MG Motor India has announced its upcoming new online platform, dubbed the MGverse, which combines multiple online platforms into one. Think of it as MG’s vision of a metaverse where it intends to bring together all its customers, employees and partners for an immersive digital experience. The platform will be available for access on both, mobile and web browsers, although it is still in the development phase and is being built zone by zone. The first phase of the platform will be ready for use by Diwali this year.
- MGverse will have 5 distinct zones for customers, employees and partners
- Platform will be open to everyone
- Will evolve continuously to integrate more features
MG Motor’s metaverse will have 5 zones
MG has categorised MGverse in five distinct experience centers – Explore and Creator’s Centre, NFT Gallery, MG Car Club, Gaming Arena and MG Knowledge Centre.
The Explore and Creator’s section is essentially an extension of MG’s online car configurator where customers can personalise, accessorise and finally book their vehicles on the metaverse. Customers will even be assisted by a 3D virtual human assistant. Additionally, the new platform will also allow customers to take virtual test drives in cities and streets of their choice.
MG was also the first carmaker to launch a collection of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in December last year, and now, the same will be integrated on the MGverse platform, which will also allow users to see, list, and transact NFTs as well. Users can also collaborate and create their own NFTs and earn.
The MG Car Club (MGCC) is a platform for MG owners – both past and present – to connect and engage through member-only events and concerts. The Car Club will also have a special section for official MG merchandise and accessories. Meanwhile, the Gaming Arena will have a collection of games, including racing ones, where users can race on a track of their choice in sportier MGs.
Lastly, the Knowledge Centre is specifically for employees and partners for upskilling and attending virtual training sessions, conferences, meetings, etc.
MGverse targets Gen Z and Gen Alpha
MG has always focused on tech in its operations and products, with the Hector being the first car in India to come with an embedded SIM, and Gloster and Astor SUVs being the first mass market models with Level 1 and 2 ADAS technology, respectively.
With the MGverse, the company is focusing on a digital customer experience, particular aimed at the Gen Z and Gen Alpha groups. What's interesting is that the platform is not limited to just MG owners and is open for all. “Digital technologies have advanced faster than any other innovation in human history. MGverse is our vision for creating our Metaverse, in which we and our partners will constantly explore, innovate, improvise, and develop new solutions to consistently enhance the customer experience in the future,” said Gaurav Gupta, CCO, MG Motor India.
While the company did not quantify how much of its MGverse digital footfall it expects to translate into actually sales, Gupta said the company’s digital-first approach has been a key differentiator for the brand from the moment a customer expresses interest to them actually booking a car.
He further added, “With MGverse, we will build upon our virtual customer experience content to familiarise the future generation with innovative brand experiences.”
For now, the MGverse will be a constantly evolving platform, with more features and experiences likely to be added in the future. MG also intends to make similar experiences available for VR (Virtual Reality) headsets, to be experienced at both, home and showrooms.
How likely are you to use MGverse when it launches and do you think other carmakers should follow suit? Let us know in the comments below.
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