This photo, provided by BGF Retail on Aug. 11, 2021, shows its convenience store chain CU’s shop that is soon to open on Naver’s metaverse platform Zepeto.
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean retailers are increasingly turning to metaverse platforms for marketing.
Metaverse, a combination of meta (meaning beyond) and verse (from universe), refers to a three-dimensional virtual shared world in which all activities can take place with the help of augmented- and virtual-reality services.
BGF Retail Co., the operator of major convenience store chain CU, said Sunday that it will host a marketing event in metaverse platform Zepeto in collaboration with dairy maker Binggrae Co.
If an avatar visits a CU convenience store in Zepeto and presses on Binggrae’s banana-flavored milk on the stand, a special effect will be shown where a straw is put in to the beverage.
CU has been expanding the number of metaverse stores following the Han River Park store that opened in August.
The virtual store showcases a variety of products, just like a real store, and a ‘clank’ sound is rung whenever an avatar leaves the store to indicate that an automatic payment has been made.
Ediya Coffee Co., a local coffee franchise operator, also plans to open up a store in the virtual ‘Four Seasons Cafe’ area in Zepeto this winter to engage with consumers.
The store interior is rendered similarly to a real coffee shop, where the cashier, coffee machines, and various goods are seen.
Lotte Department Store, one of the country’s major department store chain operators, plans to use a metaverse platform to hire new recruits later this year, opening up ‘Lotte Town’ in Gather Town on Nov. 17 and holding a contactless recruiting seminar.
Starbucks Coffe Korea and an amusement park Lotte World are scrambling to set up virtual spaces in Zepeto as well.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
