With the evolution of the Internet, the whole bundle of innovations not available with Web 2.0 are now made possible partly thanks to the disruptive nature of Web 3.0. Entering the new era based on the principle of decentralization rooted in interconnectivity, permissionless nature and the use of advanced data algorithms, Web 3.0 shakes up the old standards with the new community-centred approach that underpins every aspect of the “new Internet”. As such, the metaverse is steadily making way as the new reality of immersive lifelike experience, the one that extends possibilities of commerce beyond the physical space. Matched together with NFTs, it becomes a fertile trading ground, already being actively explored by some of the most imposing names in the industry (Nike is only one example). This unprecedented turn precedes the creation of the whole Web 3.0 transformation movement, the result of which will be the new decentralized economy model erasing the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds.
Before this became our reality, Agoraverse took the frontline to introduce the first virtual shopping center dubbed Agora. Having the ambition to reach over 5,000 shops by starting with 50, it aims to create the biggest shopping mall in the world featuring clothing, furniture and art stores, added up by mini-games and leisure areas, making up the first virtual project of such scale and aptitude. The lifeblood of the Agora virtual shopping mall is the $AGORA token, the virtual asset enabling the purchase of both virtual NFT objects and real-life items, which will resemble the process of shopping in an ordinary online store. In the near future, the launch of the $AGORA ICO will enable Agoraverse to get the necessary investor exposure and collect the funds sufficient to satisfy the project’s ambition. Backed up by a solid team of 15 individuals, Agoraverse will ensure the timely and effective reach of pre-defined milestones, as well as fulfilment of the goal of building the largest virtual shopping space accessible from any point on the globe. Additionally, by integrating the Loft Business Club Access Card NFTs, users can take the first step into making virtual space widely accessible for any private purpose, be it inviting friends or launching a metashop. Altogether, these features turn Agoraverse into the exponent of Web 3.0 shopping reality, which binds the best of the two worlds.
In an attempt to find out more about the approaching transformation of the online shopping experience, I reached out to the CEO of Agoraverse for an interview.
Hi, thanks for joining me for an interview. Could you tell me a few words about yourself and your background?
Thank you for having me! I'm Oscar Bellei, CEO on the Agoraverse project and recent college graduate from the information and communication field. Back in January of this year, my associates and myself launched The Lofts Business Club NFT project on Solana which garnered an impressive amount of attention!
What was your inspiration behind the idea of Agoraverse? How can this project become a transformative point for the entire shopping industry?
With the newfound support and appreciation the project received, it was important for us to review our ambitions and take our project to the next level. We view the Metaverse as the next evolution of the Internet, and from that observation, had a closer look as to which fields were likely to evolve in the near future. Our research found that online shopping was long overdue a fresh new experience and the interest shown by traditional business ventures for the metaverse indicated to us that we were on the right path.
Having in mind that the realization of your project would not be possible without a strong team behind, I would like to learn more about members of Agoraverse. Who are they?
The project was founded by a group of four, including myself. We have officially registered our company in France under the name “Agora SAS” and the team working on Agoraverse is now over 15 members strong. It consists of a development team in charge of creating our virtual environment and the features that come with it, an international community management team and a marketing and sales department tasked with showcasing our vision to potential partners.
On the way to reinventing the shopping experience, you came up with $AGORA token. What makes this asset absolutely worth investing in?
Our project was born on the Solana blockchain, and for very specific reasons. We believe Solana to be the blockchain that will onboard the next wave of newcomers in the crypto scene due to its fast transactions speeds, low-entry cost and scalable nature. Developing $AGORA allows us to be active contributors in the space and imagine new ways to use utility based tokens, especially when it comes to metaverse application, but also NFT features.
Speaking of your virtual shopping mall Agora – what are the distinctive features setting it out from the ordinary shopping experience?
The main feature is obviously the way products and services are showcased ; on a traditional webpage, you are limited in the ways you can discover your potential purchase and will at best have pictures or videos to use as reference. In a virtual environment, you can review an item in three dimensions, meaning you can have a better estimate of its size, appearance, the way it blends with other colours or fits into a space… Basically, features that currently only exist in the real world.
Could you elaborate on the technology underpinning Agoraverse? What made the idea of Metaverse-based shopping space possible?
The never ending improvements in technology allow us to dream big. The global evolution of home computers, mobile devices and access to the internet mean that the market for higher quality products is steadily going up. Add to this the constant evolution of blockchain technology and its widespread adoption and you can easily see what “web 3” will look like. Facebook rebranding to Meta and announcing its ambitions is also a very clear signal to what is achievable and what the future online looks like.
What role is given to NFTs within the framework of Agoraverse?
It seems easy to forget with all the speculation talk around the concept that at its core, NFTs are a piece of very valuable technology. The ability to prove ownership over a digital item allows for those items to possess value and to be sold to the same extent as any product you might find in a brick and mortar store. NFTs will be up for purchase next to traditional commodities through Agoraverse, cementing their status as valuable products.
Please, tell me more about Agora Loft Business Club Access Card. What are the key advantages of holding one?
Agoraverse was founded on our initial Solana NFT project called the Lofts Business Club. Owners of our Access Card NFTs will have access to their own private spaces at the centre of our virtual environment that they will be able to remodel at their convenience. For instance, they will be able to hold meetings inside of them by turning them into an office space, or even turn their property into their own NFT galleries to expose and sell their possessions to visitors. Additionally, owning our NFT will reward the aforementioned $AGORA token through a staking mechanism available on our website.
The ICO of $AGORA is among the most anticipated dedicated project events. What can the community expect from it?
The ICO marks an important event in our project’s calendar and opens an endless amount of possibilities for future development. After all, creating features that will utilise the token allows us to really think outside of the box in terms of what type of content we will be able to provide to our community. To name some of them, we plan on the token to be used as shopping currency for partnered metashops inside the Agora, but also for it to be used to purchase NFTs from our collections (especially an upcoming one…), rent spaces inside our virtual environment, purchase advertising space and even real-life commodities such as merchandise.
Finally – what lies ahead for Agoraverse ?
We are only at the beginning of what sets out to be a project spanning over multiple years. Even though the crypto market is known for its unpredictable nature, there is one thing that will remain certain : we are building a product that has for objective to transcend the speculative nature of NFTs by onboarding traditional business ventures and regular internet users into the next evolution of the Internet : the metaverse.
