Driving customer engagement through the metaverse
This week, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and JCDecaux Transport Hong Kong announced the launch of the HKIA Metaverse.
Composed of three Metaverse Airport scenes, visitors can explore the Departure Hall, Sky Bridge, and boarding gate area. On entering, there is a chance to win the first-ever limited-edition of the HKIA Metaverse NFT as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of HKIA. As visitors work through the gamified airport environment they “will experience a new adventure that offers multiple levels of engagement, stretching their imaginations with features like taking part in games and interacting with other airport passengers.”
Alby Tsang, Head of Retail & Advertising of Airport Authority Hong Kong said:
“We are proud to be the first international airport in Greater China to launch the first-ever HKIA Metaverse, providing visitors with an entirely new way to immerse themselves in a virtual world and engage with brands like never before.”
The metaverse is predicted to be a huge area of growth in the travel industry with the metaverse market in travel and tourism expected to increase by $188.24 billion from 2021 to 2026. Nevertheless, exactly how the metaverse will be leveraged by various industry stakeholders is unclear.
One of its early identified benefits is within the area of customer engagement. Through creating an immersive and interactive space, customers can engage with brands in new and memorable ways. An article by Forbes on the metaverse pointed out:
“The immersive experience that are enabled through the metaverse are truly ground-breaking and could unlock infinite possibilities for customer engagement […] Experiences in the metaverse should elevate and extend existing service experiences as a bridge to creating a new model for interactions.”
The metaverse enables users to actively engage with brands in a way that surpasses traditional channels and promotes a stronger connection with the customer. The inclusion of gamification as exhibited by HKIA and before it, the ChangiVerse, encourages users to spend more time in the virtual space, deepening engagement and fostering a rewarding environment.
By encouraging users to actively engage with branding elements in fun and novel way, the metaverse can be leveraged to create memorable experiences and fortify user relationships.
For more on the metaverse see:
- How Emirates is Capitalising on The Metaverse
- How Is The Metaverse Being Used In Aviation?
- What will air travel look like in the metaverse?
