Opening a Niche Store!!

So i've been thinking elataly that i'd like too try and open a store selling clothing for woman and men but the only thing is it would be a niche type of market only selling Gorean wear for Woman and Men. Now i've read alot of the advice already given on here and have started reading through the Advice on Sales thread but none really give any help for a niche market. If you could offer any advice or guidance i'd be extremely grateful and i have a few small questions if you don't mind answering them.

1. Would i just advertise like what is normally suggested or do i need too do something different?

2. Would i need that main store or would you recommend markets because of it being a niche market i'm joining into?

3. Mainly i'm thinking of putting items on SLX too begin with them maybe in the future once i start making money opening one in SL. Would you think this a bad idea and should i start by doing both at the same time?

Thanks for the help.

Baby

"Gorean" is a pretty crowded niche.

I'd suggest finding ways to advertise where ever Goreans hang out. Good luck with that.

You might also consider adding a picture to your forum sig that has the name of the store.

I looked for bow ties recently and ended up having to make my own.

There's a market just waiting to be exploited.

I don't know anything about Gor but before I went into business I found it very helpful to pretend to be a customer of the the kind of clothes in my own niche. That is searching for that kind of clothes going to all the places I found and wandering around as I would if I were a customer, examining how others are doing it and how it seemed to work from the point of view of a customer. Also going to the kinds of places I thought my potential customers might go. Observing them and getting to know them.
And I'd have to say that time spent making a better and bigger inventory of merchandise is more important than than time spent in any kind of business promotion.

Hi Dances, i'll keep that in mind and look around plus i do generally hang around Gorean places as i am a gorean slave girl myself lol.

I have no signature yet because i have not made my logo yet, i've not even uploaded any of the things i've made yet.. which i've made about 5 or 6 things.

Hi Kaimi i'll keep all that in mind and i kinda hang around people of that market with me being a gorean myself

Good luck Baby. Make lots of things that people like you will want to buy, put them for sale where people like you are likely to see them and you'll be successful.

If you're looking to rent a stall or a cart, depending on your cash availability, four places I would recommend off the top of my head are:

The Gor Hub
Sardar Fair
Iaomai Marketplace
A Turian Gate

The first two places are huge and very well-known. Iaomai's marketplace is not quite as large but also very well-known. Those three have excellent traffic and I have seen carts at Sardar Fair and Iaomai (not sure about The Gor Hub).

A Turian Gate is within walking distance of Iaomai's market and the two markets get a lot of cross-traffic.

Good luck with your endeavor!

hmm exploding bow ties..that sounds like the niche i been looking for!!
i shall call it Your EX Marks The Spot
welcome to YEMTS!!

Lol! I think Alvaro said "exploited" not "exploded" but your idea is even better!

I would recommend putting your things up on both xstreet and onrez as soon as you make them. Those sites get a lot of eyeballs, they're easy to search, and they're cheap to maintain. Doesn't hurt to do it. As far as the Gorean market I have no clue. Gorean do search on xtreet from my experience. Maybe you do need to set up in a Gorean sim or maybe it doesn't matter as long as people are aware of your store.

Lots of people shop online for SL - OnRez and SLX as others said. SO that would be a big help for your sales, I think.

I wouldn't call one of the largest sections of SL a niche, though...I see Gorean stuff everywhere. I think it sells well though, so good luck with it.

Another thing you might do is put your wares or shop somewhere in Picks in your profile. A lot of people idly read profiles and that's how I've found various cool places in SL myself, to shop in, go to, whatever.

I think there is a products forum here you can post about your wares in. And wear your own stuff if you're in Sims where people go who might wanna buy it. Have a LM ready to hand out maybe with a free sample in the folder.

A group, a monthly freebie, a freebie for anyone who walks in. People like this kinda thing I've noticed. They might send others there for the great freebie. That's all advertising. Maybe even giving things to Gorean (in your case) sims who want things to give visitors.

Speaking generally if I am looking for a product - let's say a sofa - and I notice a good one (in some public area in SL - like a club maybe), I will click edit, see who made it, and find their profile. Usually their shop is in their Picks. Voila. I can't be the only one who does. Putting some of your stuff around SL that way, (let's say offering something to a sim or place at half price or free when you are getting started), might work for you too.

Hope some of this helped. Good luck w/your new business...

As you say you do roleplay in Gor, I am sure you are aware of the markets in nearly all Gorean sims where you will normally land on arrival. I would say they are the best places to start off with a small store as there are just hundreds of talented gorean clothes makers and to get a main store to show in search would be very hard until well established.

