Reviewing in-world purchases at MP

[Ren Float]

Is it possible to write a review of a purchase made in-world at the MP listing and I've just overlooked how it's done? I just bought an item in-world because of the merchant's loyalty program - I'm at the 25% off level due to the amount of business I've done (which was a savings of $475L!). 

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with the products or I wouldn't have reached this level. But I'd REALLY like to voice my pleasure. When I TRIED to review it, I got the "You must purchase the product before you can review it." Well...  I did.

 

[Drake1 Nightfire]

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Lvddawter wrote:

Is it possible to write a review of a purchase made in-world at the MP listing and I've just overlooked how it's done? I just bought an item in-world because of the merchant's loyalty program - I'm at the 25% off level due to the amount of business I've done (which was a savings of $475L!). 

Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with the products or I wouldn't have reached this level. But I'd REALLY like to voice my pleasure. When I TRIED to review it, I got the "

You must purchase the product before you can review it." Well...  I did.

 

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The MP gave you your answer.. It means  "You must purchase the product ON THE MP before you can review it." The MP and Inworld vendors are not linked. There is no way for the MP to know that you bought anything Inworld.

[Ren Float]

It seems to me that if the $L balance between the two can be linked, then the reason for any change in the balance can also be linked if the folks at LL were inclined to do so.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

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Lvddawter wrote:

It seems to me that if the $L balance between the two can be linked, then the reason for any change in the balance can also be linked if the folks at LL were inclined to do so.

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Who is to say that the $199L you gave to bob newuser was for his blue evening gown and not the red? Or even if it was just a gift. It doesn't work that easily. Everything in SL has a unique UUiD. The MP items would have to be the exact same UUiD as the Inworld item. If the Inworld item is sold through a Caspervend vendor the UUiD will not be the same as most merchants don't box clothing for the MP but must box them for vendors.

The easier solution would be for LL to make a vendor system that links to the MP. Then sales could be linked to MP items and reviews could be made. Alternately, you could ask the merchant if you could apply your discount to the MP if you sent them a copy of your transaction history from the MP. Then you could buy on the MP and review the items and get a discount as well.

[Sassy Romano]

There was a time when LL were going to create inworld vendors as part of a project.  They'd deliver using the Direct Delivery mechanism.  It died a death.

Yes it could be done, appetite from merchants wasn't that warm either though, you can search back through the forums, it's not the first time this has come up.

[IvanBenjammin]

If you want to reward the creator, tell your friends about it and encourage anyone looking for the same thing to buy. Word-of-mouth drives the SL economy far more than the MP review system, at least in my experience.

[Drake1 Nightfire]

If they could make vendors like the Caspervend ones... AND link them to the MP, i would love it.

[Sassy Romano]

I wouldn't expect it to happen.  It was going to be as part of the defunct Direct Delivery phase 2 but there would have been a commission for using them.  What we really wanted was an API to hook third party vending systems into a MP delivery mechanism and reviews could have been a feature which was gained by default.  This way via an API, you would have been able to keep your own vending system and just gain benefits.

Project died, that's that.

[Ren Float]

Oh, I do tell my friends, but there are several limitations. The biggest is in the fact that those who are viewing the item on the MP are looking for something I bought. These people realize they have an unmet need - a need that I'd bet few of my few friends have at that moment.

The second is that people visiting MP are currently attempting to fill that need. They have taken the time away from SL and are in a buying frame of mind. Telling my friends happens only when I'm logged in, and relies on them remembering my recommendation if this need ever arises for them. 

Third, even the best product isn't perfect. In many cases I try to give a fair mention of what I believe are its flaws, deficiencies, or areas where I feel there's room for improvement. This is where merchants get feedback. Sure, I can, and have, send them NCs in-world, but why not kill two birds with one stone?

Fourth, seeing a merchant's response to a review has value in itself. It gives an indication that there is an active concern for customer support, and what kind to expect. There have been times when this has made the difference in what I've chosen to buy.

I don't take reviews from others at face value, and I don't expect others to treat mine any differently, but any voice (even from someone I've never and will never meet) is better than none at all. Word of mouth is important for a merchant to consider, but it has far more value in killing than nurturing a product. People are far more likely to remember bad mouthing than praise.

TLDR; I speak with less than 100 people per week. Few are interested in buying what I just did, and wouldn't remember me if/when they are. Compare this to the thousands per week who are actively interested in buying something similar and are visiting the MP.

