Chapter 02 establishes the conceptual foundation for understanding shopping experiences in virtual stores within virtual environments like the metaverse. Section 2.1, “Terminology”, addresses the lack of consistent definitions and provides a unified terminology for the thesis. This is followed by Section 2.2, “Virtual Store Types” which typologizes virtual stores as an emerging retail channel, exploring their distinct types and positioning them within the broader retail landscape. Section 2.3, “Store Characteristics and Features”, compares the characteristics and features of brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce stores and virtual stores. Finally, Section 2.4, “Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Stores”, examines the benefits and challenges of virtual stores from both consumer and business perspectives.