As a opinion poll of the digital association Bitkom, there is a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness when it comes to the future topic of the metaverse in the German economy.
More than a quarter (26%) of the companies surveyed are interested in the topic, almost one in three companies (29%) are quite critical or reject the topic as not relevant to the company. 34% of respondents do not yet have a definitive opinion on the Metaverse.
Mix of opinions between rejection and enthusiasm
In a representative survey, the industry association surveyed 604 companies with more than 20 employees in Germany about the Metaverse. When asked if the Metaverse is seen more as an opportunity or a risk, 33% see no importance to their company. 26% rather or mainly suspect opportunities, 20% have concerns and fear the risks of new technology. 21% said they have not yet formed an opinion.
Companies found the topic particularly interesting for the leisure and gaming industry (65%), without considering the topic of tokens and cryptocurrencies in the survey. Most companies consider the metaverse relevant to digital platforms (56%), end users (56%), education and training (54%), tourism (52%) and the fashion industry ( 51%).
When it comes to benefits, German companies obviously focus on the possibilities for better cooperation within companies (49%), for example via virtual conferences. More than one in three companies (37%) see the Metaverse as an opportunity to offer new products and services.
While about a quarter of companies surveyed have a positive opinion of the Metaverse, the majority (68%) believe the Metaverse is still a long way off. 14% fear that the Metaverse will jeopardize the previous business model and almost one in four companies (23%) even see the Metaverse as a threat to the entire company. 4 in 10 respondents (44%) think competitors will use the Metaverse. A similar number (40%) consider it rather impossible.
Despite all the skepticism, half of the companies (45%) plan to make investments related to the metaverse. 2% of respondents are already investing this year, 8% have planned investments for 2023. 41% of companies are convinced of making investments in 2024 or in the next five years.
Germany as an outsider when it comes to the Metaverse
In the opinion of the companies, Germany currently appears to be lagging behind internationally in this future issue. No company considers Germany the world leader or top group (0%) in the Metaverse.
Bitkom CEO Bernhard Rohleder comments on the survey results.
“The Metaverse may become a technological megatrend. We can’t stand by here and look at what our competitors are doing.”
