Image Source: Visual China

Beijing, June 22 (TMTPOST) — GOME, one of the largest privately owned electrical appliance retailers in China, has included the metaverse as the most important part of their development strategy, financial media Jiemian reported.

The company’s metaverse project head joined GOME in June. The project team is currently recruiting talents, Jiemian reported. An insider familiar with the matter told Jiemian that GOME’s first metaverse project might be launched in early July.

Information on professional networking platform Maimai shows that GOME’s metaverse project covers areas such as the metaverse, the metaverse e-commerce, digital avatars, virtual idols and virtual collectibles.

GOME told Jiemian that the company is a pioneer in exploring what metaverse can do for the company and that its Zhenkuaile mobile application will soon have its own metaverse feature as well.

GOME has already posted several job advertisements related to the metaverse development. In the job description for “Senior Metaverse Product Manager”, GOME says that the metaverse has already become the most important part of its development strategy and that this role will be responsible for creating metaverse products related to GOME’s home appliance business, including metaverse shopping mall, NFT, trading platforms and asset wallet.

In addition, GOME’s Zhenkuaile mobile application will soon launch a metaverse game on its platform, which is expected to increase social interaction on the mobile application. However, the game is not included in GOME’s metaverse plan, sources told Jiemian.

GOME had previously hinted several times that it would enter the metaverse.

In October 2020, GOME acquired an 80% stake in VR home decoration company Dabanjia, including it into its development plan. In June, the company released the first VR home decoration game on Pico.

GOME was founded by Wong Kwong Yu, a Chinese businessman, in Beijing in 1987. Since 1999, it has developed outside Beijing and established retail outlets in other Chinese cities. It was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2004.