Barcelona, August 2, 2022.– The virtual world, known as Metaverse (similar to Second Life) which is accessed with smart glasses, already has the presence of logistics companies. As I have read in Logistics Matter:
Humans are explorers and that is why we want to go to the moon and Mars to see a new world. Chances are we’ll be in the Metaverse rather than on Mars because Marc Zuckerberg really wants us to populate this digital new world. And where there are people there will be companies. UPS filed several trademarks for delivering packages in the Metaverse.
Large groups of people mean a need for a potential market for delivering packages even when it is in the Metaverse. UPS filed some trademarks and logos indicating that they will be available to deliver your packages in the Metaverse somewhere in the future. The filings mention (virtual) goods and services including NFTs, but also shipping labels and virtual retail shipping.
Filing these trademarks and logos does not mean UPS has a plan on how to be present in the Metaverse. At least that is what we get from the commentary of UPS. They say that they are always looking for something new, and they yet don’t know how this will play out in the future.
It will be an interesting subject for our industry to think about. What is the role of a logistics company in the Metaverse since everything is digital? There will be a need for a connection between the virtual world and the real world as shopping will be a major function of the Metaverse. Imagine a digital store where you can try on any garment and look into the virtual mirror.
The metaverse is not a new thing but Facebook changing its name to Meta and making the Metaverse their new goal sparked a lot of interest in this digital world. People familiar with the matter do not agree yet on a unified description of the Metaverse.
In general, the Metaverse is a digital world in 3D where you can virtually walk around and play games, meet people, watch TV, go to concerts, basically anything you do in ‘normal’ life. The metaverse will require a VR headset to be able to ‘see’ the Metaverse as it is meant to be.
In any case, the Metaverse is today only a project with several years for its development and final implementation. And we will see who and how it is marketed. If each technological giant will have its particular metaverse and what fees will we have to pay to access those virtual spaces.
Víctor Vilas: Software Transporte 