Thank you very much indeed, folks, for this wonderful feedback. I would like to summarize all answers up and try to deduce important aspects of merchant’s activity in sl.
1) What shall we choose - the marketplace or in-world shop? The question about certain target group of customers. We have to distinguish between different types of customers and pay attention to customers’ behaviours. If there is any possiblity to get a feedback from them, we musn’t miss this chance.
2) Another interesting opinion was that the in-world shopping more appropriate to 3D world. No doubt it’s so well fitted to the framework of second life. But! We have to understand that people always try to comprehend new reality on the basis of previous experience. The marketplace is very similar to the most internet shops and stores. It means the traditional way of doing shopping. We are accustomed to buy things through internet shops.
3) There is a strong correlation between having a land and earn rent money from shopkeepers. If we have a land for fun, we can upkeep it by money’s flow from marketplace. If our well-being totally depends on in-world shop renters, we won’t be prosper.
4) The price of the product can be a good point to visit in-world stores. If I’m going to buy an expensive wedding suit I have to check the quality of it in the inworld-shop, if it is possible of course.
5)The role of merchant. Being a merchant is kind of performance. It frames our own behaviour and relation to what we do in second life. Shall we distinguish between trading for profit or trading for fun? Different goals mean different types of behaviour. We must decided this crucial question for ourselves.
I think there is a structural change of second life trading. It is in process of re-shaping. The in-world shops with 3D products (like shops with houses, cars, furniture etc.) will survive, but most of fashion designers (for example, clothes, dresses, gowns) will slightly move to the marketplace. Maybe only big designers will continue to upkeep big shops (1/2, 1/4, 1/8 sim).