Meta Partners Best Buy to Showcase AI and VR Products

Meta wants to give more customers a chance to experience its hardware in person.

To that end, Best Buy on Monday (June 8) announced the launch of the “Meta Lab @ Best Buy” partnership, which involves establishing “900-square-foot experiential spaces,” for shoppers to test Meta’s virtual reality (VR) headsets and artificial intelligence (AI) glasses.

“These are immersive, hands-on spaces built for real discovery — where people can experience firsthand just how stylish, fun, and personal AI glasses and VR really are,” said Christa Wittenberg, vice president of global retail sales at Meta. “We want customers to walk in curious and leave genuinely excited about what’s possible.”

The glasses were created to be “worn and explored firsthand,” the announcement added, noting that more than 50% of Best Buy customers have said they want to see Meta’s AI glasses in person before making a purchase.

“Our customers are passionate about experiencing what’s next and they turn to Best Buy to bring it to life,” said Patrick McGinnis, chief merchandising officer at Best Buy. “Meta Lab @ Best Buy is an experience customers can’t find at any other retailer and sets a new standard for how our customers will explore, play with and discover the latest cutting-edge tech.”

The program is slated to reach 50 Best Buy locations throughout the summer, starting this month. The initial stores taking part in the program are based in San Carlos, California; Roseville, Minnesota; Woodland Park, New Jersey; Greenville, South Carolina; and Columbus, Ohio.

Meta already has five Meta Lab stores where it lets consumers experience its smart glasses and headsets. The company said earlier this year it plans to share what it learns at its Meta Lab stores with the retailers of its AI and VR-enabled wearables.

“We can see what’s drawing people in, and if the layout is confusing, we’ll fix it,” said Nicola Mendelsohn, head of global business group at Meta, per a Retail Touchpoints report. “We want to bring people together not just to browse but to participate.”

Meanwhile, PYMNTS wrote earlier this year about the impact of AI large language models on augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, turning them from display devices to “intelligent companions,” and offering a “gateway to real-time assistance.”

That assistance includes things like summarizing conversations, translating languages and offering contextual prompts according to what the wearer sees.

“But AI does not eliminate the need for a clear use case,” the report added. “It enhances interactions, but it does not define them. The question of why a user should wear AR glasses for hours each day, rather than pull out a smartphone when needed, remains open.”