The Death of In-World Retail

Some bittersweet news came my way yesterday. One of my favorite stores was having a 50% off sale. They were having the sale because they were dropping their in-world presence. BINA Gorean Clothing (SLurl) moved from a beautifully crafted full region to a nicely crafted Homestead region that retained the essence of the former despite the loss of detail last year in what I assumed was a move to economize. A number of stores had done so about the same time and quite a few malls had completely closed. It looks like the process is continuing.

Cymoril Lightfoot, BINA owner, cited "several factors" in the closing in a note card to her group, but I'm betting that the declining in-world economy and the emphasis on the use of XStreet SL (soon to me SL Marketplace) by The Lab since it acquired the service are factors. Like many, Ms Lightfoot will maintain some land in-world to house her XStreet server box so she can continue having a presence in the economy. Without having to pay for large tracts of land this could be a boon.

Its a calculated risk and I'm not merchant enough to discuss the merits of such a plan. After all I've opened and closed more shops than I can count. But I will miss visiting BINA for the atmosphere as well as the high-quality clothes. Shopping should be an experience and I like supporting merchants that feel the same way. Spending time exploring the environment that sets the mood for the merchandise is a powerful sales tool. Some in the Real World have derisively called it the Disneyfication of retail -- stores and shopping malls becoming a destination -- but it works (Web). Yes, I often use XStreet to shop, but mostly to find the merchandise and to find where I can see it in-world. It also gives me a certain satisfaction to buy in-world because the merchant doesn't have to share the sale by giving The Lab a commission.

To support shopping in-world, especially at themed shops and malls, I'm going to make an effort to post profiles of such places on this blog. You'll also find some on the Lucky Kitty Crew blog (Web) in as many of my future posts as I can get away with writing. In my previous posts there I frequently advocated getting out and exploring beyond hitting the Lucky Chairs or the Midnight Mania boards for the fun of it (as well as finding more freebies).

But while you can, visit BINA. You don't have to be Gorean to appreciate very high quality clothes, a great sale, or just a great build to explore.

(Thanks to Zyx Flux for tipping me to the closing and for posing with me in the pic above. She's a cute and clever pixy. The store closes August 30th.)

New XStreet, New Problems

It wasn't that long ago that The Lab announced a revamp of the Web-based Second Life® shopping service, XStreetSL (Web). It is now called Second Life Marketplace and it looks pretty much like the previews we were given. No "live" previews that I could find, though hints were given that one could see it early. If I had learned earlier than today that my Favorites, Rated/Unrated Items, and Wish List items would be gone with the revamp, I would have complained at the time. Now I'm looking for a place to bring this to someone's attention though I'm sure the typical Deaf Ear that The Lab is famous for having will be turned. I should have known something was up when the Purchase as Gift option stopped working a month ago.

My Favorites was a great way to quickly access frequently purchased items and to think about possible purchases. Now I have to search for them all again and likely bookmark them in my browser. Or, I could just Landmark the store, buy the items in-world, and tell The Lab "screw you and your commission". Not as convenient, but there is a satisfaction factor.

Rated/Unrated Items was also a great way to track my purchases. I loved giving feedback and, with one exception (see here), helped good relations with many merchants. Maybe I'll be able to rate items I purchase in the new design. The Reviews feature is not available at this time and for the items I've checked, all my ratings and comments from previous purchases are gone.

Wish List? How little I knew ye. I seldom used it but I was making an effort. It was a nusiance but I wanted to use it. Really. There seems to be a new Wish List, non-functional at the moment, but I can't find my old one.

The good news? The design looks nice, many features seem to be merchant-friendly, and the search/sort features remind me of shopping at Amazon.com, though a friend of mine says the new layout is a clone of the shopping area for the game The Sims (Web). I don't see it. Not enough positives for me, however, to make up for the losses, especially with The Lab's recent changes that log my out of all the Web pages tied to SecondLife.com if I'm idle for a few minutes.

