I've been seeing a lot of giveaways lately. Any reason why?

[bateliii]

If you are a Flickr user, you may have also noticed that some stores have started giving away almost every new release of theirs to lucky winners.

Until a year ago this would happen very rarely, but now there are well-known stores that suddenly started doing this as well.

Did something happen behind the scenes? Or maybe it's just a new tactic to attract new customers?

 

[Maitimo]

I think its just something thats catching on and spreading as stores are getting more and more desperate to attract new customers. A few, like Magika, have been doing it for years, a few others are seeing that they are successful and, like a virus, it spreads and becomes more popular as it gets more visibility on social media.

As for "what's happened" I think the answer is "global economic recession".

[Blush Bravin]

Addams has been doing this for years and years. Blueberry used to do it through people posting stuff in FB. I'm not sure if she is still doing that though as I no longer follow anything in FB. Those are two that come to mind. But there are others who also have used this tried and true marketing strategy. Perhaps you've just become aware of it or it's gotten more popular with other creators. 

[Caeruleiae]

3 hours ago, bateliii said:

If you are a Flickr user, you may have also noticed that some stores have started giving away almost every new release of theirs to lucky winners.

Until a year ago this would happen very rarely, but now there are well-known stores that suddenly started doing this as well.

Did something happen behind the scenes? Or maybe it's just a new tactic to attract new customers?

 

I've seen this since I started. Although I am pretty sure most of those giveaways are more of a gimmick and it's pretty likely that the winners-and I use that term very loosely here-are either friends with or alts of the creator it does seem to be somewhat effective for some of them. I'm not personally a fan of them because I don't have a flickr account or a social media account for my avatar and don't intend to create one. That means I can't join any of these giveaways anyway-I wish creators would pick better methods. People aren't even supposed to have accounts on facebook for avatars, but fb doesn't seem to care anymore even though it's still a rule lol.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Caeruleiae

[Coffee Pancake]

Normal rules of capitalism apply.

A giveaway is bait to build hype and demand where there isn't really any.

A giveaway to a potential customer is a lost sale and questionable in terms of return, what happens if they just quietly say "thanks!" and walk away.

A giveaway to an alt is both super exciting and comes with breathless praise that feels like a review.

The biggest prize in a giveaway is attracting the attention of the official platform account, then it's not a fake review, it's an endorsement.

[Stephanie Misfit]

9 hours ago, Caeruleiae said:

I've seen this since I started. Although I am pretty sure most of those giveaways are more of a gimmick and it's pretty likely that the winners-and I use that term very loosely here-are either friends with or alts of the creator it does seem to be somewhat effective for some of them. I'm not personally a fan of them because I don't have a flickr account or a social media account for my avatar and don't intend to create one. That means I can't join any of these giveaways anyway-I wish creators would pick better methods. People aren't even supposed to have accounts on facebook for avatars, but fb doesn't seem to care anymore even though it's still a rule lol.

I don't know, I enter them all the time and have won a couple without being friends with the creators. I don't think they are fake. I like the Flickr ones, a lot of people have Flickr to follow their favourite designers, but I won't use Facebook on principle, and anyway, those SL avatar accounts will get banned if they are reported.

[Caeruleiae]

6 hours ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

I don't know, I enter them all the time and have won a couple without being friends with the creators. I don't think they are fake. I like the Flickr ones, a lot of people have Flickr to follow their favourite designers, but I won't use Facebook on principle, and anyway, those SL avatar accounts will get banned if they are reported.

I didn't say they were all fake-but I do know for certain I have seen some that the alt or very good friends, even partner of the creator won. If you read other websites besides this forum-and I am sure some people probably know which I mean-you will have seen actual evidence of it as well and not just speculation. I know at least some-as one might expect-are more a gimmick than they are a means for actually having a giveaway with a real winner. I'm sure some are actually a giveaway too-but it's less likely to be the majority. It's not a practice I would use-but it's definitely one some people and companies do. Those aren't my businesses though-so it harms not me even a little. Either way it's an advertising method of course-and most businesses will do whatever they can to advertise as we would expect them to. That sort of thing happens in rl too-so it's definitely not an sl only thing. 

[Maitimo]

21 hours ago, Caeruleiae said:

 likely that the winners-and I use that term very loosely here-are either friends with or alts of the creator it does seem to be somewhat effective for some of them

I've won twice on Magika's Flickr giveaway (once for my main account and once for my alt) and neither of us are friends or alts of Sabina Gully. Nor are we bloggers" or "influencers". So that one at least, is genuine. 

Magika is the only one I enter cos I must have everything she makes. 😁

Edited May 4, 2023 by Maitimo

[Blush Bravin]

7 hours ago, Caeruleiae said:

If you read other websites besides this forum-and I am sure some people probably know which I mean-you will have seen actual evidence of it as well and not just speculation.

