Questions about Grid Wide Hunts?

1. Do they really help shops with sales or am I wasting my time getting upset that I always get turned down from the ones I want to participate in?

2. Why is it so bad to have them for a shop in a mall especially if the shop owner follows all the rules of the Grid Wide Hunt?

3. Same question about shop owners who have vendors... its still a shop and you are still giving a quality freebie gift to the hunters... why do I always get turned down... I want visitors too?

4. If you wanted to hold your own Grid Wide Hunt, does anyone have any suggestions on how to start one?

Hope someone can help me understand... and maybe help me participate in some Grid Wide Hunts... or help me realize its not worth all the trouble.

Well from some one who has done grid wide hunts.

An have helped run them in the past.

They take a lot of work first an for most.

they do bring new sales an new business an traffic to your store.

I would start by contacting local company's.

See if there is as much as an interest as you have.

This way at least you can get a feel if its worth diving into.

As a shop owner who has participated in about 4 hunts.... if the measurement of "more sales" is -0- when there is no hunt and 4 or 5 single sales during the 30 days of a hunt, then, yes, I had more sales.

However, as I do not make or sell women's clothing, I'm not surprised that I only get a few sales. That's about the only things that seem to consistently sell if well-made, interesting and priced decently.

As a person who has participated in hunts, as my main male AV and my alt female AV, it's pretty rare for me to buy something at a store while I'm ON the hunt, for several reasons.
1. LAG - by the time everything rezzes enough to find the hunt prize with the next LM, I'm ready to move on.
2. When in my male AV, most things are not for males and I have enough furniture. When it's a "guy" hunt, it's mostly stores I shop in anyway as there really just aren't that many GOOD shops for men. When in my female AV, I take my time when shopping to buy and look around. If I'm hunting, I just want to get through the hunt.
3. Time constraints. I have limited time in SL. The hunts are usually 30 days. If I want to finish the hunt, I won't spend time shopping during the hunt.

Based on the hunt gift, I will go back to a store later if it's something I'm impressed with. If I am in a store that seems like it will have a lot of stuff I want to look at, again, I will come back after the hunt is over and have some hope of actually seeing things and being able to move.

So, are gridwide hunts worth doing as a store owner? Depends on what you sell and what hunts are going on. Unless you sell something that is a niche product and not generally "clothes" or "furniture", then getting into a hunt specifically for that niche market (like steampunk or nekko or gadgets, etc) will allow you exposure to your very specific target audience. If you sell women's clothes, shoes, jewelry, hair, it all better be super duper or different or it's doubtful you'll see any benefit from being in a hunt. If you sell men's clothing, again, it better be really nice stuff for not too expensive or, again, probably not much sales will be generated by being in a hunt.

I can't guess why you're being rejected to participate in hunts except
1. your product does not go with the theme of the hunt
2. the hunt organizers do not feel your product meets their minimum standards
3. you do not have ENOUGH different items for sale
4. the sim/mall/area containing your store is too laggy or has a landing point set which makes tping direct to your store impossible.
5. they already have enough stores participating by the time you apply
6. no reason or any reason or because they just feel like it

To organize a hunt is a huge, huge, HUGE amount of work, time commitment before and during a hunt, extreme patience to deal with so many varying personalities, etc. If you do want to organize a hunt, decide on your target buyer/hunter. Think of a theme. Contact other stores/content creators that would cater to that target buyer and see if there is any interest. Expect it to take at least 30 days to organize and set up.