Metaverse business mechanisms from an intellectual capital perspective

Purpose The Metaverse is expected to fundamentally change how users navigate and consume digital content. It will influence companies, enable new business models and fuel start-ups. This study aims to systematically investigate Metaverse business mechanisms and discuss their impact on companies’ intellectual capital, uniquely connecting these three aspects. Design/methodology/approach An expert panel method based on a combination of the nominal group technique and the Delphi method is applied to answer the research questions about which business model patterns of the so-called Business Model Navigator benefit from the Metaverse and which underlying Metaverse business mechanisms can be identified. Findings The results identify 18 business model patterns benefiting from the Metaverse, which relate to six underlying mechanisms. These mechanisms directly relate to the components of intellectual capital. Practical implications The identified patterns and mechanisms can serve future research in analyzing and categorizing Metaverse business models and foster ideation and design of Metaverse business models in corporate or start-up contexts. The additional intellectual capital perspective fosters the valuation of companies leveraging the Metaverse within their business models. Originality/value Structured and systematic examinations of the relation between the Metaverse and business models have been missing so far. Closing this gap also paves the way to a structured understanding of the Metaverse’s impact on intellectual capital. Thus, this study, for the first time,` connects Metaverse, business models and intellectual capital.