In the days before it changed its name from Facebook to Meta, the company discussed the potential of having physical outlets. Talks began last year about creating brick-and-mortar stores, but nothing has been formalised and the proposal could still be abandoned.
It is expected that if Meta does create physical stores, they will focus on showcasing items made by its Reality Labs division rather than traditional retail stores.
Oculus Quest virtual reality headsets and Portal video-calling gadgets are included in this category of products. Additionally, the Ray-Ban and Facebook-developed augmented reality smart glasses dubbed Stories could also be on display in the shops.
In documents seen by the New York Times, Meta’s goal is to elicit “curiosity” and “closeness” with its outlets, as well as to offer customers a “judgment-free journey” while they experiment with headsets.
Meta envisions shops with a modern, minimalist look and unobtrusive branding placement, according to the same documents. Many different names were discussed by the company, including “Facebook Hub”, “Facebook Community”, “Facebook Commons”, “Facebook Innovations”, “Facebook Reality Store”, and “Facebook from the ground up”.
Following some debate, it eventually agreed on Facebook Store, however this will very certainly be changed going forward now that the company has been rebranded.
If Meta decides to go ahead with this idea, its first retail/experience store will be located in Burlingame, California, which also happens to be the location of the Reality Labs’ headquarters.
It is possible, though, according to The New York Times that the initiative will eventually span the globe, with outposts in different countries and areas.
