Do you remember when? Mark Zuckerberg only talked about metaverse and virtual worlds? Well, prepare to think again. Meta is planning something that seems almost a contradiction for those who have invested billions in digital: a chain of physical stores. It is not a nostalgic return to the past, but a precise strategy to let you touch its most innovative products. From Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to Quest headsets, the Menlo Park company wants you to be able to try them before you buy them. Because sometimes, even in the age of artificial intelligence, nothing beats direct experience. And if you think it's just a passing fad, know that behind this move there is a much larger trade war.
The Californian Experiment That Changes Everything
The first signal comes from Los Angeles, where Meta has opened Meta Lab, a pop-up store on Melrose Avenue completely dedicated to Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. It's not your average tech store: here you'll find an "AI wall" to test the intelligent assistant, an immersive room to take photos with artificially generated backgrounds, and even the ability to customize the cases of the glasses while you shop.
The concept works so well that Meta has already announced a shop-in-shop opening in Phoenix in January. As we have highlighted in this article, physical stores of the future will be increasingly connected and personalized spaces.
When the Metaverse Meets Reality
Meta has only one permanent physical store, the Meta Store on its Burlingame, California, campus, which opened in 2022. But the company is now planning a large-scale expansion, hiring specialized retail staff to create experiences that go beyond simple purchase.
The strategy is reminiscent of Apple, which with over 500 global stores has turned tech retail into something akin to a religion. Meta wants to replicate this success, but with a twist: instead of selling iPhones and MacBooks, it offers glasses that talk to AI and visors that teleport you to other worlds.
The numbers that explain the strategy
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses sold more than one million units in 2024, but Zuckerberg He himself admitted that it is "an excellent start" but "it hasn't moved the needle yet". 72% of purchases will continue to go through physical stores even in 2025, and Meta knows it well.
The war of physical stores
It is no coincidence that this move comes as Apple studies the smart glasses market for compete directly with Ray-Ban Meta. The battle is no longer fought just on devices, but on the shopping experience.
Amazon has scaled back its physical stores, Microsoft closed almost all its retail stores during the pandemic. Meta, on the other hand, is betting that in the AI era, human contact will become even more precious. Touch, try, experiment: ancient gestures for futuristic technologies. Maybe Zuckerberg has understood that to sell tomorrow, you have to make it felt today.
