Gradually,then

suddenly:Themetaverseischangingthewayweexperiencethe

internetTheMetaverseMetaverse:Evolution,then

Revolution719820

21224It’stime

toTechnologyMetaverse:Where

isAndit

allConclusion:Building

towardResearchcut

throughand

creativityA

continuumthe

value?needsto

beHowto

reapour

metaversemethodologythe

hypewill

acceleratethat

willresponsiblevaluefrom

thevisionthe

metaversetransform

allmetaversepartsof

thebusinesses10Contents2Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionExecutive

SummaryIt’stimetoembrace

thenew

world.SincestartingtheMetaverseContinuumBusinessGroup,weknowthatthereisenormouspotentialforconsumersandbusinesses:Themetaverseisthenext

iterationofourdigitalfuture.Itisrevolutionizinghowweworkandopeningnewdoorsforvaluegenerationacrossindustries.Themetaverse

isalsotransformingeconomiesandsocial

spaces,asanever-expandingInternetofPlaceandOwnership.To

tap

into

this

potential,

businessescanpairtechnologywithcreativity,drivingexperiencesthatwillinvigorateourlives,workand

society.3Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionIt’stimetocutthroughthe

hypeMetaverseisabuzzwordwithfluctuatingdefinitions.IsitthesameasWeb3?Arethereother

words

to

define

it?

Will

my

company

lookcool

if

we

say

it?

And

does

it

really

matter?Somehaveashort-sightedvisionofthemetaverseasableak,computerizedworldpoweredbypeopleinvirtualreality(VR)headsets.Butoncewecutthroughthemisconceptions

and

hype,

its

potential

is

clear.Theswathofcontingenttechnologieswillevolveandconverge,astheInternetofPlaceandOwnershipopensboldnewopportunitiesforbusinessesand

consumers.Themetaversewillimpactpeople,too.Itisarevolutionaryvirtualadditiontoourworldthat

is

enriching

the

human

experience

withnew

possibilities,

not

detracting

from

it.

Themetaversewillbecome

aplacewherehumanswillfindpurpose,loveandfriendsacrossanew

type

of

internet,

opening

aspects

of

eachindividual

that

will

disrupt

work

models

and

formpowerful

communities.How

do

we

begin?

To

gain

a

better

understandingof

this

potential,

let’s

start

with

definitions.The

3D

evolution

of

the

internet

is

underway.

ThisiswhatwecalltheInternetofPlace,addingasenseofspacetothedigitalworldandbringingdigitalelementstoourphysicallives.Itcontainsa

continuum

of

virtual

realms

that

operate

acrossaspectrum.Ononeside,therearevirtualworldsandlocationswherepeopleconverse,tradeandsocialize.

On

the

other,

an

augmented

reality

(AR)layeroverlaysourphysicalworld,creatingnewopportunities

for

interaction

and

engagement.Usersaccesstheserealmsin2Dand3D,accessible

via

devices

such

as

headsets,

phones,and

computers.

Significant

advances

in

real-timerenderingofphotorealisticenvironments,true-to-lifevirtualphysics,artificialintelligenceandreal-time3DcreationtoolssuchasUnrealEngineorUnitysupportthecreationoftheseenvironments.Withthesetechnologies,theInternet

of

Place

will

expand

as

new

communitiesformandgrow.Additionally,a“MirrorWorld”iscreatedwhenvirtualplacesarelinkedtotherealworldviadigitaltwins.Attheircore,digitaltwinsreplicate

the

performance

of

individuals,

physicalassets

and

processes

in

a

virtual

environmentto

help

us

understand

how

these

objects

mightbehave

under

a

variety

of

circumstances.WealsoseetheInternetofOwnershipdevelopingquickly—adigitallynativeinfrastructurepoweredbytechnologiessuchasblockchain,decentralizedidentities,confidentialcomputing

and

more

that

creates

the

abilityforpeopletocarrytheiridentity,moneyandobjects

from

place

to

place

in

the

digital

world.ThedrivingculturalforcebehindtheInternetofOwnershipisknownasWeb3.Thisuser-ledmovementemphasizesdigitalownershipandtransparency

