Advice on Sales!!

My sales have been pretty good, but I did a new release of cute furry winter themed slippers ummm a few days ago. Any new release for me tends to boost sales a lot. I guess because the store is small. But when i get people in I do get sales (like right now as im typing someone just purchased a fat pack and a few other bits and pieces).

Today I am going to try and focus and get my stuff on SLX. I have been very lazy as far as that is concerned and really dont have anything on there. So my goal over the next few weeks is to put everythign i createon there O.o No small tsk let me tell you, but if I can do say three or four items a dy or soemthing I will get there.

I have also been working ona line of fantasy skins based on eloh's templates. I have been reallllly enjoying doing these and willeb opening a mini store next to my store (on itsown parcel) sometime before Christmas... I have done a few startrek skins. I have a friend on a startrek sim who has offered me a vendor space. It is a commission based one, but thats fine with me. I prefer that to having a space I need to pay each week.

I haventbeen shopping much because well so many places have awesome freebie this time of year (eg Magika is giving away a gift everyday til Christmas!!! They are my fav hair designer so this rocks for me.). Plus the fact that my SL partner is comign to Australia to meet me in a few months. We are meeting in Sydney (i live in another state) cos she has a conference there. Sooo I am tryign to save up my lindens to help with the costs associated with two weeks in a big expensive city hehehe

I just have to say thank you for this thread. I have been reading each post only (up to page 20).

I am thinking on opening a small texture shop, sales are doing good on SLX course it is the Christmas season. And my Christmas Shack is doing well too.


You all have given me a lot of food for thought so to speak.

So again thank you for this thread.

Bec

you are welcome, and welcome to the thread

HI

IM me in world i have a few other tips i can give you and I know where to rent cheap land too

Forgive me, but that almost sounds like the ads in classified that post no picture

This is not a land sales/rental classified thread, if you have some tips, please feel free to share them.

Hi everyone

First off i want too say i think it's wonderful how you all are helping each other and i hope you can offer some help and advice too me also.

I've not been in SL very long but i have experiance with Photoshop creating things from my time playing The Sims and IMVU. I have a small stall up in world at big dog market which i pay 50L a week for and am hopefully going too get a main store soon. Once i find something.

If thats ok i have a few questions i'd like too run by you all.

1. So first of i'm looking for a small space too plunk down a store and i was curious what and where would be a good idea. I've heard you all mention getting a small spot of land and sticking it down there but i was curious what you thought too having a main store next too other stores. It would of course have the tp point right in front of the store, i'd make sure of that.

I was more thinking for exposure from another store too mine. Then i was wondering what a good price is for renting a small plot of land or renting a store.

2. Fashion Consolidated, i've been told by different sources too get the tag so i can post but then i've also been told don't bother. Many have told me it did not work for them, none of the Fash Con members ever came too their stores.
So i'm wondering if it's a good idea too purchase the board if it won't really help me any. Does any off the sellers on here have any problems with the board or does it work for everyone?

3. Advertising, now i've had a few ideas passed onto me for advertising which i'll list below.

Make gifts for group members.
Join some of the Fashion Type Groups to send out notices on gifts and new releases.
Add a Classified.
Make sure store land is presented in search.
Hand out outfits too new residents too help get your name out there.

Do these seem like a good idea and is there anything you could maybe add too them and how do you advertise your products.

4. Pricing, now i've been told by people not too charge too high but also not too low, you don't want people too think your products are cheap. Many people will not purchase a very cheap outfit.
My question is, is this true. Do people not buy when an outfit is quite cheap and also are my items cheap or too expensive?

I've included the slurl too Big Dog Market in my siggy if anyone would like too tp across and check it out. My stall is the fourth one along.

Thank you all

Haruka xx

I personally wouldnt go this way as you ar limiting your choices to expand. I also wouldnt rent a store as people can close sims etc. As my main store i would always want it on mainland where inever need to move, where i can always buy more land and where i have 100% control overthe land i on.

