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Try Before You Buy

Written by RetailWire Staff

By Bernice Hurst, Managing Director, Fine Food Network

When (if) life isn't enough, we can now reinvent ourselves with alter egos called avatars just as upwards of one million people have done on the three-dimensional, virtual world known as Second Life (SL). Controlled by real people from their computers, Second Life's world offers virtually unlimited mass market appeal as boundaries between it and the real world blur. By creating and interacting with avatars, the limitations of real life can be overcome and simultaneously maximized.

Increasing numbers of real world retailers are setting up shop in Second Life to compete with the virtual stores used by SL's residents to house and clothe themselves. Currency in SL, called Linden Dollars, is convertible to U.S. dollars, making it even easier to buy and sell real and virtual products. American Apparel, Reebok, Nike and others are making their presence and products available.

Having said this, some residents worry their entrepreneurial adventures may face increasing competition as real world products are sold against their in-world creations. Because SL currency and U.S. dollars can be changed at will, their concerns may be justified. The very fact that credit cards can be used to buy Linden dollars further emphasizes the blurred boundaries between worlds.

Jeff Barr, official web services evangelist at Amazon.com, has another word for it. His avatar's objective is to find projects that bridge the virtual world and the real one, he told Reuters reporter, Adam Pasick.

There is some evidence, as Michael Wilson, chief executive of Makena Technologies told The New York Times, that audiences are really in control. Makena operates a different social networking site but Wilson has his eye on what is virtually going on all over the place.

A recent Sun Microsystems press conference, for example, took place simultaneously in virtual and real worlds. The latter was relatively tame but the former included such interruptions as audience members flying onto the stage. Similarly, virtual protesters have formed the Second Life Liberation Army dedicated to fighting retailers and the site's owners "for voting rights for avatars," according to The New York Times report.

Alex Yenni, account coordinator, LEWIS - Global Public Relations for the site's creator Linden Labs, recently spoke to RetailWire about the growth of SL and the impact of real world retailers on its residents.

RetailWire: What potential does a 3-D virtual world have for online commerce that's not being seen in regular e-commerce?

Alex Yenni: It's precisely the nature of the 3-D experience that offers the benefit. Products come to life, they're not flat, people can customize them and try them out as they like.

RW: Can you give some examples of unique product promotion and merchandising that can be done in the virtual world, such as fashion?

AY: American Apparel is a good example. SL residents buy products for a token amount but, at the same time, they're given a voucher to use when they buy those products in the real world. Their avatar can try on the clothes, see how they look, walk around and then the real customer can place an order. With Amazon, you can actually fill your shopping basket, use a credit card to pay in U.S. dollars and have the order delivered to your real world home.

RW: Any other products taking off?

AY: Cars are another great example. Toyota launched its Psion which has loads of customization in the real world. You can do even more with it in SL. You buy the car for a bargain price, design it, test drive it and make up your mind before buying a real one. Interaction is the main advantage. Retailers are finding novel ways to interact and draw people in. SL adds a higher degree of brand interaction and connectivity as well as an extra dimension to a static web environment. Customers can walk around a store and choose what they want, try it on if they like or get in and drive away. You can't do that with ordinary e-commerce.

RW: Going back to potential fashion sales - can avatars' appearance, for example, size and shape, be easily and frequently changed? What I'm wondering is, if the creator doesn't necessarily want the avatar to reflect their physical appearance most of the time but does need to gain or lose weight in order to try on new clothes, how easy is it to make adjustments?

AY: You've hit upon one of the key appeals of Second Life. Appearance is probably one of the most customizable features. Black, white, male, female, alien, animal, tall, skinny, glowing, gorgeous, frightening... the sky is the limit as to how you appear, customizable to even the most minute curvature of your nose. The same applies for clothes.

RW: Yes, but can you change appearance frequently or is it fixed once you create the avatar?

AY: As frequently as you want... that goes for clothes (hats, shoes, jewelry, everything!), cars, toys, dance moves, house, accessories. You can literally change whatever you want, whenever you want in Second Life.

RW: More specifically, I was wondering about size and shape - can you get fatter or thinner at will? Taller, shorter? Change your skin tone? I'm really trying to get at whether or not the person you start out with is the one you stay with or you can change your appearance along with your mind.

AY: You can change everything as often as you want... that goes for all the things you've just mentioned.

Discussion question: What opportunities do three dimensional, interactive, virtual worlds such as Second Life offer retailers and consumer brand marketers?

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