Leveraging the Metaverse for Sustainable Practices in Retail Business: Opportunities and Challenges.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-27242025000200012Keywords:
Metaverse in retail, Sustainable retail, Immersive experience, Sustainable businessAbstract
The retail industry driven by the emergence of advance technologies as well as changing consumer behaviour has evolved significantly. The metaverse offers vast potential for sustainable retail and has emerged as a transformative force in the world of digital experiences. By embracing the metaverse technologies, sustainable retail businesses can pioneer innovative solutions that can promote environmental and social sustainability while enhancing operational efficiencies and consumer’s immersive engagements and experiences. This paper delves into the emerging applications of the metaverse in shaping sustainable retail practices and additional revenue stream. It also examines the potential risks and challenges associated with integrating metaverse technologies into sustainable retail strategies.
Downloads
References
Abdulla, M. G., Singh, S., & Borar, S. (2019, May). Shop your right size: A system for recommending sizes for fashion products. In Companion Proceedings of the 2019 WorldWide Web Conference (pp. 327-334).
Abumalloh, R. A., Nilashi, M., Ooi, K. B., Samad, S., Ibrahim, O., Akbari, E., & Al-shami, S. S. A. (2023). The adoption of the metaverse in the retail industry and its impact on sustainable competitive advantage: Moderating impact of sustainability commitment. Annals of Operations Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05608-8
Acosta-González, H. N., & Marcenaro-Gutiérrez, O. D. (2021). The relationship between subjective well-being and self-reported health: Evidence from Ecuador. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 16(5), 1961-1981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-020-09867-y
Ahn, S., Jin, B. E., & Seo, H. (2024). Why do people interact and buy in the Metaverse? Self-expansion perspectives and the impact of hedonic adaptation. Journal of Business Research, 175, 114557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114557
Altarteer, S., & Charissis, V. (2019). Technology acceptance model for 3D virtual reality system in luxury brands online stores. IEEE Access, 7, 64053–64062. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2916353
Arpaci, I., Karatas, K., Kusci, I., & Al-Emran, M. (2022). Understanding the social sustainability of the metaverse by integrating UTAUT2 and big five personality traits: A hybrid SEM-ANN approach. Technology in Society, 71, 102120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.102120
Assad, F., Konstantinov, S., Patsavellas, J., & Salonitis, K. (2024). A framework for enabling metaverse for sustainable manufacturing. Procedia CIRP, 128, 108-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2024.05.016
Bansal, A., Bansal, R., Bansal, A., Kumar, M., & Kumar, P. (2023). Normative concerns in neuromarketing. In P. Singh, Rajagopal, & N. Dholakia (Eds.), Promoting consumer engagement through emotional branding and sensory marketing (pp. 234-243). IGI Global.
Barreda-Ángeles, M., & Hartmann, T. (2022). Hooked on the metaverse? Exploring the prevalence of addiction to virtual reality applications. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 3, 1031697. https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2022.1031697
Barrera, K. G., & Shah, D. (2023). Marketing in the metaverse: Conceptual understanding, framework, and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 155, 113420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113420
Bloomberg. (2022, December 14). Metaverse’s $80 billion ETF assets by 2024 virtually a reality. https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/metaverses-80-billion-etf-assets-by-2024-virtually-a-reality/
Bourlakis, M., Papagiannidis, S., & Li, F. (2009). Retail spatial evolution: Paving the way from traditional to metaverse retailing. Electronic Commerce Research, 9(1–2), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-009-9030-8
Business Wire. (2022, December 1). Forever 21 launches the world’s first metaverse-tested fashion collection, IRL. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221201005082/en/Forever-21-Launches-the-World%E2%80%99s-First-Metaverse-Tested-Fashion-Collection-IRL
Cheung, C. M., Wong, R. Y. M., & Chan, T. K. (2021). Online disinhibition: Conceptualization, measurement, and implications for online deviant behavior. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 121(1), 48–64. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-06-2020-0331
Danciu, D.-C., Brândușa, M., & Vasile, D. (2019). How sustainability oriented is Generation Z in retail? A literature review. Transformations in Business & Economics, 18(2), 140–155.