Some Merchants Just SUCK

Some merchants in SL are as bad as they are in RL. Trust me.

I had purchased an air hockey table in-world from jrenslow Bach, as described in my XStreet item Discussion copied below, and tried to contact him in-world when I had an issue. He gave no response to IM or to a note card so I posted in the Discussion section of the item's XStreet listing (URL) hoping he would contact me. A month later, he did, demanding that I change my Discussion post but never offered the free upgrade promised.

Here is the Discussion Posting:

Posted By: Uccello Poultry at 2010-03-06 20:45:15 (has not purchased this item)
The description on XStreet was rather vague so I searched in-world to find a demo. One was not available but the quality of the other merchandise seemed good and I thought "well, I can afford to lose L$400 so ..."

Yes, I lost my L$400. When the description says ★Menu Controlled that's exactly what it means ... you move your paddle one increment at a time left/right/forward/backward via pop-up menus. Other Air Hockey tables in SL have you drag the paddle to hit the puck. The menu only starts or ends the game. Also, the description here indicates the set is Copy/Mod. With no description for such on the signage I figured it would be the same in-world. No, it is NO COPY. It leaves your inventory when rezzed and cannot be copied in-world.

Until this unit has significant changes or improvements, please learn from my L$400 and find another unit to buy. Find my other reviews on XStreet. You'll see that I seldom give negative feedback and it is usually mild.

Terms of Service do not permit me to copy/paste the IM from today here, but jrenslow Bach was exceptionally rude, demanding that he show me the upgraded table rather than give me the free upgrade promised. He also said that he is going to have my first comment removed by XStreet, so I posted a second comment:

Posted By: Uccello Poultry at 2010-05-05 14:23:43 (has not purchased this item)
At this very moment, the maker is arguing with me that I cannot have a free upgrade as promised unless I change my earlier comment in the discussion. Also, he tells me that he is going to have XStreet remove the discussion stating I never bought the table. It is still in my inventory. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS MERCHANT. VERY RUDE.

Additionally, I filed a complaint with Linden Labs, ticket #4051-7706335 and I'm highly recommending you shop, shop, shop before giving your money to jrenslow Bach.

What's in My Closet? Baggy Pants

Yes, this is me, in baggy pants that weigh as much as any ten outfits I own (yes, this is virtual -- work with me). Certainly not my style. In fact, I've often made fun of such apparel both in-world and in meatspace. But the Isle of Lesbos was having a party and the theme was "Baggies" so I had to support the crew. I surfed XStreet SL for a while and found a couple fairly conservative outfits -- well, conservative for the style -- and chose this one from Lacey Rumpler (Web). For L$200 I think it was a steal. Not only did I get the huge pants, but I got a fancy belt (that I edited to remove some things I didn't care to have), body paint stars, animated color strips (on the pants, belt, and as jewelry), plus a hat and some nice hair (neither pictured here) and other goodies. Again, not my typical style but I think I carry it off. What do you think?

Object Permissions Need A Gift Option

Here I am in my new AfterHours Collection - Batgirl by Lourdes Laysan (SLurl) costume. It is well made and at just L$200 I think it is also a great deal. Yes, I am Batgirl! But I wanted to buy it as a gift. The texture on the vendor prim did not show any permissions information and peeking at its contents was equally fruitless. It turns out that some items were No Transfer which, in this case, means No Gift. Sure, I would have bought one for me anyway, but if I want to give it to someone like I would Real Life clothes, I can't do it.

Sure, I could contact the maker and ask to have it sent as a gift, but her profile indicates that she is on a sabbatical. Her Xstreet store front does not have this item, so while that might is an option -- albeit less attractive than being able to hand my friend a gift box -- for some items from that store, it is not for this one. Besides, many merchants mark up items on XStreet to cover the commission fees.