I agree with others that Xstreet and Onrez are probably your best way to go in the beginning as you don't have to pay rent. My alt is in the Gorean market group and I can see that a lot of content providers are suffering in sales at the moment so unless you have the finances to do it as a hobby, now is a difficult time.

Due to the huge amount of Gorean shops as it is one of the largest markets in SL, if I see someone wearing something I really like I tend to inspect it to find the creator so giving some items out free to friends is also a way to advertise.

A niche market automatically attracts the attention of a smaller number of residents (even if it's a biggish niche). That puts you at a disadvantage over people producing more general stuff. That means you have to work harder to get eyes on product.

It's important to know how well covered the niche is - are there some really good people already making the stuff that people want to buy? Is there something you can do to set yourself apart from the rest (highest quality, cheapest, a product that nobody else makes, etc).

Get honest feedback from people that are interested in the niche - you say you are a Gorean Slave - find others to be REALLY honest with you about what you are making (not just the friends who will LOVE everything you make!)

Another way would be to try to find "cross-over" products. Can you get a larger group interested in what you do?

Then you really have to get the word out there - if people don't know about you, they won't ever know what sort of thing you are selling.

I wish you luck.

Hi Baby,

I have some experience with a niche product. I sell pinup style poses mainly to photographers. Some non-photographers buy them but my group is mostly filled with professional photographers.

I would certainly agree with the others about XStreetSL and OnRez. There is absolutely no reason not to be there. A lot of my in-world traffic starts out at XStreet. Make sure every ad has good searchable keywords. It is best if the words are in the product name. If you have a great new and special product, pay for a Homepage Featured Item Listing there. I can tell you from experience that it is well worth it to have one.

Also, once you open an actual storefront in-world, learn to work the Search engine. Mark your items and vendors to Show in Search and name them with what they contain.

Place your landmarks in Picks. Showing your friends in Picks is nice, but a waste of good commercial advertising.

Place a listing in Classifieds. You can start with a 50 Linden ad and adjust it higher if you think necessary (and when you can afford it.)

Don't get discourage either. You may or may not hit the right combination immediately, but if you produce good quality products, you will develop a following, and it will be a lot of fun.

You're not...I do exactly the same thing

I even do this with an avatar's attachments, like hair, or shoes.

=)

And that "edit, shop hunt" is a great reason to give free stuff to all your friends!! The more stuff You have out on the grid, the more free advertising ya get. =)

I read your post a few minutes ago.

Then I went to Xstreet to search for some other items I needed and look what I found for you!

http://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=870743

How about making Gorean bowties?

Hi Denise, yes i'm aware of all the gorean markets but because there are just so many alot don't really know where yo make sales at and where you don't, so i was generally asking too see if anyone on here rented of the stalls and made any money and which places they did etc.

Hi Kalderi, i'll keep all that in mind and i'll ask around the gorean community for advice and see what they think... i have a couple of products uploaded and am working on a few more as we speak but it will take me a few days too get a few sorted and uploaded. mmmm I could try crossover products, something that could be used in both aspects though i'm not sure how i can do that just yet.. most the Gorean products people really would not wear out in the street well the proper gorean stuff anyway.

Hiya Cherry, i'll work on making sure my add is filled with good key words and i'll start on that today. I'll add too my picks once i have a store i'm working on that front still lol... land is pretty expensive too rent. I'll get a classified and make sure all my listings are added too search and my store when i get it

Hi Madkitty, Gorean bows i'm not too sure how that would work really i don't think goreans would wear them in general and i'm not so great with prims just yet either lol... i had too resort too buying premade prim skirts lol cause me and prims really don't mix well though i'm learning

again thanks for the advice everyone and please do keep it coming

Heeyyyyy....you forgot to mention me, Baby, and I gave you actual names of markets that I know products sell well at!

(Plus having been a Gorean for 12 years.)

/me hrumphs

ooooo Sorry Czari, guess it slipped past me oops but thanks aswell hun and i'm planning too look up those locations once i get my little bloody problem sorted. I seriously hate rip off merchants grrrr. Anyway thanks again

It doesn't have to be a viable location to teleport to, to add something to your picks page. Just pick an innocuous spot or something, when you put in the Pick.

People add friends and things that way. You could add a blurb about your SLX products, if you want to. =)

I am so glad I was not drinking anything... I would so have to wipe my screen.

I was hoping to offer Tarl while still in academia.. but this is sort of a Gor tie...

/me is suitably mollified

Seriously...I would give those particular locations a look. Good luck with your new endeavor!!