Integrate SL With Online E-Commerce Store?

[Krueger]

I'm looking for some insight, if possible.

Is there a way to integrate SL products into an online e-commerce store?  I run a few different companies, one being a web design and development agency.  So - in short - I know my way around traditional e-commerce.  Is there a way for me to integrate SL billing into the traditional structure?  So when someone views the products, they can pay with lindens and receive the items in-world.  I've scoured SL products and LL for relevant software and come up with zilch.

Thanks in advance.

 

K.

[Syo Emerald]

I don't get it....if your products are useable in Second Life and you want to offer people to pay with L$ instead of real money...why don't you just open a store on the marketplace and sell them there? You could always add a link to your other websites or a link on your website to your marketplace store.

[Krueger]

It's complicated to explain.  Suffice it to say, it will drive far more sales.

[Chic Aeon]

The only site that I have seen SIMILAR to what you are suggesting is for Textures R Us (sure you can find the website; not sure if I can link here without admonishment ). They sell all their SL textures but use Paypal for sales.

Since the Marketplace is now run by The Lab I am thinking this ins't possible. In the olden days of course there were other E-commerce sites selling SL items. They did it with kiosks which was kind of a hassle. That same sort of thing happens in other SL like worlds, but again kiosks, depositing money into the e-commerce account etc.

 

Hope that helps some.

[Krueger]

It helps more than some.  That was a superb answer.  Thank you for taking the time to help me out.  I'm just digging around Textures R Us now and getting ideas.

Thanks!

[Zanara Zenovka]

The fabulous Bare@Rose have one too (thank god - you could lose a lifetime in their store...)

http://barerose.xeraweb.com/index.php?module=browse

Technically, you'd just need a magic box type device for inworld delivery - as used by web driven vendors systems and the old SLX. Not especially difficult.

I'm surprised more stores haven't done it already.

[Parrish Ashbourne]

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Zanara Zenovka wrote:

The fabulous Bare@Rose have one too (thank god - you could lose a lifetime in their store...)

http://barerose.xeraweb.com/index.php?module=browse

Technically, you'd just need a magic box type device for inworld delivery - as used by web driven vendors systems and the old SLX. Not especially difficult.

I'm surprised more stores haven't done it already.

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I all so thought of the old SLX , but wouldn't you all so need to have a payment terminal in world, that people would have to deposit $L in first before shopping on line.  If it wasen't for that part I'd be very interested in selling directly from my own web site. 

Looks like barerose is using paypal from ther web site, not sure but it looks like that might just be for donations ?

For $L sales I think the easist would be just to link to your marketplace listings.

[Zanara Zenovka]

I'd just do it with Paypal on the site - can't see any reason to involve $L at all.

And yes you're right - B@R's just seems to be donation (I just saw $1 on the things I was browsing which matched the price of their outfits and figured you could buy directly)

[Darrius Gothly]

I know this reply is somewhat belated; my apologies for that. But for the sake of completeness:

There is no such a thing as an API or similar that lets you conduct business with customers using the Linden Dollar currency. You cannot access a customer's L$ Account nor perform any transactions (either debit or credit) with that balance other than by use of a separate scripted in-world object. (Commonly referred to as a "Kiosk".)

So when it comes to integration between an ecommerce web site and the Linden Dollar currency, at some point you are going to have to have them step into Second Life and interact with your own custom Kiosk.

If you sell items that are to be delivered inside Second Life, you are also restricted to using a custom scripted device. (Commonly called a "Magic Box".) The Direct Delivery method recently developed by Linden Lab for use in delivering products purchased on the Marketplace does not have an API nor is it accessible via in-world scripting. Direct Delivery is entirely proprietary to Marketplace and thus cannot be used by anyone except LL.

I have championed for an API for Direct Delivery since it was first announced a couple years ago. I have also mentioned and would be in favor of an API for the L$ currency as well. However I think the chances of either one being developed and released are somewhat less than my chance of waking up someday with X-Ray vision and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Although the vision thing sounds way cool and the building leaping thing would at least help me impress the chicks, I would much prefer having the APIs available for use by those of us with a bit of tech-savvy and a desire to improve Second Life's various services.

[Krueger]

Apologies for my own delayed response!

I've been sidetracked by other things of late, but I've recently put this into the hands of my web developer.

In the absense of a web api (something we really need; ala Fb apis), you're left with 2 alternatives:

1. Link your website to marketplace listings;

2. Use whatever merchant system you like (ie Paypal) and somehow transfer files upon payment.

I must admit, I like the second option.  Not that I wish to do LL out of anything, but instant payments to my bank account (well, pretty much instant) would be super.

 

The tricky part, and maybe my web developer or a clever soul here can help, is sending the products to the buyer in-world once payment has been receives, say, via paypal. Maybe there's a marketplace item that can achieve this?  Even if we have to approve sales manually?

Anyway - when I know more, I'll update here and happily share what I know and perhaps give you an example of the site that I have made.

 

K

[Freya Mokusei]

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Krueger wrote:

The tricky part, and maybe my web developer or a clever soul here can help, is sending the products to the buyer in-world once payment has been receives, say, via paypal. Maybe there's a marketplace item that can achieve this?  Even if we have to approve sales manually?

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Easily scripted in-world.

• When payment completes simply update their order record with 'DELIVERING' (or etc) status in the DB. An object in-world routinely checks DB via ODBC-friendly language of choice (PHP, or etc) where status = 'DELIVERING'.
• Object then retrieves user UUID, using either Name2Key or by collecting this at some stage during the order process.
• Object then sends object ordered - probably in boxed form - via llGiveInventory to user UUID.
• To wrap up (you may want to try and detect catch/throw but this is difficult via LSL only) simply replace 'DELIVERING' status with 'DELIVERED'.

 

[Sassy Romano]

That's pretty trivial http comms to an inworld object containing inventory. It's what web based vending systems in SL do all day long.

 

The object will request a URL via lsl and from there you can use it's URL and send it messages via http POST.

 

see the LSL wiki