Does appearance matter??

I was speaking to a customer at my shop yesterday, and was told that my appearance hurts my store sales and that I dont look like a nice person. In real life I understand this to be true, but in SL do you feel that appearance matters?

Say you love my products without seeing me. Then You meet me and I am a big evil looking goth creature with fangs, or a short ugly old person. Would it stop you from being such a good customer.


Just curious of others opinions with this matter.

Nah, thats bullshit.

Your products speak for yourself, babe

I have never taken into consideration the look of the creator when purchasing. Some people are shallow, ignore them.

Yeah, appearance matters to me -- and both inside and outside count. I take a person's whole into account. After all, someone living an unhealthy lifestyle is bound to have it show in the lines on their face. Same if they harbor ugly thoughts, their once-cheery smile will soon turn into a TWISTED SNARL! I mean, hasn't Emperor Palpatine taught us anything?

But really, I take the whole spectrum into consideration.

Beau, I've seen your oldman av several times inworld and I think it represents the wackiness of your store well. If anything, I would expect a customer at Mr. P's to have something called a sense of humor. If you were running a snob joint, I might expect somethin' a little different, but then again, I ain't no chinstroker.

I bet somewhere in this discussion, Clints & Brandys (like Snow Crash) will be called up, as well as a certain homogenity of "beauty" in SL, idealized hyperbole.

absolutely not, I'd buy a cute dress from a slimy spider mutant anyday!

SL is *ALL* about appearance. In case you haven't noticed yet... the biggest industry is fashion, followed by interior decoration.

Well, it wouldn't bother me - and I get the feeling it wouldn't bother most if not nearly-or-actually all of the posters to the forums - if you had the ugliest, trolliest, scariest avatar in all of SL. (Heck, that would be cool.)

However, humans are an awfully visual species. It is possible that your avatar's appearance has hindered sales to a certain degree, engendering a sort of instinctual distrust in some of your would-be customers. I would imagine most residents of SL are used to customisable avatars from the various other virtual worlds, and that would mean being less likely to make an innapropriate judgement based on appearance, however you have no doubt already noticed the high percentage of Barbie and Ken doll avs... we humans like our pretty.

I really don't think that it's significant enough of an effect, if it exists at all, to be worried about. Unless you go harrass your customers or something equally silly, just keep on expressing yourself in whatever way works for you. Yay self expression!

Those aren't customers worth having anyway.

Although I've been severely dissapointed in a vendor's attitude after buying a bunch of their stuff, and wish I hadn't. Mostly the arrogant and suffocatingly egotistical types.

I must admit, I'm quite suspicious of anyone who goes out to make a repulsive AV in SL. (And no, I haven't seen yours, so I'm talking generically about AVs which are deliberately mis-shapen.)

It's a given that we'll all notice such an AV, and I would consider it to be a provocative, deliberate challenge to the viewer. I don't know what that challenge is, but trying to work it out would certainly be more uppermost in my mind that the product that AV created and was offering for sale.

I host an event each day, and I try to look my best. I don't imagine everyone thinks I'm the best looking AV in SL, so all I'm aiming for is not to put people off so much that they don't come back. But if I even suspected that some people would be actively put off by my appearance (and you're obviously considering the fact, hence this post), then as a businessperson or host, I'd try to minimise that risk.

I probably ask, "wow, did you make/build that?", and we might go into conversation, or not. Either way, I would still shop.

See I agreed, I think in SL products speak for themselves but knowing how shallow our society is, this person really got me thinking.

Good thing I'm anti social and not many people get to see me anyways

Hmm, interesting question.

Right off the bat, I'd say no. If I wanted something you sell, I wouldn't care what you were like or looked like.

However ....

isn't there always a 'however'?

However, I tend to base my first impressions of people by their looks, in SL as well as FL. And I'm not referring to a simple AV that I personally find rather unattractive, I'm referring to deliberately shocking AV's.

To use you example of "a big evil looking goth creature with fangs", in FL I find most people who dress this way to be undesireable to be around. For several reasons as people have different reasons for dressing like this.

