For those who didn’t follow our adventures from the beginning, I’ll just sum it up.

About 18 months ago, we got the slightly crazy idea, to sell real things (and not the usual virtual goods) in a Virtual World. We have therefore launched a few experiments under the banner of “Shopping Attitude”, with the simple goal to learn and understand how this could be of interest. That was step 1.

Lessons were taken from these first experiences, and we decided to launch “for real” in a major
project, with a strong partner in order to test our ability to develop technology that is capable of
becoming a solution of 3D-trade and we called it RIL Shopping, RIL standing for Retail & Innovation Live. This was step 2.

Since January 2009, we have moved up a gear into Step 3. A new format has been implemented, including permanent, active sales, friendly hosts (no bot at all, only real and friendly humans!) to spend a considerable number of hours each day to receive and assist visitors, customers and also our retailers. And last but not least: our weekly, special events that give retailers and residents, from newbies to early adapters of Second Life, the opportunity to meet in a comfortable and entertaining atmosphere.

Our retailers, as they know their products well and can therefore assist the residents to the utmost, are given the best circumstances to meet both customers and, of course, Stonfield InWorld’s and Sofinco’s teams… This format seems to find its audience. We’ve had several cases in which the island became saturated and inaccessible. It is surprising and unlikely to show a slight early success with a technical problem but it was only little.

Meanwhile, our technology has been “refined” and we’re working hard on a V2. It integrates all of our knowledge of this moment, considering that we continue to learn step by step and that the solution we are heading for is one of making a stable and well established 2D/3D-Webshop, that keeps on being dynamic, while micro-sized improvements are made almost permanently. No question about it, that this is Step 4 … just before an even more exciting Step 5 (but it’s a little too early to talk about that now!).

I even dare to speak of an early and light wave of success because we have also some figures that are significant. We are close to 4,000 subscribers to RIL Shopping (and who have a Second Life account as well), approximately since the first opening evening in January. It is at the same time little and big, as everything depends on the faith in all: people and project.

Meanwhile, in our daily contacts with Second Life residents who visit us in the commercial area, we noticed a change in perception. Most of who are now taking part enlight my heart and share a lot, as it comes finally clear that our approach makes sense; it is not aggressive or disrespectful of the spirit that can prevail in Second Life. This understanding of our approach is without a doubt one of our greatest satisfactions.

We therefore come to a situation that is even more exciting: A technical solution which is almost acceptable in terms of technology, supported by a community of thousands of enthusiastic people who are open-minded in our approach.

This should quickly lead us to Step 4, which will be a kind of shared incorporation in the way to sell online in a social manner while being very different from what is common today and a micro-loan market being convincing, but very demanding both in the substance and form.

Our response will be: More than ever we are going to bring Human at the center of the device. The retailers are real retailers, advisers who are capable of listening and giving service. The “customers” are real people with special needs within the meaning of the term marketing, but also expectations, desires, emotions …

The traders that we will welcome, are more than ever aware of this comparison, and will of course do their job and preparations, but they will also offer special prices and exceptional service. This is the case since the beginning of this adventure and this will of course be continued. Beyond the offer, they must understand that the Social Shopping as we practice, is primarily based on human relationships, there is a potential sale or not. On this aspect also, the majority has played the game from the beginning, sometimes a little confusing, but never reluctant.

It is a form of mutual respect that is the key. I believe in this type of economic model.

Finally, in response to a discussion I had with a journalist (very nice indeed ), the solution as proposed by RIL Shopping is not to compare with the Web in 2D but rather with the trade of physical distribution.

If you are a distributor or manage a brand and you are proposing to locate a store in a small town of 4000 adults (and few dozen new residents who move in each day) that are close to you but you are simply asking to meet and agree to adjust your approach, you do not open a retail outlet (for a cost to be between 10 and 20 times lower than a physical store) ?

This sentence is long, but I think it is indicative of a major form of retailing tomorrow. The crisis that crosses the world today is clearly a sign that “nothing will ever be as before.” The concept of respect,
responsibility and exchange value will return to the place that it would never leave. On the basis of
this assumption that we are continuing our work and work hard to try to invent a new form of online
retailing …

Tags: e-Commerce, real goods, RIL Shopping, second life, sofinco, stonfield, Virtual Worlds

This entry was posted on Sunday 22 February 2009 at 0:30 and is filed under R&D, Second Life (tm), Virtual Worlds, e-Commerce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.