Source: The Business of Fashion
Hans Anders' refusal to stock Ray-Ban Meta glasses shows that retail gatekeepers—not just regulators—now enforce privacy norms consumers reject. The Dutch resistance reflects a practical tension: wearable cameras that record public spaces without consent provoke stronger reaction than phones, because the surveillance is ambient and undisclosed. A single retailer's withdrawal creates real market friction. Meta's smart glasses strategy depends on mainstream distribution channels; when they crack under social pressure in wealthy markets like the Netherlands, the hardware's path to mass adoption narrows.