I'd be more likely to not trust the info on those "other" sites, than to believe that the majority of the give aways are fake. It's been quite awhile since I looked at any of those sites but when I used to watch them consistently, I saw lots of creators being accused of copy botting when all they were doing was using full perm items bought and used according to the user license agreement. Seeing that so often really put me off on those sites.

[Caeruleiae]

33 minutes ago, Blush Bravin said:

I'd be more likely to not trust the info on those "other" sites, than to believe that the majority of the give aways are fake

I'd be more likely to not trust it too if it was just heresay or someone speculating and making accusations without the proof to back it up-as is so often the case with countless things. More often than not those sites are just full of angry people making things up for whatever reason they want. Sometimes though-they aren't and I'm inclined to believe irrefutable evidence when presented with it-like a creator admitting a certain name is in fact their own alt and that name previously won their giveaway lol. 

Although I don't understand what's so far fetched about the idea that some creators do in fact choose their friends alts or even partners as winner for their contests. It's literally something that happens even in rl. That doesn't necessarily make the contests fake-but it does put a little perspective into the idea that they are nothing more than the advertisements they are intended to be. They aren't creators with altruistic motives they are just advertising methods-and good on creators for using those methods as they seem to work. They also seem to have some people convinced they are rarely if ever fixed-despite even their rl counterparts often being so. So however creators are pulling that one off-good on them for that too!

[Nalates Urriah]

On 5/3/2023 at 3:16 AM, bateliii said:

If you are a Flickr user, you may have also noticed that some stores have started giving away almost every new release of theirs to lucky winners.

Until a year ago this would happen very rarely, but now there are well-known stores that suddenly started doing this as well.

Did something happen behind the scenes? Or maybe it's just a new tactic to attract new customers?

 

Or... perhaps things have not changed and you are just now noticing things you missed before.

[Incognita Clarity]

I've seen a lot more of late (Seraphim makes it easy to spot them). I do not participate as they all want 3 things in exchange for a chance to win. One of those things is sharing/liking a post on Facebook.  I do not have FB accounts for my avatars. The one I had years ago got locked, and since I cannot prove I'm that avatar in RL I can't unlock it.  I also do not want my SL avatar name tied in any way to my real life self.   It's that privacy thing.  I'm also not going to share these store posts to my friends because only 2% of my FB friend list is from SL.  

[Sid Nagy]

On 5/3/2023 at 12:16 PM, bateliii said:

If you are a Flickr user, you may have also noticed that some stores have started giving away almost every new release of theirs to lucky winners.

Until a year ago this would happen very rarely, but now there are well-known stores that suddenly started doing this as well.

Did something happen behind the scenes? Or maybe it's just a new tactic to attract new customers?

 

Every item inworld that is on display is a mini ad. It can be a house, furniture, clothing, plants, trees, you name it.
Because people inspect what they see and like inworld. They find the name of the creator, search their profile and find their marketplace or inworld store.
As a merchant, the more you have out there, the more chance you have that people will find your place.

And yes, a lot of merchants tend to watch closely what the competition does.

[Ceka Cianci]

On 5/3/2023 at 5:16 AM, bateliii said:

If you are a Flickr user, you may have also noticed that some stores have started giving away almost every new release of theirs to lucky winners.

Until a year ago this would happen very rarely, but now there are well-known stores that suddenly started doing this as well.

Did something happen behind the scenes? Or maybe it's just a new tactic to attract new customers?

 

It's a fad, just like the groups that let stores spam those 10 minute deal..

Get here in the next 10 minutes before the price goes back to normal.

[Chic Aeon]

I wrote a looooong meme on this topic over last weekend. It hasn't posted yet but "I" believe that some contests and giveaways are real and some "faked". It is really really easy to fake, so the only way you really know is that if you or someone you know wins.  

 

All that being said, I just checked my transaction history and my income which has been pretty steady this last year is down 40 percent.  I don't know how MY experience translates to others but  that is a pretty big dip -- mostly starting in April for me.  It most likely isn't going to get better so it is possible that folks are trying different marketing angles.  Really though along with the global economy (and the possibility of really big problems in the US at the end of May)  there is also the matter of so many older avatars pretty much having everything they need. 

 

I bought the first item for ME (not a sale product to blog or a tryout garment for a blogger group item) for the first time in a long while this week. My LAST for me purchase was on Dec 28, 2020 (also a top).   So I am not helping the trickle down economy much LOL.

  

Edited May 4, 2023 by Chic Aeon
adding info

[Coffee Pancake]

1 hour ago, Chic Aeon said:

All that being said, I just checked my transaction history and my income which has been pretty steady this last year is down 40 percent.   

That's not just you.

[Ceka Cianci]

2 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

I wrote a looooong meme on this topic over last weekend. It hasn't posted yet but "I" believe that some contests and giveaways are real and some "faked". It is really really easy to fake, so the only way you really know is that if you or someone you know wins.  

