Hey guys, how do you mostly hear about cool places to shop in SL these days?

[WADE1 Jya]

I would just ask my own customers how they found me but I am too scared to disturb them.... I feel a pop survey about "how did you find us?" after shopping would just be way too super annoying :matte-motes-sick:

Also if I only ask my own customers, they will tell me they find me through ways I am already using, and I might miss some key ways of reaching people.

I ask here instead so if anyone don't want to answer (or if they never buy anything yet in SL) .... they can just happily ignore this & go to another thread :matte-motes-grin:

Thanks very much in advance, any input you choose to share will be much appreciated :matte-motes-asleep-2:

[Bactine]

Hrm I usually shop in marketplace and if I find something I like, I visit the store in-world to see if they have anything else I might like thats not on their marketplace store. I also go to search and sometimes one of the classifieds will catch my eye and I'll visit

Hehehe I forgot to mention my sneaky habbit of inspecting people's stuff and visit the shop through a pic or classified in the creator's profile.

[Liisa Runo]

When i know what i need, i search it from marketplace and usually go to in-world shop to buy it.

Most of the time i see something fun in world. I inspect it to get the creator and find the shop from the profile of the creator.

Not what you asked but ill add it here anyway: i never buy anything no-mod. I want to be able to fix possible bugs in the product. Link more stuff to it. Customise it to make it more personal and unique. Remove stupid full brightness or write better scripts for it. Mod, Copy, No-Transfer is the way to go.

[leyna1488303852]

I usually search the MP then go inworld to buy.  Some of the best places I've found through doing hunts and 50L Friday type groups. I've run into some real hidden gems that way.  

One of my favorite ways to learn about cool places to shop is through word of mouth and hearing what others have to say about them. I finally found some great looking jeans after searching for months when I read about a couple of places in the fashion forum here.

Coming across a name of a store over and over again, (like in the MP, forums, and blogs) is something that will get me to eventually go check it out even if I'm not necessarily looking for that store's product.  

[Marianne Little]

I read fashion feeds. Every day. And some blogs too. 

You should have a blog for your shop, and make sure you list new products in on at least 2 feeds. I am not sure, maybe the What's new in SL and a Homes and Garden for SL feed?

[Wili Clip]

I usually just start a conversation with my clients and ask them directly "Hey, how did you find this place?" or "where did you first hear for this place?"  and they answer.
Also I can ask "Do you like this? Why do you like it?" They usually tell me I love it thank you for making this and then I feel really all sweet  :matte-motes-bashful-cute:

When I ask 3 - 5 people and get their answers I then extrapolate and have a sample from total population and get a broad picture about  how people find their ways to us.  

I don't like it and nor even want to look like I am all about minimizing efforts and maximising effectivness but that is the price you have to pay in marketing. You have to use techniques from marketing that work. Its the only way to succeess. 

What do you sell WADE1? 

[WADE1 Jya]

Thanks for asking Wili!

I sell pets & animals, as well as weather effects, bikes, robots... and more... the list goes on :matte-motes-grin:

You are brave to ask your customers these questions I think... I always feel like it would interrupt or annoy to start asking those kind of question.

It is all about saving time yes, I am only one person & with so many possible marketing avenues... some of these most people probably don't even see so it is a waste of resources.... I would like to spend more time creating stuff... but if I don't spend some time on marketing (which is not my favorite activity for sure), then it is a sure way not to be found :matte-motes-stress:

[squashy Beeswing]

I'm sure i've bought from you before and i found your store whilst i was doing a hunt.  I never found the hunt item, though!

[WADE1 Jya]

Thank you for your purchase from me squashy! Oh do you mean the geocaching kind of hunt? I have geocachers through pretty regular & my partner has put her items in hunts before... perhaps it was one of her jewelry items you were looking for?

We also let a couple game operators place hunt items on our sim so have these hunters through sometimes also... but it isn't my items as prizes here.

I have these hunts running sort of as favors for friends moreso than for any personal benefit.

I had a couple bad experiences overhearing convos of hunters and because of that haven't offered any of my own creations in a hunt before. I strongly got the impression that most people participating in hunts never would buy stuff from the participating sponsors? Do many people shop while hunting?

[Mayalily]

Oh where do u read these?  I bought some SL fashion mags on Marketplace, but couldn't get them to work or I unlinked them somehow? 

To address the OP:  I'm mostly a marketplace shopper and don't feel a need to go inworld to look at clothing as clothing is not rezzed inworld.  Although I can understand some people wanting to go inworld to shop to avoid a delivery failure.

I read the forums, ask, right click on a dress if I absolutely love it when I see an avatar wearing it, and then look up the designer on Marketplace. 

Or sometimes, just by luck, happen to stumble upon a designer just by chance.  Also, I do check "see the best selling items" or whatever they are called (can't remember at this time exactly how it is worded), but when I look up best sellers, I usually find some great promo deals on Marketplace, not to mention CUTE!  Other times it's just random, such as in Marketplace search I typed in the word glitter and stumble upon something I love.  I do love the promo offers tho.

50 linden Fridays, I haven't found yet. 

[leyna1488303852]

I'm not sure what others do, but I definitely will buy stuff from the places I visit when hunting.  Not from everyone, but from the places that I really like, yes. Sometimes I'm so focused on the hunt I may not buy at that moment, but I keep my landmarks organized in a folder of places to go back to when I'm finished, and I do go back and buy.   

Some of my favorite spots to shop that I now purchase from regularly I discovered while doing hunts. I've often wondered if a lot of people are just about the grabby hands and I've hoped that wasn't the case.