in

the

products

and

services

thatmake

up

the

Web3

ecosystem.Metaverse:Evolution,then

Revolution4Asauser-centricmovement,Web3leveragesthevastecosystemofdistributeddatatechnologies

behind

the

Internet

of

Ownership.Whilespecifictechnologiesarehighlightedabove,thekeyenableroftheInternetofOwnershipisitstokens.Tokensarethedigitalencapsulationofrightsandobligationsthatwhentransacteduponbyownerscantransferfinancial,

functional

or

social

value

to

others.Tokenizationiswhatwillenableuserstocarrytheir

identities,

money

and

objects

from

place

toplaceinthedigital

world.The

Internet

of

Place

can

exist

without

theInternetofOwnership,andviceversa—butonlytogethercantheyhelptorealizethefull

value

of

the

metaverse.

As

they

combineover

the

next

decade,

we

believe

people,organizationsandecosystemswillfindentirelynewsourcesofvalue.Thisfusionwillcreateabrand-newspectrumofdigitalworlds,realitiesand

business

models

ripe

for

exploration.

In

theAccenture

Technology

Vision

2022,

we

call

thistheMetaverseContinuum,whereimmersivetechnologiesandnewtypesofownershipcombinetobringaboutthenexteraofourdigital

lives.Figure-1:Accenture’sanalysisofearningcalltranscriptsshowsthatinterestaroundthemetaverse

continues

to

remain

strong.

The

total

mentions

of

metaverse-related

keywordsincreased

a

staggering

212%

during

2022Q2

over

2020Q1.5851117114611041553187115082343193818282020Q12021Q12020Q32021Q32022Q12020Q22021Q22020Q42021Q42022Q2Total

mentions5Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionBeforeembracingthemetaverse,businessesareaskingimportantquestions:“Willthemetaversehelpussavemoney?Howwillithelpmygrowthtargets?Howcanthemetaverseincrease

the

time

to

market

for

our

products

andservices?Whenwillit

happen?”O(jiān)urresponseisthesametoallbusinesses:Thereisvalueinthemetaverserightnowforanyone

to

reap,

and

the

capturable

valuable

willincreasedramaticallywith

time.Majorplayersintheautomotive,retailandbankingindustrieshavealreadybegun

theirmetaverse

journeys:Automotivecompaniesarecreatingexciting“phygital”

launches

of

new

vehicle

models

as

well

asusing

augmented

reality

and

digital

twins

to

improvemanufacturingandqualityassuranceprocessesinfacilitiesandacrosstheirsupply

chains.Luxurybrandsareusingtokenstocreatedigitaltwins

of

physical

clothing

items

and

leveraging

ARvirtualshopping

experiences.Banksarecreatingcustomer-centricexperiencesin

virtual

environments

to

reduce

queues,

and

usingVRtrainingtosimulateclientinteractionsinasafe,realistic

setting.It’s

time

to

act.

Finding

value

in

the

metaverse

isnot

a

distant

ambition,

and

businesses

can

startcapturingvalue

today.Accenture’smetaversevision:“Weseethemetaverseasacontinuumthatspansthespectrumofdigitallyenhancedworlds,realitiesandbusinessmodels.Itappliesacrossallaspectsofbusiness,fromconsumertoworker

andacrosstheentireenterprise;fromreali\tovirtualandback;from2Dto3D;andfromthecloudandartificialintelligencetoextendedreali\,blockchain,digitaltwins,edgetechnologiesand

beyond.”Metaverse:Evolution,then

Revolution6Technologyandcreativitywill

accelerate

the

metaverseWe’ve

seen

this

story

before:

Technologyhasalwaysacceleratedhumancreativityandingenuity.Fromtheearliestdiscoveriesoffiretomoderncomputingdevices,we’veusedtechnology

to

express

ourselves,

connect

andimprove

lives.Wealsoknowthattechnologydrivesmajorculturalshifts.We’reatthedawnofthenextculture-definingmoment,asweexpressandconnect

in

new

and

exciting

ways.