Di Pietro, R., & Cresci, S. (2021). Metaverse: Security and privacy issues. In 2021 Third IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications (TPS-ISA) (pp. 281-288). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPSISA52974.2021.00032
Dionisio, J. D. N., Burns, W. G., & Gilbert, R. (2013). 3D virtual worlds and the metaverse: Current status and future possibilities. ACM Computing Surveys, 45(3), Article 35, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1145/2480741.2480751
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Baabdullah, A. M., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Giannakis, M., Al-Debei, M. M., Dennehy, D., Metri, B., Kriti, D., Choi, T. M., & Wamba, S. F. (2022). Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 66, 102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kshetri, N., Hughes, L., Slade, E. L., Jeyaraj, A., Mogaji, E., Kar, A. K., Baabdullah, A. M., Koohang, A., Ramesh, A., Raman, R., Sharma, R., Spanaki, K., Sarker, S., Sivarajah, U., Sinha, M., Stahl, B. C., Suri, N., Viglia, G., ... Wright, R. (2023). Exploring the darkverse: A multi-perspective analysis of the negative societal impacts of the metaverse. Information Systems Frontiers, 25(6), 2071–2114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-023-10400-x
Ertz, M., Ouerghemmi, C., & Njika, Y. N. (2024). Impact of the metaverse on sustainability in the construction industry. Sustainable Futures, 8, 100335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100335
Feinberg, R., & Kadam, R. (2002). E-CRM Web service attributes as determinants of customer satisfaction with retail Web sites. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 13(5), 432–451. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564230210447922
Gadalla, E., Keeling, K., & Abosag, I. (2013). Metaverse-retail service quality: A future framework for retail service quality in the 3D internet. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(13-14), 1493-1517. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2013.835742
Gauri, D. K., Jindal, R. P., Ratchford, B., Fox, E., Bhatnagar, A., Pandey, A., Navallo, J. R., Fogarty, J., Carr, S., & Howerton, E. (2021). Evolution of retail formats: Past, present, and future. Journal of Retailing, 97(1), 42–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2020.12.002
Gordon, I. (2022, March/April). Metaverse or metaworse? Ivey Business Journal. https://iveybusinessjournal.com/metaverse-or-metaworse/
Grewal, D., Motyka, S., & Levy, M. (2018). The evolution and future of retailing and retailing education. Journal of Marketing Education, 40(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475318755838
Gupta, S., & Ramachandran, D. (2021). Emerging market retail: Transitioning from a product-centric to a customer-centric approach. Journal of Retailing, 97(4), 597-620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2021.10.005
H&M Group. (2023, June 2). You’re invited to the metaverse! How H&M Group uses tech innovation for endless fashion opportunities. https://hmgroup.com/our-stories/youre-invited-to-the-metaverse-how-hm-group-uses-tech-innovation-for-endless-fashion-opportunities/
Hagberg, J., Sundstrom, M., & Egels-Zandén, N. (2016). The digitalization of retailing: An exploratory framework. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 44(7), 694–712. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2015-0140
Hazan, E., Kelly, G., Khan, H., Spillecke, D., & Yee, L. (2022, July 13). Marketing in the metaverse: An opportunity for innovation and experimentation. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/marketing-in-the-metaverse-an-opportunity-for-innovation-and-experimentation
Hennig-Thurau, T., Aliman, D. N., Herting, A. M., Cziehso, G. P., Linder, M., & Kübler, R. V. (2023). Social interactions in the metaverse: Framework, initial evidence, and research roadmap. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 51(4), 889-913. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-023-00938-z
Idrees, S., Vignali, G., & Gill, S. (2020). 3D Body scanning with mobile application: An introduction to globalise mass-customisation with Pakistani fashion E-commerce unstitched apparel industry. International Journal of Economics and Management Engineering, 14(3), 313-328.
Idrees, S., Vignali, G., & Gill, S. (2023). Interactive marketing with virtual commerce tools: Purchasing right size and fitted garment in fashion metaverse. In C. Dennis, T. C. Melewar, & L. D. Hollebeek (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of interactive marketing (pp. 329-351). Springer International Publishing.
