Launch of World’s first sexual wellness space in the Metaverse
With the Metaverse being considered the next “big thing” in internet technology, Lovehoney is excited to move into web3 and launch the World’s first sexual wellness pop-up space in Decentraland this July. The space spans four floors and offers a full, immersive brand and product experience, educational videos, workshops, a dance floor showcasing the new music-activated product collection “Juno” and an erotic NFT art exhibition and auction.
The store is open from 2am AEST 16th – 31st July 2022 and can be entered on any browser with any computer by clicking the following link: lovehoney.com.au/metaverse
Why the Metaverse?
The sexual wellness industry has benefited from technological advances for years, and the Metaverse offers new opportunities. Decentraland is a Metaverse that can be entered with any computer and no extra equipment, such as VR goggles, is needed. This makes it easily accessible for a broad audience that so far may have shied away from the technology. Plus, the Metaverse space offers an anonymous place for people to explore sexual wellness products and content around the topic of sexuality.
Johanna Rief, Head of Sexual Empowerment at Lovehoney, comments, “Even though we’ve made progress over the last twenty years, when it comes to sexuality and the way we treat the topic in society, there is still a long way to go. In a World where ‘Big Tech’ is silencing sexual wellness brands, with regulations on Instagram and Google becoming more and more tight, it’s exciting for us to launch an experience like this pop-up space.”
She adds, “We put a lot of capacities and budget into our R&D efforts. We see ourselves as a (Sex)Tech company and have always been forward-thinking and keeping an eye on technological trends. Therefore, we were curious and the Metaverse store was close and a logical step.”
E-commerce in the Metaverse
Joining a range of well-known brands, Lovehoney is using the pop-up store to explore the possibilities that the Metaverse offers for retailers as well as customers. An analysis by McKinsey & Company has shown that the Metaverse has the potential to generate up to 5 trillion USD by 2030 – with e-commerce being one of the largest drivers for growth. 1 Especially young consumers, such as Gen Z and Millennials, are engaged in virtual experiences for the social aspect, gaming as well as shopping. Buying virtual and actual products is the preferred Metaverse activity of 79 percent of its users.
Four floors of fun & education
On the ground floor, the Lovehoney shop is a place where visitors can browse the brand’s bestsellers and even purchase them by being forwarded to the online shop. The Lovehoney Lessons area on the second floor offers a place to kick back, relax and watch integrated, educational videos from the brand’s global expert panel. Up on the third floor, visitors will find an art gallery where they can enjoy and bid on a range of erotic art from popular and new NFT artists via OpenSea. All proceeds will go back to the artists themselves. And finally, the rooftop club will be playing music all day and night, showcasing the new Lovehoney Juno range – a collection of music activated toys that bring together a love of music and sexual happiness.
Bryony Cole, Lovehoney’s global sextech expert, comments, “The Metaverse allows us to immerse ourselves in digital content rather than feeling like a separate viewer. People naturally look at entertainment as the only possibility for sextech, but there is also a great potential for sex education, sexual happiness and sexual health support in the Metaverse. Plus, the combined anonymity and intimacy of this platform, allows people to engage with this topic further, where they perhaps don’t feel comfortable in real life, allowing more people to educate.”
Throughout the space, visitors can complete a quest and, once they have collected all four Lovehoney hearts, they can access a 20% off code to use online at their local Lovehoney site.
Juno – the new music activated toy collection
Lovehoney’s new Juno range harnesses music-activation technology to vibrate intime to sound. The collection includes a love ring, knicker vibrator, love egg and butt plug. The slimline design and easy to use controls make them the perfect toy for beginners as well as more experienced users and are versatile to be used all over the body. The products RRP at $99.95.
Safety first
Consumer wellbeing and protection is of the highest priority at Lovehoney and therefore, Betty the Bee, Lovehoney’s own security avatar, will greet visitors at the front door with information on how they can report inappropriate behaviour and block anyone who is making them feel uncomfortable. By clicking on the other person’s avatar, users can easily select the block function, and by pressing the ‘E’ key on their keyboards, they will be moved to a random area of the Lovehoney store. All consumers will also be asked their age upon entering the experience to ensure they are over 18 years old.
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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