And

we

mustpreparefor

it.Thetechnologybehindthemetaverseiscertainlyexciting,butthemostimportantelementisus,ashumans.It’sthe

well-designed,creativeandfrictionless

experiences—imaginedby

people—that

will

make

the

metaverse

stick.That’sbecausegreatmetaverseexperiences,productsand

servicesrequireanunderstandingofhumanneeds.Thisneedstosatisfythecoredriversinfluencinghumanbehavior—thedesirefor

material

(suchasacar)

and

immaterial

things(suchasinfluence),tobond,tosatisfycuriosity,toprotectandforemotionalexperienceslikepleasureandexcitement.Butmostimportantly,thetechnologybehindtheseexperiencesmustbe

invisible.We’ve

all

seen

failed

and

abandoned

metaverseexperiencesspurredbytheinitialhype.Muchlikephysicalexperientialmarketing,an

experience

in

the

metaverse

is

only

alivewhen

people

are

there

to

create

the

buzz

ofconversationsand

discussions.Metaverseexperiencesrequirediverse

creativeteamstofullycometolife.Eventplanners,architects,themeparkdesigners,filmwritersand

game

designers

are

just

afew

examples

ofthediversetalentneededtosupplementthetypicalmarketing

teams.Wedon’tyetknowtheprecisepathofmetaverseadoptionbecausemanyofthecontributingtechnologies

arestillindevelopment.Thisislikethetechnologiesbehindmobilephones,whichexistedfordecades,butonlybecameclearwhentheyevolvedintothesmartphonesweusetoday.Thetrainofadoptionkeepspushingforward;and

we

must

catch

it

and

continue

to

learn

asitmovesintothenew

horizon.Metaverse:Evolution,then

Revolution7Metaverse:A

continuumthatwilltransformallparts

of

the

businessesSo

where

do

we

start?

Let’s

explore

how

themetaversewillshapecustomers,

enterprises,industriesandthe

economy.8The

financial

infrastructure

that

underpins

it

allThemetaversewillbecomeanimportanteconomicandfinancialenvironment,underpinnedbyavibranteconomywherebusinesseswillfindnewopportunitiestoofferproducts

and

services,

and

customers

will

tradeinthenewreality.Digitalcurrenciesalreadyprovideanewmeansforuserstostorevalueandexchangeassetsinthemetaverse,usingwalletsthatconveyanewsenseofidentity.1Additionally,centralbankswillcontinuetodevelopcentralbankdigitalcurrencies(CBDC),whichwillserveasanother,potentiallymorestable,meansforuserstostorevalueandexchange

in

the

metaverse

in

the

future.Aneconomythriveswhenitisbackedbyadiverse

network

of

stable

and

trusted

currenciesthatwillevolveasthemetaversegrows.Itisimportanttoensurefinancialregulationandcomplianceinametaverse

environment.Howthemetaversewillimpact

customersVirtualplatformsandbuzz-worthybrandactivationsarejustthetipoftheiceberg.Meetingcustomerneedsinthemetaversemeansblending

physicalanddigitaltouchpointstocreatepurposeful,value-addingandfrictionlessproducts,servicesand

experiences.For

example,

3D

commerce

gives

customersanewwaytobuy,drivingacquisitionandretention.Tokenizationcreatesnew

formsof

social,

functional

and

emotional

valueforcustomers,increasingbrand

loyaltyandengagement.Andblockchain-enabledtraceability

in

supply

chains

gives

customers

abetterunderstandingofwheretheirproductscome

from.These

are

only

afew

applications

of

the

many

tocome.Yetbyreframingmetaversetechnologiesandexperiencesasasuiteoftoolstohelpsolveunmet

customer

needs

like

these,

our

clients

arealreadyseeingnewrevenue

streams.Howthemetaversewillimpact

enterprisesThemetaversewillmakeenterpriseintranetsasweknowthemtodayobsolete,replacingthemwithimmersive,virtualtownsquareswhereemployees

can

collaborate,

socialize,

create

andcelebratetogether.However,thisisnotaboutreplacingeighthoursofvideocallswitheighthoursofVRmeetings—farfrom

it.It’saboutidentifyingthewaysinwhichthemetaverseadds

value

to

the

employee

experience,

makingworkeasierandmore

impactful.Training

is

one

example.

