Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
be congregation points for psychos looking for victims or people seeking to
live out their transversal aspirations, this platform has proved to be a pioneer
in the next phase of the Internet evolution.
Virtual worlds like Second Life are global applications where anyone can
become a resident. It means that they have a strong element of appeal to the
mass market which is disparate from the exclusivity and control that luxury
requires to thrive, especially on the Internet. It is, however, essential for lux-
ury brands to understand what is going on in this virtual world and how it
could be utilized as an online marketing tool.
Features of virtual worlds
•
The activities on virtual worlds are based on avatars, which can be either
male or female. These avatars take part in several activities as in real life,
like shopping, dining, partying and even sleeping. The principal activity,
however, is interacting and meeting people.
•
Virtual worlds are global and residents can be in any geographical loca-
tion and operate their avatars from anywhere in the world.
•
Although virtual worlds like Second Life were created in the US, the adop-
tion rate in Europe has been astronomical. Currently, 44.6 percent of Second
Lifers are in Europe versus 32.3 percent in the US and 7.4 percent in Asia.
•
The users of Second Life are not only those from the popular “Innovator”
consumer segment but also from the “Early Adopter” demographic. These
consumers are the trendsetters in adopting new technologies and are tech-
savvy. They are also highly educated and have intellectual and cultural
exposure. They are also brand sensitive and opinion leaders, which makes
them a relevant group for luxury brands to watch.
•
Virtual world users don't have avatar gender or age restrictions. This
means that a male user can have a female avatar and vice versa; and any-
one can create an avatar of any age. This makes it challenging to match the
avatar gender and age group statistics to the real users behind the avatars.
However, it has been reported that the average age of a Second Life user
is 32 years, a figure that is substantially higher than users of other types of
virtual worlds like MMOGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Games).
•
A large proportion of virtual world users also belong to social networks in
the real world. They transfer their collective experiences from the other forms
of social web platforms to virtual immersive worlds and this plays a role in
shaping their attitudes and comportments. It also increases their chances of
influencing others through recommending brands, products and services.
Challenges for luxury brands
One key factor that virtual immersive worlds have precedented is the place of
real-time 3-D in viewing web pages. Until now, products and services have
