Starting a new marketplace shop, looking for help and business.

[kerkaine]

A friend and I recently started up a store with the intention of selling designs for t-shirts. We currently, as of the time this post was made, have 2 designs on the marketplace (which you can check out here.) We currently have no idea if we are currently heading down the right path in terms of pricing, objects we design for, branding, etc. We are also looking at ways to advertise and get our name out on a budget of little to no money. We really are trying to get business going just enough to buy land for our own private use. 

Currently the idea is to create a line of clothing textures for players' fursonas. In fact, if you have a fursona that you would like a design for, please let us know. We currently are marketing exclusivly to kemono avatars, considering that's what we use, but because we are trying to get an inventory started, we wouldn't mind any ideas to help us get our numbers up. 

We would really appreciate any help that you could lend.

On behalf of Tiny Threads, thank you.

[Bitsy Buccaneer]

They're really cute. Well done. :matte-motes-smile:

The price seems very low, but it's in keeping with the shirt base and that will set a limit on how much you can ask. I don't know this market at all so I can't say any more on that.

And because I don't know much, I'll ask some questions instead and offer a couple of suggestions.

Are there any kemono-orientated events? Might be worth getting a stall at one or trying out a small shop or kiosk in a kemono-orientated area. Add a link to your marketplace in your profile picks and use a pick or two to show pictures of your work. (Probably want to drop that yip yip line if you're selling clothing for child-like avatars though.)

Where do you and your friends buy clothing for your avs? How did you find those places? Do the answers to those questions offer any ideas on how to promote your store?

And one more, on a different aspect. Did you use a flat background colour on the t-shirts? It's hard to tell from the pictures. A subtle cross hatching type layer (under the drawing, over the background) will give the fabric some depth and realism. When it's done well, it's not the kind of thing one notices but it does give a sense of something well made.

Good luck. :matte-motes-smile:

[Codex Alpha]

You're on the marketplace now, that's the first step.

Next, people need to find you, so be very accurate in your product title and description of your shirt, and use simple and clear keywords to describe your product.

eg.,

"Cute Sheep T-Shirt For Kemono Avatars"

If anything, if I search in the MP for this, I will probably be searching for "kemono t-shirts" or "sheep shirts"....

 

Ensure your use keywords reflect it, and remove redundant or pointless keywords. Few are searching for 'mesh' too much anymore as it is commonplace, and reserve 'texture' for those looking for textures to use in their builds. (unless you're selling textures for Kemono shirts or something)

eg,.

"shirt, kemono, boyfriend, boyfriend shirt, mesh, texture, cute"

matching colors are redundant, would only need to be

"cute, sheep, kemono, boyfriend, shirt"

 

Offer a freebie shirt. This gets you into view with people and new players that will come across your store, link your other products in the listing.

I could do more suggestions, but thats all I can post for now. Good luck!

 

[Tamara Artis]

I must warn you, sometimes I sound rude... its either the language barrier or because I just say whats on my mind. I like to be straight. Please don't take it wrong

 

I would remove the pricing from the vendor photo, you don't need it, it just uses the space and takes the attention that should be focused on the shirt. Plus, if after few more posts you realize 20L$ is really too low (and it is) you will have to redo all your vendor photos. Just leave the price out. 

I would remove the permissions too, but thats up to you.

Using one color is okay, but it is not really the best solution to use the same plain color (just different shade) on the shirt as well as the background of your vendor. My suggestion is to shoot some nice in-world photos - a garden, beach, someone's front yard... and blur it until you can't really recognize whose home it is, it will look better than this. Plus your avi will pop out if placed on the blurred background.

Someone said to use a fabric texture when designing shirts - I am all for this! You can use same one, just change its blending mode to something that makes it look good. Also, try to add some realism to the shirts - draw wrinkles or some shades/lights... anything just so you don't have a plain shirt with a cute drawing on it. 

If the drawing is your original one - write it in the description, say it in simple words "this is what I drew, you can buy it only here and nowhere else on the whole internet"! 

Rename the vendors - saying "sheepy texture" makes it like you sell a texture that I can place on a full perm shirt! Is it? 

Fonts and letters design - place it so that it is well balanced with other elements in the vendor photo, for example that purple one where it says "Teeny the Tiny Hyena" in the top row and some other letters in the bottom row - first I would change the color because having two opposite colors together (purple and green) makes my eyes hurt when I try to read, plus the font is kinda playful and what I wanted to say about the balance, letters are too close to the horns and the avi while on the opposite side you have some empty space. I would move the letters more to the right and use allignment on the right side. 

Marketplace allows you to upload more images for each product - use it! Main image can be edited and rest can be raw snapshots that show item as it is in-world. Good idea is to show the avatar wearing the shirt on the main image and shoot the shirt alone - front and back side, on some other image. 

In product descriptions you can write more unique texts, short info about your item or something interesting. 

 

 

[Codex Alpha]

Yes, and add enough images, they help you sell your product.

On most products I have, if they're not just simple boring props, I will have about 3 information images about the product, then have a 'context' shot where I might feature the item as it might be used on a sim/ in-world.

Also on some products I have video support, so potential customers can see it in action.

The next line is having an inworld store ( I struggle with that as I am still a small seller ) so people can come visit and see the product as it appears there.

[Tamara Artis]

I like your shop and agree that it is good to have an in-world shop! Maybe you can setup something small and have rezzers for items so that, for start, you don't use too much prims.