Post Christmas Shopping in the virtual world

The news has been full of pictures of sales shoppers falling over themselves to splurge on the latest bargains, having already jingled retailers tills right up till closing time on Christmas Eve. It seems the BBC had the same thought as me, that there is a virtual alternative to the crowds, with its report on Christmas shopping in Second Life.

 

In my view, it’s reports like this that will help to drive more mainstream adoption of virtual worlds, as they will appear to be more “normal” than some sensational reporting of some aspects of virtual worlds might portray them as being. The part that is emphasised in this report is that Second Life is, at the end of day, all about community and building relationships, and in that kind of environment it’s easy to see why events like Christmas are just as important in the virtual world as in the real.

 Sadly, the realistic portrayl of virtual worlds by the media can only go so far in helping virtual worlds be adopted into mainstream, day to day, living. If those first experiences in virtual worlds continue to be clunky, hard work, slow, and a heap of other complaints, then the predictions of something like Second Life plateauing out at 10% active users from its registered users is possibly right.

Which amazes me, because I can’t imagine another business model where it would be okay to walk away from 90% of the people who had expressed quite real interest, only for them to be floored by a poor welcome. Wagner James Au wrote most eloquently on this plateau in his blog and the possible reasons behind this stagnation, as the 10% conversion rate has not changed in over a year.

He argues that it may not be a bad thing if Second Life remains the size it is, which is apparently the same as Portland, Oregon. I would tend to disagree though. I am sure Portland is quite lovely, but what makes the world interesting is the very diverse communities that have grown up, some large, some small. If the USA purely consisted of Portland, it would be a much poorer place. And I’m not just thinking from an economic point of view, but culturally, spiritually, in fact pretty much any aspect of life.

So my hope for virtual worlds in 2008 is that the initial experience for new users becomes better. As a brand owner, I can take that so far with No 7 and make that experience as good as we can. But really there are some fundamental questions that need asking within the four walls, virtual or otherwise, at Linden Labs to work out where they are not getting it quite right.  Or, if they want to stick with just building Portland, be ready for departures from those looking for wider horizons.

Tags: Christmas Shopping, No 7, Portland Oregon, Second Life, The BBC, Virtual Worlds, Wagner James Au