Second Life Apparel Shops

[kendlee]

I am new to Second Life and am having difficulty nagivating through the world.  I have decided to reach out to the forums to get help on a project I am doing for school.  I am a student at Indiana University- Bloomington that is studying the usage of Second Life in marketing.  I would love to ask a few questions to an owner of a clothing shop in world about different aspects of running an apparel shop and how they market their clothing.  

 

If any store owner is interested in helping me out on this project, feel free to email me at my email kendlee@indiana.edu or message me back on here

[kendlee]

These are some of the questions I need answered for this project.  If anyone would feel comfortable answering these about their Apparel Business, it would be much appreciated!

 

 

1. How are your products and/or services created?
2. How are your products and/or services designed?
3. How did you get the shop, materials, etc.; i.e., where did the shop come from (did they build it themselves, buy it from someone else, etc.)
4. How do you keep track of what you have for sale?
5. How many employees do they have and what do those employees do?
6. How did you decide where to put your store(s)?
7. What is the process of creating what you sell?
8. What methods do you use to determine the best way to layout your store?
9. How did you determine how to visually merchandise your products?
10. How do you market your business? (Both in world and in RL)
11. How do you think you differ or how are you similiar to a RL business.

[Madeliefste Oh]

I do have a clothing shop, though I'm no longer active as a clothing designer. But the shop with designs I made in the past still exist. To answer all your question detailed will take me hours, and I don't want to spend so much time. So I will answer shortly for you.

 

1. In Photoshop
2. Also in Photoshop
3. I did build it myself.
4. In a spreadsheet.
5. 0
6. I had some land rented for another store I had already. Because I was already there, and the landlord was willing to rent me some more land, I decided to start the new store next to the existing store.
7. I have an idea - I look for reference material - I play around with photos and I draw - I make a rough design, when that is too my taste I start finetuning (that what takes most time). When the design is finished I make some color variations. Then I do a photoshoot where the clothes are shown on a model. I finetune the pictures, I put the pictures on boxes and add the clothes to the boxes.
8. My method is 'grow with the flow'. When I just started  I had a small shop, with maybe 15 pieces of clothing. I arrange it in a way that the products are well visible and the atmosphere feels good to me. But the more you make, the more your shop must grow to show all products. I enlargred my shop maybe 6 or times or so. I developed a kind of housestyl, to show the products, and each time I enlarged my shop, I was moving around with all products to show thim in a way that feels good to me. Ofcourse you have picked up all kind influences from rl stores and sl stores and marketing techniques, but it for me it is more unconciouness that you use those influences. The leading factor in choosing the layout of my store is my own taste.
9. I analysed how other merchants show their products, what I find good about it, what works, what works not. To learn from it, but not to copy, but to find my own face for presenting my brand. I also listened to shoppers and learned that people hate when clothes look very nice on the product box that professionally hides all weak points in the design but that they only discover after they have bought the item. That was for example a reason for me show the product not just from one angle, but always from front- back- and side view.
10. I used to do a lot of marketing in the past. Not in RL at all, only in SL and a blog. But since about two years I don't do any marketing at all anymore for this shop.
11. Similair: 'the thrill of buying' is the same thing. The main force that drives buying is emotion.
Different: The risks are low, the costs are low, the recourses are almost free. You don't need diploms or certificates to start a shop. When you are a creative person, and you are handy with a graphical program like Photoshop or Gimp, you can build up a fine business. It is up to you what 'fine' means... it can be fine because you experience a large artistic freedom, you express yourself or your vision in fashion. Or it can mean that a lot of customers appreciate your work and taket the trouble to let you know that they absolutely lóóóóóóóve your this-and-that dress, and that famous bloggers praise you to heaven. Or it can mean that you make a lot of money. Good enough to give up your job and become a full time SL designer. (At least that is how it used to be, I'm not so sure that everybody who made that choice a few years ago still has enough income to live from SL. Anyway starting nowadays is a lot harder, because there is more competition and less shoppers).

 

[kendlee]

Thank you so much!  I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these.!

[Lava Babii]

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kendlee wrote:

These are some of the questions I need answered for this project.  If anyone would feel comfortable answering these about their Apparel Business, it would be much appreciated!

 

 

1. How are your products and/or services created? Photoshop and inworld
2. How are your products and/or services designed? Photoshop and inworld
3. How did you get the shop, materials, etc.; i.e., where did the shop come from (did they build it themselves, buy it from someone else, etc.) Buld myself, buy good stuff
4. How do you keep track of what you have for sale? I don't
   
   It's only SL. If ever the money is empty, I will close.
5. How many employees do they have and what do those employees do? 0
6. How did you decide where to put your store(s)? Setup a shop, give it 4 weeks to pay its rent, if not: leave.
7. What is the process of creating what you sell? If I'd know I would tell you...
   
8. What methods do you use to determine the best way to layout your store? Keep it simple.
9. How did you determine how to visually merchandise your products? If I like it, it's good.
10. How do you market your business? (Both in world and in RL) Classifieds, SLM enhancements, blog.
11. How do you think you differ or how are you similiar to a RL business? SL is totally different from an RL business. You only sell copies of your stuff. You don't earn a fortune, but you also have almost no risk.

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