 

All that being said, I just checked my transaction history and my income which has been pretty steady this last year is down 40 percent.  I don't know how MY experience translates to others but  that is a pretty big dip -- mostly starting in April for me.  It most likely isn't going to get better so it is possible that folks are trying different marketing angles.  Really though along with the global economy (and the possibility of really big problems in the US at the end of May)  there is also the matter of so many older avatars pretty much having everything they need. 

 

I bought the first item for ME (not a sale product to blog or a tryout garment for a blogger group item) for the first time in a long while this week. My LAST for me purchase was on Dec 28, 2020 (also a top).   So I am not helping the trickle down economy much LOL.

  

That's what's happening with me.. I shop and really can't find much that I don't already have, that or nothing really amazing enough.. Something really has to jump out at me to catch my eye to buy..

 

[EliseAnne85]

19 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

there is also the matter of so many older avatars pretty much having everything they need. 

As an old avi, I've always bought new stuff on a continual basis because there is so much to choose from and it's new to me.  I get sick of my old clothes very fast.  However, with the economy coupled with PBR coming down the pike, I have been creating only in very small terms.  It could be the SL economy has slowed because of PBR too and people wondering what all that is going to entail and how things will look.  We already have just about every style anyone could want, especially the females do anyhow.  And, we already have everything from sleep clothes to formals and everything in-between that I cannot imagine having to create all these things over again with PBR.  I'm hoping we don't lose content to PBR because there are things that took weeks to make and are selling for .50 cents or 1 dollar or even less.  I don't want to make all that stuff over again.  It's frankly too much work.  I'm not sure I will continue to create or not, although if there comes along an affordable mesh AI generator, I might consider that.  

[Chic Aeon]

3 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

As an old avi, I've always bought new stuff on a continual basis because there is so much to choose from and it's new to me.  I get sick of my old clothes very fast.  However, with the economy coupled with PBR coming down the pike, I have been creating only in very small terms.  It could be the SL economy has slowed because of PBR too and people wondering what all that is going to entail and how things will look.  We already have just about every style anyone could want, especially the females do anyhow.  And, we already have everything from sleep clothes to formals and everything in-between that I cannot imagine having to create all these things over again with PBR.  I'm hoping we don't lose content to PBR because there are things that took weeks to make and are selling for .50 cents or 1 dollar or even less.  I don't want to make all that stuff over again.  It's frankly too much work.  I'm not sure I will continue to create or not, although if there comes along an affordable mesh AI generator, I might consider that.  

Slightly off topic but while I do not plan to create in PBR I DO plan to keep my store open.  I have only made a few new things this year and don't plan to do much more (event coming up in May) other than that. HOWEVER there are tons of folks with lots invested in their "look" (both home and wearables". In theory -- according to what we have been told officially -- things will (hopefully) look as they were meant to so far as older items.  "I" create for the middle folks so to speak so my stuff pretty much looks the same for everyone no matter what kind of computer I have.   PBR "may" have more impact on some folks than others.

 

I do agree that some folks might be worried about PBR but others like me  have only mild interest. There have been tons of things in the past that were supposed to be "game changes" and didn't turn out to be.  Changes in scripting have been the most dramatic in BREAKING things.  

[Chic Aeon]

20 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

That's what's happening with me.. I shop and really can't find much that I don't already have, that or nothing really amazing enough.. Something really has to jump out at me to catch my eye to buy..

 

Agreed. This is my ONLY for me purchase in a long while. Not new. On Hello Tuesday.  I LOVE IT and have nothing close to it in my inventory or ever had.  It takes a LOT for me to buy these days -- other than for blogging purposes :D.

[EliseAnne85]

17 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

Slightly off topic but while I do not plan to create in PBR I DO plan to keep my store open.  I have only made a few new things this year and don't plan to do much more (event coming up in May) other than that. HOWEVER there are tons of folks with lots invested in their "look" (both home and wearables". In theory -- according to what we have been told officially -- things will (hopefully) look as they were meant to so far as older items.  "I" create for the middle folks so to speak so my stuff pretty much looks the same for everyone no matter what kind of computer I have.   PBR "may" have more impact on some folks than others.

 

I do agree that some folks might be worried about PBR but others like me  have only mild interest. There have been tons of things in the past that were supposed to be "game changes" and didn't turn out to be.  Changes in scripting have been the most dramatic in BREAKING things.  

Yes, may be slightly off topic but I think some may have slowed their purchases because of it, especially older avi's as you say have a lot of things already.  

But, PBR and a mild recession, high inflation may be some reasons creator's might be willing to have more giveaways.

Or, as some have said in this thread, it's a gimmick and no one knows if people are really winning unless it's them or a friend.

