The Bumpy Road Ahead for Web3 and Metaverse in Retail Web3 and metaverse technologies seem poised to introduce a new paradigm for retail and ecommerce centered around virtual reality, augmented shopping experiences, and blockchain-verified ownership of branded digital goods. However, significant barriers around costs, technical limitations, and perhaps most worryingly, a lack of clear consumer demand exist. Retailers are keen to pioneer applications in this space, but a fully realized Web3 retail reality seems many years off. Use cases highlighted at recent retail conferences and in research reports include retailers selling virtual real estate plots in branded metaverse environments, offering...