MeetKai and Charlotte Hornet’s launch NBA’s first virtual fan store

09.10.2023 - 13:07 / venturebeat.com

AI and metaverse firm MeetKai and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets have unveiled the Hornets Virtual Fan Shop, marking the NBA’s first virtual team store.

This collaboration aims to get basketball fans even more engaged with the NBA team, providing an immersive shopping experience from the comfort of their own homes. Fans can reach the store via the web without a download.

Powered by MeetKai‘s AI-first tech platform, the Hornets Virtual Fan Shop takes inspiration from the physical Hornets Fan Shop at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now, fans across the country and internationally can fully immerse themselves in Hornets fandom. It is metaverse-like in that virtual store the tries to replicate the physical experience as a kind of digital twin.

“The virtual store has banners that hang like what you see in the actual store at Spectrum Center,” said Seth Bennett, chief marketing officer at the Charlotte Hornets, in an interview with GamesBeat. “The experience is lifted directly from what a customer would see in person.”

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Accessible through mobile devices or web browsers, the virtual store offers a wide range of Hornets merchandise, including jerseys, T-shirts, hats, and collectibles. Purchases made in the virtual fan shop will be conveniently delivered to fans’ homes through the Hornets’ e-commerce partner, Fanatics, making it even easier to showcase their Hornets pride.

“Our goal has always been this idea of an easy, accessible metaverse focused on browser native platforms and we’ve come a long way with our performance and capabilities,” said James Kaplan, CEO of MeetKai, in an interview with GamesBeat. “What we’ve worked on with the Charlotte Hornets is something that we think is unique, not just in the NBA, but across all sports that we’ve seen so far.”

Kaplan shared a link with me and I dove right into the virtual store without a download. You can join on a desktop, mobile device, or VR headset if you wish. You can try on clothing or pick up mini basketballs and shoot them at small hoops in the store. Over time, more experiences will be added.

“It’s pretty much available wherever you are,” Kaplan said. “It’s a three-way partnership between us, the Hornets and Fanatics as the retail backend partner. We focused on a store that has no friction.”

The store is 3D animated so that people can browse through it or even try on virtual clothes, rather than rely on just photos. But there are plenty of photos of the NBA players through the store.

“We are now at a stage where we can show more interesting