The metaverse is no longer just a buzzword or a playground for experimentation—it is rapidly becoming a strategic lever for enterprise transformation. Yet, for many organizations, the journey from proof-of-concept (POC) to production at scale remains fraught with challenges. Too often, promising pilots stall before they deliver real business value, leaving leaders asking: How do we move beyond experimentation to operationalize and scale metaverse initiatives that drive tangible outcomes?
At Publicis Sapient, we have helped major brands in retail, automotive, consumer goods, and beyond navigate this journey. Our experience shows that success hinges on a clear roadmap, robust frameworks for value measurement, and a relentless focus on outcomes—whether in customer experience, employee training, or new revenue streams. Here, we share actionable insights, common pitfalls, and lessons learned from scaling metaverse solutions to enterprise value.
The metaverse encompasses immersive virtual and augmented reality environments, digital twins, and decentralized platforms that enable new forms of interaction, collaboration, and commerce. While early headlines focused on NFTs and virtual real estate, the real enterprise opportunity lies in integrating metaverse capabilities with core business processes to drive productivity, enhance experiences, and unlock new business models.
Recent research shows that nearly half of enterprises plan to increase metaverse investments by 10–20% over the next two years, with another 40% planning even greater increases. However, only a small fraction of these investments have moved beyond pilot mode to deliver measurable ROI. The gap is not in technology, but in execution, change management, and value realization.
The most successful metaverse programs begin with a clear articulation of business objectives. Are you aiming to improve customer experience, accelerate employee training, or create new revenue streams? For example, a leading beauty brand moved from a POC to a full-scale metaverse strategy by focusing on customer engagement and loyalty, integrating AR/VR experiences with ecommerce and digital identity solutions.
Enterprises should adopt robust value frameworks that go beyond “return on learning” to measure outcomes across three horizons:
By aligning metaverse initiatives to these horizons, organizations can track progress, justify investment, and pivot as needed.
Publicis Sapient’s SPEED model—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI—ensures that metaverse solutions are not just innovative, but also scalable, secure, and measurable. For instance, our work with a global automotive brand involved integrating blockchain-based loyalty programs, AR-enabled product experiences, and smart key fobs, all underpinned by robust data and analytics.
Scaling metaverse solutions requires collaboration across business, technology, and operations. Our partnerships with hyperscalers, AR/VR specialists, and blockchain providers enable us to deliver integrated solutions that address real-world challenges. For example, in the consumer goods sector, we helped a multinational client launch a blockchain-enabled NFT marketplace, combining creative, technical, and regulatory expertise.
Metaverse adoption is as much about people as technology. We invest in internal training, learning management solutions, and certification programs to upskill teams and drive cultural change. Our experience shows that organizations that prioritize change management are more likely to achieve sustained impact.
A global beauty brand partnered with Publicis Sapient to move from a metaverse POC to a production-ready platform. By integrating AR/VR experiences with ecommerce, digital identity, and loyalty programs, the brand delivered a seamless customer journey that increased engagement and drove new revenue streams.
For a major automotive client, we developed a smart key fob and blockchain-based loyalty program, piloted in a controlled environment and then scaled to production. The solution combined hardware, software, and data analytics to enhance customer experience and create new touchpoints for engagement.
A multinational consumer goods company worked with us to launch an NFT marketplace and digital twin solutions for product development and supply chain optimization. By leveraging our SPEED capabilities and ecosystem partnerships, the client moved from experimentation to enterprise-scale deployment, unlocking new business models and revenue streams.
To move beyond experimentation, enterprises must adopt clear frameworks for measuring ROI. This includes:
Our approach ensures that metaverse investments are tied to measurable business value, whether in cost savings, revenue growth, or experience enhancement.
The metaverse is moving out of the lab and into the enterprise. Organizations that succeed will be those that treat it as a strategic enabler, not a side project. By focusing on business outcomes, leveraging proven frameworks, and investing in change management, enterprises can scale metaverse solutions to deliver real, measurable value.
At Publicis Sapient, we are committed to guiding clients through every stage of this journey—from POC to production and beyond. Our cross-industry experience, SPEED capabilities, and ecosystem partnerships make us the partner of choice for organizations ready to unlock the full potential of the metaverse.
Ready to move beyond experimentation? Let’s build the future together.