If youdo decide to go this way then around L$2 a sq m is about what you want to pay, unless you are paying for a spot next to a well knkown quality store with great traffic and their tp point is in sight of your store



My very first notice to fashcon i made back the L$1000 sign up fee and since then whenevr i send a notice i generally make around 4x my daily averages in sales for several days. I wouldnt pay for it until you have a decent collection of merchandise. A store with only 10 items for sale will struggle to make back that knd of money becuase everyone would have to buy several items and in a small store well you might not have what they want.

When you do join fashcon i would suggest always putting your ad pics in the notice along with info about price and colour selections and permission options. Wheni am looking thoguh fashcon anything withut a price unless i am in love ith it and have to have it at any cost, anything without a price i usually ignore.

Fashcon wont work for everyone. The biggest thing i have found about my notices there is they dont buy my silly freebie stuff, they dont go for my more wacky items. They are a more sophisticated crowd i think. From their purchases I can see why some stores wouldnt do well through fashcon, but I think when you have the merchandise then they ar worth the L$1000 to try them out



Personally i make gifts avaliable to everyone. I dont like to pressure peopel to join my updte group so itis very small. Plus freebies at large generally result in much higher traffic and sales for me.

Fashion type groups are a must, but make sure you follow the rules of every group and dont spam any group. The freebie groups are especially very good.

I have never used a classified and to be honest with my key words I would be so far down the list im not sure I see the point.

Always make sure the land is in search. It costs L$30 and many people hate the ALL serch so they search for your store by name etc in places. It wont be found if you dont make sure the land is in search.

I dont go round hunting out newbies to give anything to, hwoever i own a club so newbies who come and hang around my partner and i will often help out with clothes and accessories etc

There is lots to add but to be honest i cant be buggered typing it all out... read this thread it has soooo many ideas your brain will explode.



Personally? For me the mentality that people wont by the cheap stuff is ridiculous. Everyone loves a bargain and those who are into the exclusive higer priced stuff is always in the minority. If you are selling quality, beautiful clothing for L$100 you are way more likely for me to drop L$1000 in your store than if you are selling amazing creations for L$500 a piece.

Take for example Blaze. Now iadore blaze's dresses, but at on average L$1000 a piece I have to absolutely adore a dress before i will buy it, and then i will ummm and arr over colour and sometimes when i cant decided i dont buy it at all.
In comparison I purchased omg I have no idea how many last call formal dresses, both before the sale and during the final sale. Which probably totalled around L$2000 to L$3000 without blinking. I would purchase several colours and styles in the one go.

Clothing between L$100 and L$200 if i like i will buy it without even thinking about it. Between L$200 and L$300 a will usually stop and sort through if i will wear it or not and if i have something similar. Over L$300 i start to have to process whatelse it goes with, if i can afford it this week etc etc. Though funnily enough if the stuff in the store was L$100 i probably would ahve got it already and 5 other outfits

Haruka

I just went to the big dog market. You are paying L$70 a week for a place with 130 traffic?? Sorry but I doubt you will make any foot traffic sales in a place with traffic like that wthout some serious marketing.

I would be looking at some of the bigger malls, they might cost a bit more but they will have more foot traffic, also consider a mall at a club (we have a small one at my club, your stuff is cute ... we dont have an opening at the moment but we could add you to a waiting list)

Alternatively pay out for premium membership (which in essense cost like $12 a year after the stipend) and then buy a 512 sq m parcel, which has free tier. This gives you 177 prims to play with for $12 US a year

Hi Eclectic

I see what you mean about stores, i'll take your advice and stick with getting a piece of land. Though i can't go premium for some reason i can't get my payment info too accept so that's outta the question *sigh*

Regarding Fashcon, i'll wait awhile for sure before i join and buy the kiosk. I know with only having a small amount of items i won't make many sales from them just yet. So i'll wait till i have a wider range.

So i'll make all my gifts available too everyone, i'll join as many fashion type groups as i can lol. I can see exactly what you mean with classifieds though. Wording is not really my specialility and i would not really know what too put too make me jump up in numbers.
I would not go hunting for newbies persay, i just feel that we've all been there as a newbie ourselves and maybe we can give them back something and maybe make a customer from them at a later date. So i was thinking about hanging around Help Island and having a newbie giver box at my store.

lol i can imagine it would take too long too list all the things here and i really should have wrote them down when i was reading the thread, it's took me nearly a week too get too the end and half of the early stuff i can't remember. I'm gonna have too go through again too get all the tips and jot them down.

