THE RESURRECTION OF SQUAD SHOPPING
Nearly two years ago, only months into lockdowns across the United States, Vogue published an article signaling a burgeoning trend: squad shopping. The term “squad” was already experiencing a moment, culturally, and it seemed a natural step forward as we were forced to socially distance.
There was a brief spark ignited, but it never took off. The problem was not in the idea, or even the outfits that brought it to market. The problem was the platform.
Gather Your Girl Gang
Watch parties on streaming services were novel, and the world deepened their experience using FaceTime. Retail brands made a smattering of attempts to blend the physical store experience with the only available checkout stand - ecommerce.
Icommerce, or Immersive Commerce, took many forms in its infancy, and with just as much variance in its success. The common thread of failure came from one of two errors:
Hurling any and all available technology at customers with no consideration given to design, aesthetic, or even purpose.
Fixing what isn’t broken.
Assemble Your Army
As is often the case, the answer was right in front of us all along. Whether you consider yourself a gamer or not, whether you own a gaming platform or not, and no matter your age, you are at the very least aware of what online gaming looks like. Even more ubiquitous is the Smart TV - every septuagenarian I know streams Netflix from their Smart TV.
There is a natural progression, a natural marriage between these two cultural phenomenon that is so obvious - it is genuinely What’s Next. Immersive commerce is the epicenter of the unfolding metaverse, and it is more important than ever that brands don’t simply create connections with their customers.
Fostering their customers’ intimate relationships and friendships, creating space for people to gather in this vast world, is not just the right thing to do, it’s also the only viable business move in web 3.0.
