Attention All Shopper, how do YOU search?Marketplace, search,shopping

[Chelsea Malibu]

I had an interesting discussion with some friends last night around how they look for things in the Marketplace and in world.

What I quickly learned was how many different methods they used to overcome the difficulties to find what they wanted both in world and in the marketplace.

Some used the category search first, then expanded their returned to 100 to see more. Others use Marketplace to find what they want, then they go to the store in world to see it first hand.  And some, used the in world search, then looked up that store in the market place.  No one had an easy..."this is how I always do it" answer and it varied.

What I would like to know and I am sure many others, is how do YOU find what you are looking for? Is in world search relevant to you? Do you start with the Marketplace? Do you shop in world? Do you use a combination of all and how do you feel that works for you?

For myself, I usually see what I like somewhere then look up the creator to see if they have a store. Or if I am on the Marketplace, I search the object first, then refine the return with the category pulldown.

Would love to hear some shoppers comments and when you think of it, we are all shoppers.

 

[Jacki Silverfall]

Well, offline I use marketplace. Inworld I go both ways.:smileywink:

[Brynn Ametza]

    I use a combination of inworld and Marketplace search. I'll usually try inworld first and if the results are unsatisfactory I'll go to the marketplace. One note, I never purchase through the marketplace unless it's a vendor that I have used many times and always been happy. Otherwise, I'll find their store inworld so I can look closer at their presentations. If they don't have a store..I keep searching.

      Brynn

[Zanara Zenovka]

On SLM I usually do a keyword search first, then if the results are too diverse I'll narrow it down by category.

Eg recent searches i've done

Looking for full perm sculpts to make signs from. Initial search - "sculpted sign" -  returns all sorts of things topped by Meeroo signs and sculpted zodiac emblems, so choosing category on left: "building components" then "signs" gives me exactly what i need.

That's not the sort of search I'd attempt in-world initially. If a saw a designer on SLM whose style looked especially suitable I may then search their name inworld and TP to shop to easily see the full range presented by theme, which is what I did in this instance, although I ended up buying back on SLM because the things were too hard to find in store. (Note to creators - for God's sake - categorise your stores. I've seen people here whining about how bad search is, but I've found their stores just fine in-world, but the couldn't find a damn thing once I was in there and gave up and went elsewhere.)

Second example: Recently I decided I needed new shoes, with a general idea of what i was looking for. Tried shoes in search, got shoe shops fine but not the quality I wanted. Tried a few of the big brands but nothing that suited. Asked a couple of friends for recommendations - got one name I'd never heard of and searched them just in the General tab. One of the top results was their display in a shoe expo  - TP'd there, found a lot of (?new) very good designers I didn't know about and bought a few pairs from different designers (not the one i'd initally searched), slapped a heap of subscriber boards, and then (cos the expo was closing and I got booted) went to one of the main stores and bought another 6 pairs. And have now recommended this store to several friends because their stuff is just so cool.

So maybe the answer is "it's complicated"

[LoveAngeL Lyre]

Hello Chelsea. My first 4-5 months in SL i was purchasing stuff only at Marketplace. I found it very handy when i had almost all of stores and the ability to check so many products before to decide which i prefer. Till now i was lucky and i never had problems with un-delivered items and very rarely i got something i didin't like after the purchase. Gradually i found 2-3 brands for hair, clothes and shoes which i trusted so i buy stuff most of them visiting their stores and always trying a demo if it is available. When i want to find something mannered (i remember recently i was looking for orange heels) i use Marketplace and with the suitable word-keys i try to find what i want. If i don't find it, i visit the stores in world. Same when i am looking for furniture and generally for stuff we don't buy every day.

[Kerhop Seattle]

I mostly use the in-world Search tab on the rare occasion that I go shopping for something, the only time I really use Marketplace is if I want to find/purchase something while my avatar is attending a class or seminar where it's not practical to teleport to the in-world store. It may sound odd but as far as search terms used, I tend to think like a shop owner (i.e. "if I were selling bubble textures what keywords would I be targetting?") and then search on a variant of whatever comes to mind.  I guess the reason is because I run a shop of my own selling business marketing gadgets. :matte-motes-grin:

[Lyra Blackthorne]

I usually know where to go to buy most items and have a extensive list of preferred shops.  But, when I do not...type in keywords, then narrow by category.  When see something I like will tp to the inworld shop. 

I find it hard to determine quality from the marketplace and so now check the overall appearance of the shop and its merchandise before buying.  Also, purchases from marketplace can be slow sometimes; I want what I want now.