I was mainly asking what you do for advertising and what actually works etc.

Personally i thought it was a silly concept myself but i've heard this from a few sources and i think even read it on here aswell. So someone must believe it i was just wondering what you all thought too the concept and i can sorta see that we mostly agree on that front

Regarding Big Dog Market, it has really low traffic and i am actually planning too leave there aswell once i get my proper store in place.

That's something i'd like too ask though aswell, malls i know some of you don't agree with them and say they don't work. I'd like too ask which malls people use and which are the best. I do know at least too sell at least slightly good you need too be pretty much at the front or rather close too the main tp.

edited too add :
Sorry i forgot too say, i'd love too be on your list for when a spot opens, i've not been too your club i'm afraid and i'll have too come along

Rearding mall spaces I have several, all of which I actually get for free for one reason or another

I have one at the Primal Arts store which ROCKS!!! Thank you again Rhia. I get fantastic sales here and Rhia offered those of us in this thread a space a while ago. I am so greatful for this.

I also have a space at Risque Animations. The creator there is a friend as is her partner so they gave me a space. This spot is doing ok. I only put it up a few weeks ago and I am making sales there.

I have another spot at the Kalloni Mall I get a sale here occassionally. I think my free time there is coming up though and there is no way I can afford her prices with the sales that i get there so that will likely be going.

The final space i have is at the Wren Japanese Mall which is owned by 3Ring. She offered it to me after another person booted me from an old mall space. I love the mallspace there. For some reason no one buys from me there but i gets lots of poeple taking LMs so that is always a good thing.




Hmmmm I would suggest contacting LL and trying to get your payment info on file one way or another. There are a few options with a credit card or with paypal. but doing this will mean that you will save a LOT of money over renting a space from anyone. If you do consider renting have a chat to Elanthius Flagstaff. He does both mainland and estate rentals and has loads of spaces avaliable at good prices and should be able to find you what you want. If you mention my name you should get a discunt on the first weeks rental YAY.

Haruka, read this forum's sticky "The Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing Parcels for Search." Some have found it to be tremendous help, others haven't. Read it and see if you think it fits your situation.

It helped me when I established my business and continues to do so. During this holiday season, it's important for my store to be ranked high in All Search for "Christmas cards," "Christmas card," "Christmas stockings," and "Christmas stocking." It's currently #1 for all of those search terms and a few others.

I had a tough time with "Christmas stocking" ranking low, although "Christmas stockings" rose to the top quickly. Once again, advice from the sticky proved valuable.

I don't have a credit card i'm afraid and i think it's something too do with my pay pal account but never mind. I think i'll just stick too renting plus i can't really afford the monthly stippend at the moment. Maybe once i can i can get premium but not at the mo lol.

mmmmm i think i've IM'd Elanthius. Is he the person giving away free space too new businesses. I remember reading that in a thread on here and contacted him about it though not heard nothing back yet lol.

Hi Marcel ty for the tip i'll go run over and read it now

Freebies to everyone, E is absolutely right.

Renting a shop in a mall, in my opinion, should be considered advertising with a bonus of a sale from time to time. You would be lucky to break even on sales, much less make a profit. However, it does get you seen, and people will click your landmark giver, so it can be worth it as long as you don't expect to turn a profit. My advice would be to get a bit of land and build your own shop if possible, and get your stuff up on xstreet if you haven't already.

Join the freebie groups and get a designer status so you can post notices. When you send out a notice of a freebie or dollarbie, put it on a notecard with a picture of the item and a landmark. My last dollarbie brought in over L200 in 8 hours...that is 200 people who came into my store. Yes, most of them grab the freebie/dollarbie and leave, but it only takes 2 or 3 shoppers to turn your day around. I have offered freebies and had only one person actually shop...but that one person bought almost everything I had You will really appreciate it when you see your store fill up in minutes after sending a notice.

Fashcon is good but in my opinion you need to get up, running, and have enough inventory to make it worth people's time to visit your store.

Oh another great thing about the freebie groups is that as a designer you will need lots of hair, decent skins, and shoes for photo shoots. I go through all the notices and when I see one for a freebie from a good shop, I'm off!

