Meta is launching four new “Meta Lab” retail locations in the United States, including pop-ups in Las Vegas and New York and an expanded flagship in Los Angeles. Timed to coincide with the holiday season and the launch of its new AI-powered wearable devices, the stores are designed to offer a hands-on experience for consumers.
The Meta Lab locations will allow customers to demo a full range of Reality Labs hardware, including:
Meta’s new retail strategy is built around experiential shopping, with these interactive stores designed to help customers explore and appreciate the company’s emerging technologies, very much like Apple’s iconic retail approach.
After selling over 1 million pairs of smart glasses in 2024, Meta’s push is understandable. They want to get into physical retail in a clear attempt to move their devices into the mainstream market. The high-traffic, hands-on locations allow the company to gauge consumer interest in products like the Ray-Ban Display glasses, despite the problematic demo.
These stores will also serve as test beds for refining Meta’s retail strategy and optimizing hardware sales before a wider rollout.