 

DoC Eldritch is owner of DE

The hair looks like Tukinowaguma (correctly spelled now : )

[Chelsea Malibu]

Sounds like we all have had to get a bit creative to yield the results we want.  One can see the complexities in finding what we are looking for and in fact, may even warrant a combined search engine.

As for my own items being found in search, I had a comment from a friend that when people are looking for Lights, they call them Lamps however, a Lamp is only a type of Home Lighting but it still baffles me and seeing the complexities of search are moreover complexities that can be overcome with a good thesaurus. :matte-motes-dont-cry:

[Pamela Galli]

I always go to marketplace unless I know the name of a place and want to find its location. I never ever search for a thing inworld.

[Mayalily]

About 90% of the time I'm a MARKETPLACE shopper.  They have so many cool features for search.  For instance you could just put in glitter or pink and find all kinds of things.  I love MARKETPLACE.  Since clothing items are neither rezzed inworld nor on Marketplace, I prefer Marketplace but would prefer if Marketplace had a wish list so you could store more items and then it let's you move certain items to checkout when you have decided what you want, but I still love it!   What I'm saying is Marketplace needs a watchlist or wishlist, sort of like what Ebay has. 

ETA:  For Chelsea, as far as furniture tho, I do like to see it rezzed, but clothing is not necessary for me as it's neither rezzed inworld nor on Marketplace, with the rare exception of a live model in a store.  But, I've never bought anything a live model is wearing 'cuz it just wasn't my taste, and to me it's more time taken away from RL than it's worth.  As far as clothing or say a magic wand or something like that, I use Marketplace almost exclusively.  It rawks. 

[Chelsea Malibu]

Yes, what I sell is nearly impossible to compare in Marketplace.  My primary product, Chandeliers, looks comparable in images to the simple 3 prim alpha image ones being sold where they are far from this.  They see one that looks like mine on MP for 50L then mine for 300 and go for the cheap one only to find out that the "other" one they got was just a photo of a chandelier and not a true 3D model.

As such, I think most of my Marketplace sales are from customers how have already been to my store.

[Mayalily]

True for furniture for me... I try to look up their store on Marketplace after say a first purchase, but unfortunately some furniture designers are not on Marketplace or else I just couldn't find them for some reason.  But if I like the furniture I see in a store I will try to find their store on Marketplace because some furniture stores have so many items to rezz it can take too long for my time schedule of RL and SL.  Or if I see furniture on Marketplace first, I go to look inworld for the store so I can see it rezzed and see their other things.

I'm a steampunk, so I'm picky about furniture.  I love antiques. 

[Mickey Vandeverre]

For textures, strictly Marketplace...difficult rez to do that inworld.

Thumb through featured listings all the time for impulse buys and fun stuff.

For most stuff, shop inworld and take a long time frame to browse every corner of a person's store (now that I have decent computer)....because I like to see how creative people set up their displays, and because I like to support those who keep Second Life alive and booming.

[Darrius Gothly]

I begin by formulating a concise description of the wanted item, then carefully type a search query into ...

... an IM to a friend. If that friend fails to know "the perfect place", I choose another "search engine." When I find one with a high degree of relevance and experience, I take them with.

I USED to use In-World Search but I never use Search on Marketplace (except to check my own product listings).

[Rya Nitely]

Typical case scenario - I use search all in marketplace, then refine it by category, I don't find what I want and give up.

Plan B - My partner and I try to work out how we can make it ourselves. 

[Harm Xue]

I always use the MP search, if I have something specific in mind.

Star by a search for items in all categories, then start to narrow down the search results with the categories tab and even use some of the filters.

If it's the kind of item that might be available inworld, rezed, so that I can see it, I'll then go to the store inworld, to look at it, and probably buy it right there.

I do walk around stores browsing for somethign to buy, but that only when I just want to buy "something" (usually clothes or a new boat), but for those I already have a few favorite shops I'll visit every now and then.

As for the inworld search, for me, it's completely useless aside from searching for other people, pulling up someones profile.

[Madeliefste Oh]

In my first months I searched in world. Then I started searching on the web, by OnRez and Slex. Later Xstreet became my search engine, and nowadays marketplace.

I search by keyword, and then I refine, by category, by best sold or by newest, or by primcount, or by price... depends.

But in 99% of the cases I go to the inworld shop to buy the item. Only sometimes when there is nothing to see about the item, for example when it's a script, I buy directly on the marketplace.