Joining a SHOP group / subscribo: what attracts you to it - and - keeps you in it?

[Emma Krokus]

Hi guys :)

To be brutally honest, for me it's a group gift 99 percent of the time - and I stay round because they frequently give out new gifts - blushes.

The other 1 percent are shop groups which have many helpful members, particularly relating to building.

Why do you join shop groups? 

And I declare my interest here: I do have a shop and would like to attract more members to the group, hoping that through running and rewarding the group members well, I might generate more sales... 

 

Emma :) 

[Bandito Razor]

Free Gifts, pretty much.

I spend L$ when I have em, of course, but I stay in the shop groups for those free daily, weekly, or monthly gifts.

[Venus Petrov]

I first join because what is sold interests me, is unique and/or high quality and I want to know of sales and take advantage of reduced prices and/or gifts.

I leave groups when I am spammed too often, the group chat is not controlled (i.e., members spam for other reasons or the chat is nonsense).  I leave groups if all it ends up being is something listed in my profile and a free advert for the seller.

My suggestions:

Do not allow group members to initiate group chats.

Offer previews of new items at reduced prices or as gifts to members.

Do not spam notices.

Keep creating and improving your offerings.  Distinguish yourself from others.  Become unique.

[Sammantha Koppel]

I join a group if I really like the store's products so that I can be informed when new stuff comes out.  However, if I get a group invite every time I land in that store, I won't join.  I'll leave the group if it gets spammy.

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Bandito

(btw, great name!)

 

thanks for your honesty!!

 

Emma:) 

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Venus

 

Thank you - that's really helpful and I agree with your suggestions as to what makes a group good and what turns people off.

I do turn groups off in my profile - maybe that isn't an option in newer viewers? But, I have to admit, that when I'm too lazy to hunt around for the group joiner, I have made use of others' profiles to find the group to join ;P.

Controlling group chat is an issue - especially as I wouldn't be able to be around to moderate all the time...

And you're so right, the product has to be great.

 

Emma  

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Samantha

I don't like repeated requests to join a group (especially the blue box I got to click to get rid off) and also landmark offers either.

And a couple of groups I leave and rejoin because the amount of notices put out is just ridiculous. At least, group chat I can (and will) turn off if it gets silly and I'm not in the mood).

Emma  

[Kezia Ansar]

Exactly what Venus said.

[Venus Petrov]

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Emma Krokus wrote:

Hi Venus

 

Thank you - that's really helpful and I agree with your suggestions as to what makes a group good and what turns people off.

I do turn groups off in my profile - maybe that isn't an option in newer viewers? But, I have to admit, that when I'm too lazy to hunt around for the group joiner, I have made use of others' profiles to find the group to join ;P.

Controlling group chat is an issue - especially as I wouldn't be able to be around to moderate all the time...

And you're so right, the product has to be great.

 

Emma

 

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You do not need to control group chat if you deselect the option to chat in the member role.

Yes, one can untick the option to show the group in one's profile in any viewer, I believe.

Also, please please do not select the option to share liabilities and dividends.  Having that option selected and not informing new group members is a big turn-off.

If you have a shop where purchases need to be unpacked, it is wonderful if you can offer a small space where buyers can unpack their purchases.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

Money.

If you're paying me I'll be in your group.  Unless there's more than about one unrelated chat conversation per day or notice per week. As you'll guess I'm not in many groups.  The ones I'm in are the ones I'm doing work (usually scripting) for.

[Emma Krokus]

Hello again Venus

Yes, I could stop people using group chat altogether... if I had the option though, I'd prefer properly moderated group chat. I myself have learned so much from the knowledge and experience that generous group members have shared...

Group liabilities - urgh big turn off (have recently been hit with that) - totally agree! (note to self: check as soon as inworld again...) 

At this moment, I have a tiny shop only and although rezzing is allowed, I have to admit I used up all the prims . Apart from 1 or 2 items, mostly my stuff is for people who have land, so I guess it's not critical. I do appreciate that facility though - having pratically squatted on shop's rezzing spaces to unpack before I had somewhere to live. And while on this topic, (thank you all shop owners who let me!! - and sorry about the littering... - I didn't realise the boxes weren't biodegradable .

Emma  

 

[Emma Krokus]

How much??

 

;D

 

Emma  

[Amethyst Jetaime]

I join groups mainly because I love the products and want to know when new items are released,and secondly for discounts and useful freebies.

I leave groups when they spam, or there is chat unrelated to product support.  If you want to offer a group for the chatty, have two.  One where chat can't be initiated and one where people who like it can chat away. Several of the merchants i deal with offer this and I really appreciate the option of a chatless group. 

I also leave groups that keep sending out the same notice.  One notice is enough as you still get it if your not online.  And please don't send a notice then spam chat with the same thing as a way around people turning off notices.  If i turn the notices off in a group I sure don' t want to get it in chat.  If I turn off notices I do periodically check the notice history when it is convenient for me to read notices.

[PeterCanessa Oh]

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Emma Krokus wrote:

How much??

