Meta is launching new “Meta Lab” brick-and-mortar pop-up
stores ahead of the holiday season in Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas to give curious consumers a chance to interact with the company’s latest AI, VR, and AR wearables.
Building on its
original retail venture in Los Angeles last year, Meta will launch an
additional Meta Lab store in California, as well as new pop-up stores in New York and Las Vegas.
“The focus is on experiential retail -- a reinvention of the traditional shopping
experience,” Meta said in 2024. “The entire endeavor is driven by a learning agenda to find out what works, and what doesn't, to help inform our future efforts, while also benefiting
EssilorLuxottica and our third-party retail partners.”
advertisement
advertisement
This year, Meta said in a blog post that the original Meta Lab in LA was devoted to Ray-Bay Meta glasses, but the company's new
retail space will feature the full lineup of Reality Labs hardware as well, including AI glasses and virtual-reality headsets.
Meta Labs’ product line will include the company's
expanding product output with EssilorExottica, especially various models of the new Oakley sport-centric AI glasses and a “Display” glasses option that
comes with a “Neural Band” wrist controller.
Appointments for in-person demos of Meta Ray-Ban Display and Meta Neural Band are already booked out at most retail stores through
mid-October, but Meta Lab locations will offer a premium demo experience, the company says.
In addition, customers will be able to customize and shop for limited-edition versions of Ray-Ban
Meta glasses at the Meta Lab store.
Meta's pop-up stores will open in Las Vegas on October 16, in Los Angeles on October 24, and in New York on November 3. The company's retail store in
Burlingame, California will remain open from last year's launch.