What we really need is an overhaul of the permissions system. Everything should be transferable just like in Real Life. Since that would raise havoc with the other system permission Copy, a creative form of Transfer needs to be found. I propose a Gift Upon Purchase option. It would have been great to be able to right click on the vendor prim, choose Buy as Gift rather than just Buy, and then be prompted for a name for delivery. Some vendor systems allow this, but for many reasons merchants prefer to use non-scripted prims so having the gift option built into the fabric of the Second Life viewer/servers would be best.

A talk with Grant Linden about Xstreet

At a recent open meeting with Grant Linden, "a User Experience Designer at Linden Lab working on the commerce team" a number of residents learned more about the Linden Labs acquisition of the Xstreet SL and OnRez retail services and what might be expected. Here is a short bullet list of items discussed with comments:

◆ No new L$ cash terminals. The whole concept is being looked at, but with the integration of resident L$ balances into the Xstreet marketplace, terminals likely won't be necessary. Several of us did not like the integration idea for security reasons. For example, having funds stashed in an off-world system like Xstreet or OnRez protected in-world liquidity. What happens if my in-world balance disappears like the inventory losses many of us are familar with of late? Grant acknowledged these concerns but had no firm response.

◆ Several residents asked about using OnRez vendors in-world. While the Lab is looking at a vendor system, Grant gave the impression that the idea did not sit well with the Lab. Some residents asked for compensation for the money spent customizing OnRez vendors. It is not likely the Lab will do this and another resident pointed out that the customization was a voluntary business risk. There actually seemed to be a number of residents at the meeting that lamented the loss of OnRez. Grant mentioned that many of the best practices (a common business term, but he didn't use it) of OnRez would be looked at and integrated if feasible.

◆ Grant was genuinely concerned when I expressed my distaste for the acquisition as a "Company Store" move (my blog Web; Wikipedia Web). In the chat I stressed to others who commented that we don't have a choice and as merchants it is our job to determine how we can best leverage the situation.

◆ Concerns about post-sale commissions were brought up to which Grant assured us that the funds were being used to support Xstreet operations and improvements, the implication being that the Lab would not profit from the commissions. (That may be the case in the short term, but who knows how that will change. Uccie.) Roy Blanchard pointed out that the commissions could be seen as competition by in-world merchants who don't use Xstreet.

I wonder if it would be possible to use our in-world Inventory system as a "warehouse" for items that we want to sell? An Xstreet folder could be created and any resident-created content could be kept there for an automatic listing on Xstreet. Essentially, that would build a store front for any resident and eliminate the need for in-world delivery boxes. For mall owners, though, this could create a problem. My friend Roy Blanchard, owner of Hug*Mart (SLurl), is not a merchant but is kind enough to provide free space for purveyors of goods for Tinies. Such an idea might actually hurt malls like his.

◆ Mention of an independent entity to replace Xstreet or OnRez was made by several but the conversation was fuzzy (at least to me). I pointed out that any competitor would need to overcome LL's advantage of being tied to in-world search, a feature that Grant emphasized several times.

◆ A whole lotta this: [2009/02/05 13:48] Splashable Water 1.5: Could not find object 'splish'. It is funny to see things like this on Linden properties, especially those built and maintained by individual Lindens. And have you ever flown around the offices and counted the sex furniture?

◆ As part of a sprawling and spotty discussion of the tags used on Xstreet, I suggested that much could be learned from looking at the List view in Apple iTunes. Grant liked the idea of a more intuitive tagging system, mentioning that he once worked for Amazon.com with a suggestion that some of that site's functionality could be worked into the Xstreet site. allistair Macbain had some great feedback for Grant on this topic, particularly on ease-of-use. Many from the Tiny community expressed concerns about proper tagging on Xstreet and Grant acknowledged this by pointing out that several communities have similar concerns.

◆ Did you say Wish List? One of the cool ideas that Grant mentioned was being able to put an Xstreet Wish List in our profiles. To me, this means that in-world merchants who do not use Xstreet would be left out.

◆ No "taxes" (i.e., commissions) on in-world sales. And the Lab doesn't have plans to kill in-world businesses that don't use Xstreet.