 

[IvanBenjammin]

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Lvddawter wrote:

Oh, I do tell my friends, but there are several limitations. The biggest is in the fact that those who are viewing the item on the MP are looking for something I bought. These people realize they have an unmet need - a need that I'd bet few of my few friends have at that moment.

The second is that people visiting MP are currently attempting to fill that need. They have taken the time away from SL and are in a buying frame of mind. Telling my friends happens only when I'm logged in, and relies on them remembering my recommendation if this need ever arises for them. 

Third, even the best product isn't perfect. In many cases I try to give a fair mention of what I believe are its flaws, deficiencies, or areas where I feel there's room for improvement. This is where merchants get feedback. Sure, I can, and have, send them NCs in-world, but why not kill two birds with one stone?

Fourth, seeing a merchant's response to a review has value in itself. It gives an indication that there is an active concern for customer support, and what kind to expect. There have been times when this has made the difference in what I've chosen to buy.

I don't take reviews from others at face value, and I don't expect others to treat mine any differently, but any voice (even from someone I've never and will never meet) is better than none at all. Word of mouth is important for a merchant to consider, but it has far more value in killing than nurturing a product. People are far more likely to remember bad mouthing than praise.

TLDR; I speak with less than 100 people per week. Few are interested in buying what I just did, and wouldn't remember me if/when they are. Compare this to the thousands per week who are actively interested in buying something similar and are visiting the MP.

 

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Yes, all valid points. Have you considered contacting the merchant and asking if they'll refund you if you buy it again on MP to leave a review?

Frankly, I don't want LL messing with systems that work, or competing/messing with the likes of Caspervend (who make a good, stable product that doesn't take a 5% commission). The time and resources that would take could be better spent on improving the MP as-is.

[Kendra Parfort]

In case a demo is available you can buy it and write a review there, mentioning you bought the full version inworld. In case there is no demo, you can do what someone else mentioned here before and contact the creator to ask him for a refund so you can purchase the product on mp to leave a review. :matte-motes-smile:

 

[Codex Alpha]

When I see a product inworld that I like, I will try to find it on the Marketplace, so that I can leave a review, or at least have the ability to have it serviced/redelivered.

This is your best bet if you frequently leave reviews.

As a merchant, I don't like the fact that I can't track purchases inworld - I can't offer service or refunds to people because I can't even find their transaction possibly - or it's a lot more work, and SL only allows me to go back over transactions of 30 days.

So on some products, I will put the 'demo' version inworld, and script the object to open up the Marketplace product page, and the customer can purchase from there - dunno if that loses impulse sales inworld but I don't care. I care more about being able to track what is being bought.

Other knick-knacks and random products that won't need a lot of servicing in the future (like tables, chairs, oddities, etc) I can freely sell inworld without tracking (though a universal 'tracking by product ID' would be nice inworld or not).

[Bitsy Buccaneer]

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entity0x wrote:

As a merchant, I don't like the fact that I can't track purchases inworld - I can't offer service or refunds to people because I can't even find their transaction possibly - or it's a lot more work, and SL only allows me to go back over transactions of 30 days.

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What's so hard about downloading the month's data on a regular basis? Compiling it in a spreadsheet is useful for confirming trends, but even without that you can use the computer's search function to find a customer's transaction data quickly. It doesn't take long and you'll always have it.

[Sassy Romano]

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entity0x wrote:

As a merchant, I don't like the fact that I can't track purchases inworld - I can't offer service or refunds to people because I can't even find their transaction possibly - or it's a lot more work, and SL only allows me to go back over transactions of 30 days.

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This can be solved easily enough.  You need to implement an ANS processor for your MP transactions.  This is usually an option in an inworld vending system such that your inworld vending system handles inworld purchases and MP sends sales data to the same system.  This way you get to offer redeliveries from MP purchases.

We know that LL doesn't offer transaction data beyond 30 days, so we solve it in other ways.  My sales database covers 8 years.

I don't ask customers for transaction history because I can nearly always find it in a couple of clicks and am way faster than it would take me to even type "please send your transaction history".

[Ren Float]

I could do that... but somehow I doubt he would trust me with nearly $2000L just so he could get a review. I'm not sure >I< would trust myself.

[Ren Float]

In this case, it was an AO. Those are rarely demo'd on MP, for good reason.

[Ren Float]

That's what I usually do, but it would have cost me an extra $500L to buy it on MP. I've got a Vista Animations' Platinum card which grants me 25% off selected in-world purchases - and what I wanted to buy was "selected."