wherever you are in the world. Metaverse also gives the opportunity to be somebody else and go free whit your creativity.
Metaverse in China
In China metaverse has evolved through a gradual transition, starting around 2010. Today the big Chinese tech giants are investing massively in the metaverse. Companies like Alibaba, Tencent, NetEase, and ByteDance are expected to lead the race. Some of China’s most influential tech KOL:s have declared that they are investing in start-ups connected to the metaverse. At the same time, the government closely watches de development and enacts new standards, way ahead of the west. The Chinese “mega apps” and ecosystems of digital functions make Chinese consumers more open to the new techniques and to use the metaverse for other daily tasks than entertainment.
The metaverse has especially attracted generation Z. The GenZ born in the late 1990:s is eager to express their individuality and identity far from norms, families, and restrictions. GenZ is the largest group of internet users in China and the potential market is enormous. Read more about the rise of GenZ in China here.
It might not be today or even this year but we can say for certain that the metaverse is part of the new reality.
Some great exampels of the use of metavers in China
- The Meta-influencer
In may 2021 the company Ranmai Technology created Ayayi. Ayayi is China’s first “Meta human” or “Meta-influencer”. Ayayi looks like a real human and her appearance is much more realistic than earlier forms of virtual idols. When she did her first post she had nearly 3 million views and gained over 40 000 followers over one night. Here explosive popularity and expanding fan base have generated a lot of commercial appearances and invitations to events. Guerlain is the first official brand to work whit Ayayi.
- Alibaba launches a metaverse art exhibition and symphony concert
During the double 11, Alibaba hosted a metaverse art exhibition and symphony concert on Tmall/Taobao app for its presale.
- Alibaba launched metaverse cosmetic
During the double 11 festival customers that bought limited editions of physical products got a digital collection or NFT (Non-fungible tokens).
- Nayuki official ambassador of the bubble tea chain
In December 2021 the Chinese bubble the chain with 700 stores around china presented their metaverse ambassador “Nayuki”. Nayuki isn’t the only character that brings commercials for the company. She has also created an NFT collection with digital art toys.
NBH has years of expertise in working with digital marketing in China. Our expertise is available in both Europe and China.
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