◆ [2009/02/05 14:00] Splashable Water 1.5: Could not find object 'splish'. Kinda glad I had sound turned off.

Many thanks to Roy Blanchard for keeping me in the loop in his talks with the Lab. In the picture from L to R: Grant Linden, Roy Blanchard, allistair Macbain, Uccello Poultry, Orrla Loire

Home Page Pix

Perhaps in conjunction with changes to the SecondLife.com home page that non-residents see (read about the controversy over this on Vint Falken's blog > Web), the Lab has begun showing some very attractive scenic images when the viewer starts up. Shortly before the Holidays some nice images of barren land started appearing at the log-in screen, changing with the time of day and shifting locations. Then during the Holidays some clever Wintery scenes were showed. Now with Spring about 2 months away in RL's Northern Hemsiphere we are getting some variety like the stunning (okay, the color isn't impressive) landscape.

But like the images on the home page and those during the Holidays, I doubt there are many people who know where these places are and there is no information on how to find them. I'd love to add cliffs like these to properties that I work with and if I could get with in a few tens of meters a simple "Inspect" could lead me to the creator. Maybe generate a sale or two and help the economy. Does anyone else think that this could be done a little better? Even Windoze Paint (Web) could be used to add a text SLurl or region name. Got a Mac? Acorn rocks (Web) and I bet M Linden can afford to pony up $49.99 USD just from the commisions from my sales on XStreet (my shop > Web) last year.

Yes, I like the change. No, I don't like the extra time that it takes to load the viewer (deffo slower than the pre-prettifyed viewer days). But I think it is a plus over all. It is a work in progress. Now how I can get some of my pix there? Got some good ones on Flickr (Web).

XStreet & OnRez Acquisition Reactions

Quite a few blog hours have been burned over the XStreet & OnRez acquisitions so, of course, Hamlet Au of New World Notes has done a round up (Web). I've posted a comment there (Web) and I copied it below for those who just can't wait to read it or who are too lazy to click a link.

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A feeling of betrayal was my first reaction. On my blog I wrote that "the situation reminds me of the plight suffered by my Irish immigrant ancestors who worked the mills and mines, paid in Scrip redeemable only in the Company Store, essentially no better than indentured servants." The acquisition of the independent services gives more power to The Company. Rather then spend the money to solve asset database server issues they chose to spend money to monetize Residents, further relegating us to the role of revenue streams rather than having us participate in the "Your World, Your Imagination" partnership.

I agree with Hiro Pendragon that shopping malls will suffer unless they are innovative or closely linked to a community such as you see with Rocket City FurMeet, the Isle of Lesbos, and the Raglan Shire malls. The loss of OnRez and the elevation of XStreet to being the official shopping service could lead small-scale merchants to abandon an in-world presence in favor of being only virtually virtual. What would this do to the economy? What would this do to the culture?

Smarter people than me likely have answers to those questions just like they (i.e., Peter Stindberg ... "Hi, Peter! Love your blog!") are much more competent to judge issues like trading Linden Dollars. From my point of view (very small merchant; active shopper; experienced Resident) not having an independent source where I can trade my currency is not a big issue. But rather I liked being able to keep a sizable portion of my funds tucked away off The Company's notoriously unreliable servers. I've seen my Inventory whittled down by server issues and I full well expect to some day see my Linden Dollar balance not recover from a 'Loading ...' state.

The upside of the news? Maybe people using in-world search will find my shop and buy more of my products (Look out, Peter! I sell upwards of L$600 of stuff on XStreet each month). Sure, I'm not trying hard to make a living or earn a lot of money ... mostly I build what I feel like building and price it low to recover my costs and a wee bit more ... but some money is nice. And being able to send purchases to anyone in-world, not just registered service users, will be wonderful. Or will anyone miss having go to a terminal or find a place to rez a wallet to deposit money for a purchase?

Up or down, right or wrong, good or bad, keep this in mind: We don't have a choice. It was taken away from us.