When Mark Zuckerburg (aided by a sunscreen-slathered surfing avatar) introduced Meta in October 2021, companies scrambled to avoid being left behind in the metaverse. And Zuckerberg himself predicted the metaverse would do hundreds of billions of dollars in digital commerce in the next decade.

Nearly one year out from Meta’s big reveal, there’s no central place where everyone’s avatars appear regularly. And nobody seems to know what exactly it would look like if it existed.

That’s not to say that brands aren’t thinking about it: Some are venturing into the vast unknown of the metaverse. Take digitally native D2C brands like Oui The People, YouthForia, and Golde, which were among those propping up digital booths at the MetaMarket in July, where shoppers directed avatars around a virtual outdoor mall, avoiding (or walking right through) pools and fountains, and stepping into shops to chat with founders and brand representatives.

“I think [brands are] trying to see what the potential applications are,” Insider Intelligence senior analyst Sky Canaves told Retail Brew. “They’re trying to establish road maps for routes that don’t yet exist, but they’re trying to get a sense of what the landscape is going to be like.”

Connection in a digital world: Karen Young, CEO of Oui the People (of rose-gold razor fame) says the metaverse may be less about sales and more about engagement.

It’s a way to connect with audiences outside of a “sell, sell, sell experience,” and to expand beyond the traditional “one-way” model of brands speaking to their audiences on Instagram or Facebook, she said.

• “As a digital-native brand, it feels like our place is in the future,” Young told Retail Brew. “Clearly it’s evolving to include the metaverse, which means we need to be there as well.”

Keep reading here.—MA

In 17 years working in luxury retail, Antoine Tessier, VP and CTO at LVMH Americas, has seen it all. With long-term stints at Louis Vuitton as CTO, project leader, and director of retail, Tessier casually self-identifies as someone who is “very luxurious.” So when he first met Scott Swanson, CEO of Bonder, a location-based retail communication app, in Miami last September, Tessier was delighted to find they seemed to have so much in common.

Tessier said their “hour and a half”-long conversation drew upon Tessier’s extensive experience, which led to him signing up for his first outside board role at Bonder. Swanson appointed the retail-tech veteran to advise on retailer-customer relationships, as well as provide “large-scale technical direction,” according to Bonder.

• Bonder’s app allows users to connect with retailers (and other users) in their local area and acts as a “direct tool” for customers to find and purchase products, as well as be able to message in-store employees.
• The company is targeting bigger retailers like Best Buy.

High-end link-ups: For Tessier, connection is the “key pillar” to the future of both luxury and retail. And the connection has only been heightened with the advent of virtual and augmented reality during the pandemic. From Balenciaga to Gucci, the metaverse is a hit with some of the biggest luxury brands and it’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be dying down. “We see it now today with the metaverse hype, which is, at the end of the day, in a few years, the internet will be 3D,” Tessier told Retail Brew. In the same vein is social commerce, which has found significant success in China, but is relatively lagging behind in the US. But with Gen Z gravitating toward shopping on both TikTok and Instagram, now more than ever, the US is catching up, Tessier said.

Keep reading here.—JS

Today’s top retail reads.

Long haul: Gap Inc. has struggled to bring the company back to its mall glory days. Could the July firing of CEO Sonia Syngal mark a turning point? (Business of Fashion)

Another direction: Why are companies like Peloton now looking to Amazon to sell their products? (The New York Times)

Take out: Restaurant chains are eyeing catering programs as an additional revenue stream as post-Covid gatherings ramp up. (Modern Retail)

We’ve all seen “made in USA” stamps on products from footballs to coolers, but it takes a lot to be able to make that kind of claim. It’s not easy (nor cheap) to manufacture products in America, yet while US companies face supply-chain tumult, many are evaluating how to bring their manufacturing home. Read Retail Brew’s exploration of what it really means to be “made in America.”

This editorial content is supported by AT&T Business.

Three of the stories below are real...and one is most definitely not. Can you spot the fake?

1. Rihanna introduced a new makeup line for Fenty Beauty that may or may not include actual ketchup.
2. Adidas debuted a new shoe collection that can also be extended to work as knee-high socks.
3. Soaring temperatures are driving up demand for jackets with built-in fans or air-conditioning.
4. Louis Vuitton has introduced a pingpong set worth over $2,000.

Keep reading for the answer.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• A retail-tech company is changing how customers interact with luxury beauty brands online
• Shoppers turn to Walmart for groceries as the company navigates inflation, inventory hurdles
• Tools of the trade: How escalators helped retail move up