The Tinies used to have a huge prize event once a month with 5000 L up for grabs plus gift cards and it was real.  I won two 500 L gift cards at two different events and spent them and received the items as well.  I won monies also. Two Tinies had this event for five years.   Those were the days.

To people I'd suggest enter a few but don't get your hopes up too high.

And, btw, your next post with your photo has gorgeous lighting.  Looks more like Windlight lighting.  Nice Bomber style Jacket you bought also.  

Edited May 6, 2023 by EliseAnne85

[Rowan Amore]

14 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

But, PBR

Has nothing whatsoever to do with giveaways.  

 

A handful of top creators in the fashion and home goods catagories have been doing giveaways for years.  Generally, it's been with new releases.  It's an excellent way to advertise your product, IMO.   I prefer the ones who give multiple ways to enter, i.e. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter.  Some of us only use one of those and I hate when it's a Facebook only giveaway.  Don't have a Facebook account in SL anymore since technically, SL avatars aren't supposed to be allowed.   Flickr is much preferred.

[Chic Aeon]

33 minutes ago, EliseAnne85 said:

Yes, may be slightly off topic but I think some may have slowed their purchases because of it, especially older avi's as you say have a lot of things already.  

But, PBR and a mild recession, high inflation may be some reasons creator's might be willing to have more giveaways.

Or, as some have said in this thread, it's a gimmick and no one knows if people are really winning unless it's them or a friend.

The Tinies used to have a huge prize event once a month with 5000 L up for grabs plus gift cards and it was real.  I won two 500 L gift cards at two different events and spent them and received the items as well.  I won monies also. Two Tinies had this event for five years.   Those were the days.

To people I'd suggest enter a few but don't get your hopes up too high.

And, btw, your next post with your photo has gorgeous lighting.  Looks more like Windlight lighting.  Nice Bomber style Jacket you bought also.  

That is a good example of "much ado about nothing" IMO. EEP took forever to get here.  Very few folks loved it. It is still buggy and "I" of course went kicking and screaming and avoided EEP as much as I could. The PLUS was the mainland folks could change their lighting and the different levels were good for some.  It did take me forever to get used to EEP but now I can get MOST of the Windlight looks I want. Not all mind you.   So not a game changer really.   

Hence I am in the recession camp which smart folks NEW was coming when the COVID lockdown began. Summer is coming soon so I expect my income to decrease even more. Since I am retired more or less it doesn't matter to me but it is going to be hard for the folks trying to make real life income.   Some will likely stop creating and may downsize again.  But hopefully they will stick around and not exit. So if contests help them, then great.  I keep waiting for the "next new marketing" scheme but so far it hasn't emerged :D.  

[Ayashe Ninetails]

14 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

Has nothing whatsoever to do with giveaways.  

 

A handful of top creators in the fashion and home goods catagories have been doing giveaways for years.  Generally, it's been with new releases.  It's an excellent way to advertise your product, IMO.   I prefer the ones who give multiple ways to enter, i.e. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter.  Some of us only use one of those and I hate when it's a Facebook only giveaway.  Don't have a Facebook account in SL anymore since technically, SL avatars aren't supposed to be allowed.   Flickr is much preferred.

Same thing I've noticed. Giveaways have been rampant for years. Bodies, heads, clothes, skins, gift cards, decor, fatpacks - big creators, small creators, blogs and sites like Seraphim. Like this post, follow me here, comment with your name, retweet that, enter via Discord emoji, etc. This is going back to like 2020. Those things were absolutely everywhere.

[Nalates Urriah]

21 hours ago, EliseAnne85 said:

As an old avi, I've always bought new stuff on a continual basis because there is so much to choose from and it's new to me.  I get sick of my old clothes very fast.  However, with the economy coupled with PBR coming down the pike, I have been creating only in very small terms.  It could be the SL economy has slowed because of PBR too and people wondering what all that is going to entail and how things will look.  We already have just about every style anyone could want, especially the females do anyhow.  And, we already have everything from sleep clothes to formals and everything in-between that I cannot imagine having to create all these things over again with PBR.  I'm hoping we don't lose content to PBR because there are things that took weeks to make and are selling for .50 cents or 1 dollar or even less.  I don't want to make all that stuff over again.  It's frankly too much work.  I'm not sure I will continue to create or not, although if there comes along an affordable mesh AI generator, I might consider that.  

I think too few people pay attention to what is coming next in SL... or RL for that matter. And some percentage of those paying attention don't understand what PBR means or what it will affect. So I doubt it is having any measurable effect on the SL economy.

PBR is not going to affect the base mesh. It will affect texturing and materials. Plus the Lindens have always been very "legacy compatible" conscious. So I expect PBR to be similar to the BOM upgrade creators made to existing bodies and heads. In many cases, an applier or button that implemented the use of BOM is all that was added to an existing item..