Virtual

worlds

allowfor

a

more

engaging

shift

in

workplacelearning.

Instead

of

cheesy

instructional

videos,employeescanpracticeandapplyskillsinareal-timeimmersivesettingalongsideothers.This

applies

to

everything

from

learning

cultureandcorevaluesviaanonboardingexperiencewhenanemployeejoinsanewcompany,toasafespacetopracticecomplex,high-riskandhazardousscenarios,toimprovingsoftskills,whereempathyandthenuancesofhumanbehavior

matter.Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionHowthemetaversewill

impactcomplex

ecosystemsBusinessesarealwaysseekingnewefficiencies,especiallyduringtimesofeconomicunpredictability.Themetaverseoptimizeshowaproduct

is

sourced,

created

and

brought

to

marketthroughthepowerofvirtualsimulationsandanewlevelofpartnercollaboration—separatingindustries

from

their

inward

facing

organizations.Inanindustrialsetting,businessesareincreasinglyleveraging3Dsimulationsanddigitaltwinstotestandlearn.Invirtualversions

of

their

businesses,

they

can

measureand

predict

the

effects

of

changes

andimproveconnectionsbetweenworkersandsupplychainsthroughadvancedtrue-to-lifesimulations.Theseimprovementscouldbeashift

toanew

manufacturing

technique,amoreefficient

store

layout

or

new

product

designs.However,thereisnothingconstrainingthepower

of

immersive

digital

twins

to

the

industrialsetting.Increasingly,thisvaluestreamisbreaking

free

of

the

manufacturing

facilityandintodiverseusagecasesfromimprovinghospital

operations

to

generating

snow

on

skimountainstoport

operations.“Theinterestinexploringthemetaversecomesprimarilyfromtheneedtoanalyzeanytrendsthathavepotentialtotransform,revolutionizeorimprove

business,e.g.,theretailspaceinthecaseof

Carrefour,”Nicolas

Safis,InnovationDirectoratCarrefour

Group.Metaverse:Evolution,then

Revolution9Executivesexpectreturnsfromtheirmetaverseinvestmentsintheshortrun.AccordingtotheAccentureBusinessTrendsSurveyconductedinApril

–

May

2022,

respondents

in

companies

havingsomeformofastrategyaroundthemetaversebelieve

that

in

the

next

three

years,

a

4.2%

shareof

their

revenues

will

come

from

new

products,servicesorbusinessmodelsrelatedtothemetaverse.

This

represents

a

value

of

$1

trillion.WeseethesametrendreflectedintheAccentureCxOsurveyconductedduringthesameperiodtoo.Eighty-ninepercentof3,200executivessurveyedagreethatthemetaversewill

have

an

important

role

in

their

organizations’future

growth.Themetaversehasvastpotential,

underpinningtheveryinfrastructureofnewandexistingeconomieswhilebenefittingconsumersandbusinesses.Wecantapintoitspotentialtoday,whileplanningfornewbusinessopportunitiesthatlieahead.Asmentioned,wedividethemetaverseintothreekeyareas—consumer,enterprise,industrial.Inthenextsection,we’lldescribewhereandhowvalueisemergingacrossthese

areas.Whereisthe

value?10Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionFigure

2:

Across

many

industries,

executives

are

most

interested

in

metaverse

use

cases

associated

with

consumer

product

and

service

experiences.Source:

Accenture

CxO

Survey,

April–May

2022:

