Part Three of the Second Life Merchant Resource now available

Auryn Beorn, a Second Life merchant with over 4 years of experience with her store (Black Tulip) and as a CSR for Dutchie, has published the third part of what is bound to be an epic-series of free help guides for aspiring and existing Second Life merchants entitled “Merchant Resource”.

The third part in the series addresses issues of great importance to Second Life merchants, including:

• Using your SL profile as a business card
• Store Policies: Why, and which ones?
• Customer Service: How? Where are the limits?
• Customer Service: Do’s and Dont’s; the things that nobody wants to hear

She’s packed the third instalment with a huge amount of practical information that is clearly wrought from years of hands-on customer service work as a Second Life merchant and CSR.

Read and bookmark: “Deciding on Store Policies and Customer Service”

Featured image by Auryn Beorn.

Part Two of the Second Life Merchant Resource now available

Auryn Beorn, a Second Life merchant with over 4 years of experience with her store (Black Tulip) and as a CSR for Dutchie, has published the second part of what is bound to be an epic-series of free help guides for aspiring and existing Second Life merchants entitled “Merchant Resource”.

The second part in the series addresses issues of great importance to Second Life merchants, including:

• product naming
• product permissions
• more information to include and recommended permissions
• product ad inclusions
• a discussion about the pros and cons of folders versus boxed items
• demo product recommendations

She’s packed the second instalment with a huge amount of practical information, and includes data from surveys of shoppers asking what they want from merchants.

Also in this part, I share my recommendations on naming products to facilitate searchability and word of mouth.

Ms Beorn also includes links to free scripts for merchants to use when preparing their products for unpacking, including

• One script to unpack on touch
• One script to unpack with an animation/pose of your choice while the box is being worn
• One simple HUD with information buttons, a spot for your product ad, and unpack on click

Read and bookmark: “Preparing your products for sale – permissions and more”

Featured image by Auryn Beorn.

Auryn Beorn’s: Merchant Resource – Part 1

Auryn Beorn, a Second Life merchant with over 4 years of experience (Black Tulip) has started an epic-series of help guides for Second Life merchants entitled “Merchant Resource”, publishing the first part today.

“When I started,” she says, “I had no idea of things I could (and should) set in place to make my life as merchant, easier. This goes from deciding on a name, to deciding store policies, what information providing to customers, what to write on my product ads, which scripts using to make my life simpler, managing bloggers… and more. But now that I know them, I can try to help you in being better prepared when you start your own adventure.”

I’ll be acting as a marketing consultant to the series, because when it comes to that particular aspect of store set-up and practice, Auryn honestly admits: “I suck at marketing”.

So, I’ll be sharing my views with her on the marketing angles of setting up and running a Second Life store to help her with that aspect of her guides, and alerting the Stores and Creator’s list of her posts here on this blog, and in the inworld group.

I hope you enjoy her posts, starting with the first entitled:

“How do I begin? Location, information we want to have always handy, and preparing our inventory”

In this post, Auryn will cover store name and logo requirements, store presence (in world, marketplace, or both), store location, basic store information, and your store folder (in your inventory). Please remember to share this post, with any one you think might want to start a store in Second Life!