Keeping Up: POV
Before unpacking my endless new supply of folders (thank you Fall Fun Hunt, DSN, MM boards and designers) , I have a couple of comments to make. It's been a very busy and fun time for me these first days of August. Even though much of SL is on vacation or lazing in the heat, some of us have been frantically TPing to and fro. While I didn't keep count I suspect that I've visited well over 200 new to me shops in the last three days. Whew!
First time impressions are important and so I wanted to pass those along, mostly to the designers who are working hard in their own little worlds to make great items for the rest of us :D. Here's what I came away with from my latest journeys. Whether a shop is for RL livelihood or simply for fun, most of us get stuck in our self-made molds from time to time. Maybe now is the moment to take a look "from the outside". Bloggers can only do so much to help our designers. After a point, it's all up to you :D.
The only newish marketing idea that I came across on my recent journeying was the daily prize gumball machine at [KUE!] . This may be like a Lucky Dip as I sort of missed those altogether, There is a random prize and each avatar can only receive one a day. The prizes range in greatness, but all are good prizes. (I think i I get another frosted cupcake boobie prize I will scream.) While I was watching the lucky boards at Kue!, people were coming in to click and the prizes they won showed up in chat (good marketing). Even better would be a poster with some of the prizes for the month shown so people knew what they "might" get. Clothing designers could have a complete outfit in the prize giver along with other goodies and give away pieces per day -- sort of like fishing.
Those are my thoughts. If they help, great. If they don't pertain to you, great too. I've lost a few favorite shops this month. I don't want to lose any more of you guys.
And yes, I'm coming clean here. While Chic is 24 the gal behind her definitely is not and has much business and retail experience in that other real world including retail stores and service businesses. Got me!
Cheers.
First time impressions are important and so I wanted to pass those along, mostly to the designers who are working hard in their own little worlds to make great items for the rest of us :D. Here's what I came away with from my latest journeys. Whether a shop is for RL livelihood or simply for fun, most of us get stuck in our self-made molds from time to time. Maybe now is the moment to take a look "from the outside". Bloggers can only do so much to help our designers. After a point, it's all up to you :D.
- I came to a couple of sims where I simply couldn't move. Everything was gray and there were only a few people in the sim. If this is a reoccurring event in your shop's sim (and you DO need to check this) then by all means MOVE. Adding new landmarks to vendors is a chore, but few shoppers are going to stay when they can't see what they are shopping for.
- Vendor pictures! I may be a harsher judge than some shoppers, I admit that; but some of the vendor pictures out there look like they are left over from 2006. Yes, I wasn't here then, but I can imagine - LOL. Gaudy bright backgrounds, no SL lighting, pictures so small you can't possibly see the clothes or items in question -- all these things are killers. If your designs have been around awhile, it might be time to clean house a bit. If they are still good designs two years after their inception, then simply take some new photos. Be honest with yourself. More is not necessarily better. Show off your best and if you haven't sold Product # 164 in the last six months, toss that baby.
- With all that taken care of, some shop redecorating might be order. If you have extra prims use them to make your place homey, glitzy, retro -- whatever your flavor might be. If you have stairs, try and have at least a pose stand or chair on each floor for those of us that love to jump and hate to climb *wink*.
The only newish marketing idea that I came across on my recent journeying was the daily prize gumball machine at [KUE!] . This may be like a Lucky Dip as I sort of missed those altogether, There is a random prize and each avatar can only receive one a day. The prizes range in greatness, but all are good prizes. (I think i I get another frosted cupcake boobie prize I will scream.) While I was watching the lucky boards at Kue!, people were coming in to click and the prizes they won showed up in chat (good marketing). Even better would be a poster with some of the prizes for the month shown so people knew what they "might" get. Clothing designers could have a complete outfit in the prize giver along with other goodies and give away pieces per day -- sort of like fishing.
Those are my thoughts. If they help, great. If they don't pertain to you, great too. I've lost a few favorite shops this month. I don't want to lose any more of you guys.
And yes, I'm coming clean here. While Chic is 24 the gal behind her definitely is not and has much business and retail experience in that other real world including retail stores and service businesses. Got me!
Cheers.
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