(n=3200)Question:Whichmetaverseusecasesareyoumostinterestedinexploringat

present?Aerospaceand

Defense6%14%42%10%28%4%17%25%22%32%6%10%17%33%34%4%11%20%29%36%4%21%18%23%34%6%17%30%21%26%3%15%17%27%38%16%7%31%20%26%6%8%22%32%32%7%8%18%19%48%5%12%29%29%25%24%13%29%18%16%5%18%10%26%41%7%10%7%36%40%7%14%16%35%28%13%16%24%9%38%4%16%21%36%23%12%7%35%25%21%12%31%33%10%14%5%13%27%21%34%Communications,Media&

TechnologyInsuranceAutomotiveEnergyPharma,

Biotech,Life

SciencesCapital

Markets–Pvt.

EquityCapital

Markets–OtherHigh-TechSoftware

&PlatformsAirline,

Travel&

TransportConsumer

Good&

ServicesNatural

ResourcesRetailBankingHealthPublic

ServicesChemicalsIndustrialRetailUtilitiesConsumer

metaverseservices

experiencesEnterprise

metaverse(extended

reality,

virtual

workplaces)Consumermetaverseproducts

experiencesDigitalassetseconomies(e.g.non-fungible

tokens)Digital

twin11Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionThemetaverseisswiftlyopeningnewwaysforconsumerstoconnectandsocializetogether,formingstrongbondswithinclose-knitcommunities.TheInternetofOwnershipbringsnew

kinds

of

value

and

experiences

to

everyone,andbrandscanformstrongertiesofcustomerloyalty

in

the

new

paradigm.Peoplearefindingjoy,delightandfuninimmersiveexperiences.Thereisevenmorevalue

for

customers

with

incentivization

and

self-expression

enabled

by

tokenization

and

avatars.Immersingthesensesandthe

mindImmersivetechnologiesenablemulti-sensoryexperiencesthatcreaterealconnectionandbringusersclosertobrands.Theseexperiencescanalsounlockinformationpreviouslyconstrainedbythelimitationsoftherealworld.Forexample,shopperscanvisualizeproductsonthemselvespriortopurchase,orwearclothingthatcannotphysicallyexistintherealworld,

pushing

the

boundaries

of

art,

expressionand

fashion.Consumermetaverse“Virtualtry-onexperienceintheretailindustryhasbeenagamechanger.Rightnow,itisbeingusedforsimplesocialinteractionswhichhaveafunelement,butgraduallynewusecasesarebeingdeveloped,e.g.,weatherreportingandprogression

games.”—AR

PlatformLeadofoneofthelargestsocialmediaplatforms.71%of325respondentsparticipatingin

Accenture’srecentfocusgroupdiscussionsexpectthemetaverseto

providereal-worldshoppingexperiences,suchasthe

ability

to

try

clothesandproductsbeforepurchasing,overthenextthree

years.Immersiveproductexperiencesare

becomingmorenormalized.Thisisallowingbrandstoshowcasenewproducts

andservicesthroughmorecompellingtouchpoints.Forexample,ChinesemultinationaltechnologycompanyBaiduunveiledRobo-01—anewautonomouscar—onXirang,itsmetaverseapp.Avirtualmasterofceremoniesintroducedthecartoitsaudience,drummingupinterestfortheproduct

and

the

app’s

metaverse

capabilities.The

news

generated

much

discussion

on

the

microbloggingplatformWeibo,whereahashtag

for

the

car’s

unveiling

gained

almost40million

views.212But

metaverse

experiences

need

to

be

morethan

just

visually

interesting

if

brands

expecttoseegrowthfromthem.Theyneedtobesomethingcustomerswanttovisit,oftenandconsistently.Toaccomplishthis,experiencesmust

contain

a

mechanic

or

gamified

element.For

example,

Pet

Simulator’s

“Adopt

Me”

gameisoneofthemostpopulargamesonRobloxwith

over

28

billion+

visits

(as

of

June

2022).3Metaverse:Evolution,then

RevolutionIncentivesTokenizationgivesbrands,creatorsandinfluencers

direct

ownership

of

fan

relationshipsvia

social

tokens.

