Meta and Best Buy are launching a new retail concept that will bring dedicated “Meta Lab” spaces to more than 50 Best Buy stores across the United States and Canada this summer, giving shoppers a hands-on way to try Meta’s AI glasses and virtual reality hardware inside existing electronics stores. The rollout begins in June and includes a Bay Area location in San Carlos.
The new spaces are designed as 900-square-foot shop-in-shops where customers can test Meta’s hardware lineup through interactive demos, smart mirrors, personalized fittings, and guided help from Meta sales specialists. Best Buy and Meta say the format is meant to let customers try products before buying, rather than relying only on standard shelf displays.
The concept centers on two of Meta’s biggest consumer hardware bets: Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses and Meta Quest virtual reality headsets, including the Quest 3S. Best Buy’s announcement says the in-store labs will showcase Meta’s full AI glasses and VR lineup, while Meta has described the rollout as an extension of its broader “Meta Lab” retail strategy.
For Meta, the move adds a new physical retail layer to a business that has been trying to turn wearable AI and immersive hardware into a larger mainstream category. The company already operates a permanent Meta Store in Burlingame and has tested Meta Lab concepts before, but the Best Buy partnership gives it a far wider footprint across North America without having to build dozens of standalone stores.
The timing is notable because the retail push comes after significant layoffs at Meta, including cuts affecting Reality Labs, the division behind the company’s wearable and VR products. At the same time, Meta’s smart glasses business has emerged as one of the brighter spots inside its hardware strategy, helping explain why the company is investing in a more immersive retail format for these devices.
Best Buy also has its own reason to lean into the partnership. Store-in-store concepts have long been part of the retailer’s merchandising strategy, and the Meta Lab format gives it a way to turn AI and wearable devices into a more experience-driven category on the sales floor. Retail Dive described the concept as a fresh shop-in-shop expansion that could help both companies create more visibility for emerging hardware categories in a crowded consumer electronics market.
The San Carlos location gives the Bay Area a direct place in the rollout, alongside Meta’s larger hometown presence on the Peninsula. That local angle is significant because Meta’s consumer hardware ambitions have often been developed and tested close to home, from the Burlingame store to Reality Labs operations in the region.
The broader question is whether hands-on retail can help move AI wearables beyond early adopters. Smart glasses and VR headsets often benefit from demos in ways that other gadgets do not, particularly when fit, comfort, and real-time features are part of the pitch. By placing Meta Labs inside Best Buy rather than limiting them to a single company-owned store, Meta is betting that physical trial will help drive broader consumer adoption.
For now, the strategy is clear. Meta wants more people to try its hardware in person, and Best Buy is giving it a ready-made retail network to do it. With more than 50 Meta Lab locations planned by the end of 2026, the partnership marks a broader push to bring AI glasses and VR deeper into mainstream retail.