Yes, but if you dont wish to go that way he also rents out striahgt parcels on both mainland and estates... He is also away for a few days but will be back monday

hang on ill find the URL


http://ninjaland.net/

ahhh there we go

Ok ty Eclectic, i'll check out his prices.

My advice if you are just starting out is to get as many free and low cost sites as possible while staying in your budget. Get some low cost carts and put up a vendor so you stay within the prim counts. That way you get your name out there and you check to see which places have folks clicking on your items.

Before renting in a mall with a higher rent, i would hang out there at all hours. See if people tp into one store and leave or if they wander around. A central tp spot in a mall benefits everyone, but if folks can tp directly into a store they do not always wander to the others. I would also chat with some of the other vendors and see how they do there.

Once you start having sales and accumulating some income, then you can move to a space in a larger mall or location. But dont discount the exposure and benefit of being small and all over the grid at first. Set up in every single free yard sale, mall etc that you can find and just keep researching the other larger locations while you are in the smaller ones.

This is how i started my biz and i have never been in debt or stressed about making enough money. If you buy land or commit to a high rent, then right off the bat you have overhead costs and pressure. Test this out and see what happens!

Good luck!

Hi Jojo, first of thanks for the tips hun

Ok i'll have a look around and see if i can find some low priced carts in malls and have a look for yard sales. Though i have never used a vendor before i do have the onrez one. Will that one be ok or would you reccommend a different one?

Last I used a vendor, I used Apez... worked well for me. Easy to set up and use.

Contact me in world and i can drop you a pile of free ones to try.

Ok I am up to page 120 in this thread hehe.

So far I have joined the Biz Owners Network.

Imported my sales from SLX and from my Christmas store into Excel.

Got my building made. Dont know about anyone else but I like it hehe.

I do have a question:

How come some url's in the posts I can click on and go to the place on the web but others I can't I have to copy and paste? Is it a setting maybe I dont know about?

On my list of things to do so far: (I have a bit of time since I wont we be even thinking of the new building on our land till after the holidays)

Rework my logo mine looks really lame compared to all of yours lol. Why is it easier to say yes I like that one or no I dont think that one is as good for someone else? And then on my own I am stumped lol.

Figure out Key words

Work on figuring out Classified ads

Had an SLX customer IM me asking how come my green mask was free but the blue one cost 5 L I explained the green one was a freebie but if they wanted the blue one I woupld do it Made them happy and it made me happy.

Ok back to reading the thread. Kind of relaxing sitting here reading writing notes on a sleety cold evening.

Bec

Oh PS

My other question. I was wondering if there is a script out there that will send me notification when I sell something in world like SLX sends an email. Instead of me going to my transaction hsitory?

Bec

In RL as well as SL I'm not a window shopper and avoid malls like the plague. In SL I use either All Search, Places Search or Classified when I am looking for something in SL and then tp to it. If the tp in spot lands at the front door or inside the shop, I usually have no clue if I'm in a mall or not - my aim is what is being sold wherever it is.

So for me, having a free-standing store in Timbuktu or being in a mall has no bearing on my shopping habits whatsoever. Other people enjoy malls and looking around, so it basically comes down to what you would most enjoy doing and/or can afford.

Actually Czari i'm the same, if i shop at all i generally go too a main store i like or shop in Xstreet lol but like you say some people do shop in malls.

Anyway i've rented out 3 carts in 3 malls and am looking into Yard sales aswell but i am generally finding they charge for adding too the yard sale and it's not cheap. Is Timbuktu your own space?

bec there should be a freebie script out there in the scripting part of the forums (library) that will notify you when something sells (that would be the only way to get notification)

links .. are you using firefox, if so check the stickies for the greasemonkey script, that might help with clickable links

As for a logo, just go with what feels right to you, and always be open to change

I thought about getting into logo making, but then rethought it and decided not to, because everyone has different tastes and I fear I would be forever tweaking to meet the customers desire.

I made my own logos
(first version)


Then I decided to change it but keep the basic structure and I feel the current one fits my store and what I feel Rha! is much better...
Current one



So just go with the flow and it will happen