Abstract:
The Internet, in its 2D form, offered answers to some of the internationalization
barriers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and has
questioned the available internationalization models. Virtual worlds (VWs) have
recently emerged as a promising platform for conducting various business and marketing
activities. The current article is the fi rst to examine their value in the internationalization
process of SMEs. On the basis of literature from both the international marketing and
the information systems fi elds, as well as incorporating current business practices,
a model for internationalization using VWs is proposed. VWs ’potential as a market
knowledge generator, a strategic tool for internationalization (marketing program
testing and brand building) and as a business platform for real and in-world product is
evaluated. Further, a strategy for SMEs on how to build successful businesses in such
metaverses to help them achieve their objective / s is proposed.