And

the

tokens

give

fans

morecontrolanddecision-makingrightsasrewardsfortheirloyaltyandparticipation.Fanscanalsousetokenstodirectlyinvestintheirfavoritecreators,

receiving

pieces

of

content,

accessto

exclusive

material

or

membership

in

thecreator’scommunityin

return.Theseincentivescreatepowerfulcustomerjourneys.Forexample,Starbucksis

reimaginingitsloyaltyprogramsbyusingtokenizationatscale

to

create

an

accessible

Web3

community.“Starbucks

Odyssey”

allows

users

to

buy

digitalcollectablestampsthatunlockaccesstonewcoffee

experiences.4Retakingownershipofour

identitiesInthephysicalworld,identityisdefinedbycharacteristicssuchasrace,ethnicity,gender,age,personalityandphysicalattributes.Butourdigitalidentitiesarelessclear.Today,itincludeswhatthewebknowsaboutyou(whichyoudonot

control)

and

how

you

present

yourself

online(whichyoudo

control).Today,thewaywepresentourselvesdependsonthe

website

or

platform.

Who

we

are

on

LinkedIn

ishowweexpressourselvesprofessionally,whichisdifferent

from

how

we

express

ourselves

on

RedditorInstagram.Butsoon,avatarsmaybecomethenew

expression

of

our

digital

identities.Avatars

are

a

virtual

manifestation

of

someone’sdigitalidentityandpersonifymanyformsofidentityexpression—products,experiencesandvalues.Withavatars,usersarenolongerconfinedbythecharacteristicsassignedtothematbirthandareempoweredtoexpressthemselves

in

ways

not

possible

in

real

life.

OneparticipantfromAccenture-organized

focusgroupdiscussionsonthemetaverseofferedthefollowinginsight:“Themetaversewillallowustobemoreconfidentbecausethereislittlefearofbeing

judged

based

on

our

looks

or

behavior

in

avirtual

environment.”Some

companies

have

already

started

testingconsumers’identityappetite.In2021,DiorpartneredwithavatarappZepetotocreatedigitalmakeuplooks,5andwithReadyPlayerMetolaunchexclusivefragranceswithaninteractive

experience.

In

2022,

Dior

launcheditsfirst-evermetaverseexhibitioninChina,“OntheRoad,”whichshowcasedfall2022menswearthroughaninteractiveexperiencehosted

on

Baidu’s

metaverse

social

app.

Notonly

do

these

experiences

entice

luxury

fashionfanstofollowDiortoanewchannel,buttheyappealtoconsumers’desireforexclusivityandsocial

standing.Forcontinuity,identitycredentialsanddigitalassetsshouldbeconsistent

acrossexperiences.Thisisn’tcurrentlypossiblebecauseweonboardasusersfordifferent

serviceproviders.Throughself-sovereignidentitymodels,theuseronboardingexperienceisreversed.

Serviceprovidersonboardtotheusers,givingthemcontroloverwhatdataissharedwithwebsites,services,applicationsandotherusersacrossthe

web.8Brand

strategyThemetaversewilltransformhowbrandsdeliverontheirpromises.Werecentlyidentifiedlifecentricityasacriticalgrowthdriverforstayingrelevant

to

customers.

Brands

must

also

considerthedynamiclivesoftheircustomersinthemetaverse,butwithinthecontextofthenewmissionscustomersareon.It’sstillimportanttoappealtocustomers’transactional,emotionaland

social

needs—it’s

just

not

1:1with

the

physicalworld.Soon,itwillbecommonplacetoseeadigitallayeroverthephysicalworldsconsumersandcompaniesinhabit.Advancesinaugmentedrealityarealreadypreparingusforthis—digitalizing

identity,

possessions

and

worlds.Tokenswilltransformthewaybrandsengagewith

customers.

A

universal

digital

wallet

solutioniscurrentlyintheworkstoenabletheirbroadusage.Itwillgivebrandsandusersaplacetostoreandcontrolanydigitalasset—identity,money

and

objec