Some are "I'm EVIL! BUHAHAHA SATAN SATAN SATAN"

Others are "Oh the pain and angst of life so destroys my poetic soul, only in acepting the ultimate darkness blah blah blah ohhh no one can possibly understand me whine whine whine"

For others it's a pure type of fetish for blood and pain that I just cannot connect with.

So naturally, I expect SL AV's who have this sort of look to have the same sort of weirdness I find so unappealing in RL.

But like I said, none of this would keep me from buying something I wanted, just influence whether or not I'd strike up a conversation.


ps, I have no clue what you look like in game

In an environment where you can control your appearance to a remarkable extent, how you choose to present yourself is going to color other people's initial reaction to you. That first impression may be modified by further interaction, but if you are (for example) an eight-foot succubus with bat wings and wisps of brimstone, you might not get a chance for further interaction (or possibly too much interaction with people you'd rather not interact with).

For retail purposes, it's probably best to stick with an appearance that reinforces your core business. A hardcore Goth selling fine furniture would be as jarring as a little old lady in a shawl hawking bondage gear.

It's not fair that people make judgements based on appearance, but it's a fact of life.

Appearance does matter. I will buy just about anything if the sales girlie is cute enough.

There are some of us that dont want to go around all the time in SL being "tanned and toned" Avatar # 234092301.

maybe we should do an experiment, 2 shops side by side with the same merch, a babe like Willow Zander or Mikayla Gillespie in one and a monster/w-hat's kid brother in the other and see what happens!

no offense to w-hat I am a fan!

More often than not the owner is not in a store when you visit.

My first instinct was, "No, that's stupid and shallow." But, after giving it some thought, it's a 'depends' situation. Depends on what you're selling, and what the AV actually looks like. But not how 'perfectly' you've placed your sliders. It's your style that would matter to me.

For instance.. If you're trying to sell me lingerie and your own av is dressed like a cheap hooker with pink bits dangling, then I'm probably going to look elsewhere for fear of looking like that in your product. If you look like every other black haired, pouty lipped, overly made-up female AV, I'm not going to turn to your shop if I want something different than what every other AV is sporting. Looking the same in a world where we have a choice is a concept I really don't get.

Ugly AVs, unique AVs, zany AVs, elaborate AVs.. none would turn me away from a product if the product was well done, and some might just draw me to it if that AV is also well done. Individuality is something I want in creators.

Yup, what Eggy said.

I attended a marketing class/event in SL recently, and the presenter told participants to pay attention to the image they projected if they wanted to sell more of their products. He/she also said to be careful what you post on forums so as not to project a negative image, but to definitely have a presence on forums. Also, it was recommended that SL merchants should pay attention to well-known players and people who post frequently on forums and try to get to know them and/or get them to use/endorse your products.

Welcome to marketing your products to the masses in SL.

(Edit: Oh, and by the way, did I mention I've just started selling a new line of men's SL clothing? Heh, I just couldn't resist. )

being an old-school punk rocker from way back I can tell you that some of the most genuine, sane and kind people can look freaky as hell in RL.

SL gives us a chance to experiment and role play and find our individuality which I feel is healthy and fun not a symptom of a psychological problem. I think it is hilarious to see a bloodstained goth dancing with a teddy bear and a demon playing tringo with a pretty girl, the juxtaposition of these wonderfull choices makes for a richer environment.

*predicts FIC comments in 3... 2... 1...*

I dunno looks may not matter. That are 2 designers with avies that are less than pretty. One has a 5 o'clock shadow and looks low on estrogen and the other looks like a tranny, but they seem to sell well. I think the quality of the items mater more than looks.

Excellent!!!!!! You were one of my 3 favorite designers for womens clothes!!!!

That's so nice of you to say, thanks!

In business dealings looks don't matter to me in the slightest, including clothing. However, personality does. I want someone moderately cheerful and helpful, who seems somewhat sincere. Nothing will make me walk out of a store quicker than used car salesman tactics or grudging customer service.

Appearance really only matters to me if my intentions are of a more amorous nature, and then personality is at least equally important.