Jauhiainen, J. S., Krohn, C., & Junnila, J. (2022). Metaverse and sustainability: Systematic review of scientific publications until 2022 and beyond. Sustainability, 15(1), 346. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010346
Jones, P., Hillier, D., & Comfort, D. (2014). Assurance of the leading UK food retailers' corporate social responsibility/sustainability reports. Corporate Governance, 14(1), 130-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-02-2013-0022
Joy, A., Zhu, Y., Peña, C., & Brouard, M. (2022). Digital future of luxury brands: Metaverse, digital fashion, and non‐fungible tokens. Strategic Change, 31(3), 337-343. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2502
Kang, T. (2023, September 19). Exploring the potential of virtual commerce. Walmart Corporate. https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2023/09/19/exploring-the-potential-of-virtual-commerce
Khatri, J., Marín-Morales, J., Moghaddasi, M., Guixeres, J., Giglioli, I. A. C., & Alcañiz, M. (2022). Recognizing personality traits using consumer behavior patterns in a virtual retail store. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 752073. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.752073
Kılıçarslan, Ö., Yozukmaz, N., Albayrak, T., & Buhalis, D. (2025). The impacts of Metaverse on tourist behaviour and marketing implications. Current Issues in Tourism, 28(4), 622-642. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2246845
Kim, J. (2021). Advertising in the Metaverse: Research Agenda. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 21(3), 141–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2021.2001273
Kim, E. Y., & Sung, H. (2021). The effect of user experience on perceived flow and continuous intentions to use the mixed reality technology. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 45(5), 907–921. https://doi.org/10.5850/JKSCT.2021.45.5.907
Koohang, A., Nord, J. H., Ooi, K. B., Tan, G. W. H., Al-Emran, M., Aw, E. C. X., & Wong, L. W. (2023). Shaping the metaverse into reality: A holistic multidisciplinary understanding of opportunities, challenges, and avenues for future investigation. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 63(3), 735–765. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2023.2165197
Kraus, S., Kanbach, D. K., Krysta, P. M., Steinhoff, M. M., & Tomini, N. (2022). Facebook and the creation of the metaverse: Radical business model innovation or incremental transformation? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 28(9), 52–77. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-12-2021-0984
Lee, L. H., Braud, T., Zhou, P., Wang, L., Xu, D., Lin, Z., Kumar, A., Bermejo, C., & Hui, P. (2024). All one needs to know about metaverse: A complete survey on technological singularity, virtual ecosystem, and research agenda. Foundations and Trends® in Human–Computer Interaction, 18(2–3), 100-337. https://doi.org/10.1561/1100000092
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420
Lewis, N. (2019, October 11). Walmart revolutionizes its training with virtual reality. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/technology/walmart-revolutionizes-training-virtual-reality
Lo, T. T. S., Chen, Y., Lai, T. Y., & Goodman, A. (2024). Phygital workspace: A systematic review in developing a new typological work environment using XR technology to reduce the carbon footprint. Frontiers in Built Environment, 10, 1370423. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2024.1370423
Marín‐García, A., Gil‐Saura, I., & Ruiz‐Molina, M. E. (2020). How do innovation and sustainability contribute to generate retail equity? Evidence from Spanish retailing. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 29(5), 601–615. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-12-2018-2173
Marr, B. (2022, July 1). The metaverse, digital dressing rooms and the future of fashion retail. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/07/01/the-metaverse-digital-dressing-rooms-and-the-future-of-fashion-retail/
Onu, P., Pradhan, A., & Mbohwa, C. (2024). Potential to use metaverse for future teaching and learning. Education and Information Technologies, 29(7), 8893–8924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12401-2
Pamucar, D., Deveci, M., Gokasar, I., Tavana, M., & Köppen, M. (2022). A metaverse assessment model for sustainable transportation using ordinal priority approach and Aczel-Alsina norms. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 182, 121778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121778
Papagiannidis, S. (2008). From 2D to 3D: Making the transition from Web to metaverse retailing. Cutter IT Journal, 21(9), 14-18.