 ;D

 Emma

 

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Not much actually.  Per-project pricing just to cover my SL expenses, which are low.  RL is preventing me from taking-on any projects at the moment, but feel free to ask if you need any scripts I might have kicking around.

[Lyra Blackthorne]

I am with Venus, I join because the merchandise is unique and of superior quality.  I have lots of favorite shops that have joined over the years so if a new shop offers the same things I won't join; has to be something different that I do not already have a favorite merchant for.

Gifts are not very important to me.  More often than not the gifts from even my favorite shops are either not a style or a color I would wear or an item I would use, and so end up trashing all but a very few.

I leave groups that send me too many notices, or allow chat spam.  I also leave groups if the merchandise seen in notices fails to continue offering a new perspecitve and unique offerings.

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Amethyst

Thanks for the suggestion of 2 shop groups - that's a really good idea. Give people the choice to join it if they want to be able to chat. 

And I do agree with your other peeves! Notices repeated in group chat are so annoying - and yes, I want to be treated like a grown up who can switch off notices and maybe miss stuff, but is capable of looking up group notices in group information.

(uh... ok... I only realised I could do this a shorter while ago than I care to disclose - /me blushes furiously)

Emma  

[Emma Krokus]

I did mean joining the group... but actually - thaks for the other information too. I am so totally in awe of scripters!

;D 

Emma  

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Lyra

If I ever manage to attract you to my group, I will feel I really made the grade!!

Emma  

[kattatonia Wickentower]

yeah, what Venus said.  Good job Venus.  I hate to be spammed.  I especially hate to be attacked by an overly intrusive greeter system.  If I want a landmark I will make one.  If I want to join a group I will look for the joiner. I do not want or need to be pushed the second I arrive.  It really is counter productive to use one of those systems. Put you landmark giver and your group joiner near the front door and don't harass your customers. 

 

As for the group itself, concentrate on your product and share your enthusiasm with the group.  A really nice gift every three months is better than a crappy one every week.  Giving out one special color to group members of a new product is a method that has enticed me into the store to get the color i really want more than once or twice. 

Good sales are the kinds of notices I like to get.  Or a really chatty note that tells me what you are excited about having made. Pictures are good too.  Just sending me your landmark every other day is a bad idea.  If I get more than one notice a week from a group I will turn off their notices. The only exception is Sn@tch, because I really do love to see what she is creating. and she is one of those savvy creators who puts out good deals on a regular basis.



[Raven Snowfall]

I hit up the Subscribomatic kiosks for free gifts, or if it is a store which has new items I love (Ducknipple comes to mind).  The actual group, I'm much pickier about, becuase we are limited to only a few groups.  I reserve those for groups which have tons of other users and/or frequent updates (Amaretto Breedables for example), or products I have questions about on a regular basis (Sculpt Studio, Mice on a Beam, etc).

[Venus Petrov]

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Raven Snowfall wrote:

.....becuase we are limited to only a few groups

.

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Wow remember when 24 or 25 groups was the limit?  Now 'few' is defined as 42? 

[PeterCanessa Oh]

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Venus Petrov wrote:

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Raven Snowfall wrote:

.....becuase we are limited to only a few groups

.

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Wow remember when 24 or 25 groups was the limit?  Now 'few' is defined as 42? 

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Hehe, and to prove how anti-joining I am the most I've ever been in at any one time was around 8.  Now it really is only while I'm working for that group and need membership for communication,

[Claireschen Hesten]

the only shop group i've joined was bax and thats only to get new releases at super discounted prices i have joined a few subscriber groups that don't count towards the group limit like Skinthesis where i got my skin and some add on's there always used to be regular group gifts. and primpossible because i've purchased and love the 1 prim stuff on sale i almost exclusively join subscriber groups because i've shopped somewhere really liked what i got and what to stay informed about the shop i bought from.
i do have a subscriber group and i think my subscribers have joined for the same reason i join groups not just for the free joining gift 
i have found myself added to subscriber groups for stores and sims i've never been to and or never bought from and would never join the group of it's rather an inconvenience to have to visit the location to find a subscriber terminal so i can unsubscribe from a group i never agreed to be in

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Kattatonia

I guess the message is pretty clear - you definitely don't want a group forced upon you and certainly quality rather than frequency of messages and gifts.

Like the idea of a special colour just for group members - could be interesting: anyone go for blue tress?? Hehehe... Actually, now that's an idea !!

As for sharing enthusiam... I do like those notices myself...  However, so far, I've fallen in love with every single thing I ever made (does this happen to other creators too?).  So, I do wonder if customers would consider me totally barmy if every time I made something I sent out a message eulogising?? (Rather like a chicken that's laid an egg... hahahaha !) 

Emma

 

 

 

[Emma Krokus]

Hi Raven

Like yourself, I find myself juggling the group slots too - and with the subscribos, I'm just not organised enough to know which ones I'm actually in !  So, I'm quite picky too - and I do like the ones which are knowledgeable about a particular aspect of SL.

 Emma