Papagiannidis, S., & Bourlakis, M. A. (2010). Staging the new retail drama: At a metaverse near you! Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2(5). https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v2i5.810
PR Newswire. (2022, March 30). Welcome to the Wendyverse: Wendy's opening first restaurant in virtual reality. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/welcome-to-the-wendyverse-wendys-opening-first-restaurant-in-virtual-reality-301513961.html
Rauschnabel, P. A., Babin, B. J., Tom Dieck, M. C., Krey, N., & Jung, T. (2022). What is augmented reality marketing? Its definition, complexity, and future. Journal of Business Research, 142, 1140–1150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.084
Repko, M. (2022, September 15). Walmart unveils virtual fitting room to push shoppers to buy more clothes. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/15/walmart-unveils-virtual-fitting-room-to-push-shoppers-to-buy-more-clothes.html
Rodriguez‐Rad, C. J., & Ramos‐Hidalgo, E. (2018). Spirituality, consumer ethics, and sustainability: The mediating role of moral identity. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 35(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-12-2016-2035
Sáiz, B., & Yonge, J. (2022, August 10). Metaverse: Could creating a virtual world build a more sustainable one? EY. https://www.ey.com/en_in/insights/digital/metaverse-could-creating-a-virtual-world-build-a-more-sustainable-one
Townsend, S. (2022, September 29). Could the metaverse & web3 save sustainability? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/solitairetownsend/2022/09/29/could-the-metaverse--web3-save-sustainability/
Umberson, D., & Karas Montez, J. (2010). Social relationships and health: A flashpoint for health policy. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(1_suppl), S54-S66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383501
Upadhyay, A. K., & Khandelwal, K. (2022). Metaverse: The future of immersive training. Strategic HR Review, 21(3), 83-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-01-2022-0003
Vishkaei, B. M. (2022). Metaverse: A new platform for circular smart cities. In E. G. Salvia & E. de Oliveira (Eds.), Cases on circular economy in practice (pp. 51-69). IGI Global.
Voicu, M. C., Sîrghi, N., & Toth, D. M. M. (2023). Consumers’ experience and satisfaction using augmented reality apps in E-shopping: New empirical evidence. Applied Sciences, 13(17), 9596. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179596
Von der Au, S., Rauschnabel, P. A., Felix, R., & Hinsch, C. (2023). Context in augmented reality marketing: Does the place of use matter? Psychology & Marketing, 40(11), 2447-2463. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21814
Wang, Y., Su, Z., Zhang, N., Liu, D., Xing, R., Luan, T. H., & Shen, X. (2023). A survey on metaverse: Fundamentals, security, and privacy. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 25(1), 319–352. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2022.3224906
Watson, R., Wilson, H. N., & Macdonald, E. K. (2020). Business‐nonprofit engagement in sustainability‐oriented innovation: What works for whom and why. Journal of Business Research, 119, 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.023
Wiederhold, B. K. (2022). Metaverse games: Game changer for healthcare? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(5), 267–269. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.29239.bkw
Winkler, A., Won, J., & Ye, Y. (2022). QuestSim: Human motion tracking from sparse sensors with simulated avatars. In SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 Conference Papers (pp. 1–8). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3550469.3555411
Wu, R., Gao, L., Li, J., Huang, Q., & Pan, Y. (2024). Key factors influencing design learners' behavioral intention in human-AI collaboration within the educational metaverse. Sustainability, 16(22), 9942. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229942
Xie, R., Fang, J., & Liu, C. (2017). The effects of transportation infrastructure on urban carbon emissions. Applied Energy, 196, 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.01.020
Xue, L., Parker, C. J., & Hart, C. A. (2023). How augmented reality can enhance fashion retail: A UX design perspective. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 51(1), 59-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2021-0435
Yang, Q., Zhao, Y., Huang, H., Xiong, Z., Kang, J., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Fusing blockchain and AI with metaverse: A survey. IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society, 3, 122-136. https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCS.2022.3188249
Yoo, K., Welden, R., Hewett, K., & Haenlein, M. (2023). The merchants of meta: A research agenda to understand the future of retailing in the metaverse. Journal of Retailing, 99(2), 173–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2023.03.002
Yugendar, N. (2014). Social sustainability: Constraints and achievement. International Journal of Innovative Technology & Adaptive Management, 1(5), 57–61.
Zimmermann, D., Wehler, A., & Kaspar, K. (2023). Self-representation through avatars in digital environments. Current Psychology, 42, 21775–21789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03232-6
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Technology Management and Innovation

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

