More Store Interiors

I've been thinking about retailing in SL...to some people it might look like i'm shopping, but really...I"m thinking about retailing. There's some research out there on how real world companies can market to real world customers using virtual worlds (as well as other technology like twitter and such)

But it's important to think about how virtual companies can market to virtual customers in virtual worlds.  I'm interested in how companies that are created and exist only in Second Life can market to avatars, virtual world users. There are real world people behind the avatars spending real world money that has been converted to virtual world currency. They're buying and selling virtual goods - things that exist only in digital formats.  I don't think that the fact that it's all happening in a virtual world, happening digitally, is a limitation or makes the commerce any less important. (see - - told ya I'd been thinking about this)

So here are some pictures of store interiors..I've been visiting stores haphazardly so far, taking some pictures, making notes about how they're marketing. I'll use those initial observations to put together a more orderly content analysis and build up an interview schedule for store owners/designers. Then gotta figure out how to attack the customer side of the transaction

A store with men's clothing downstairs and women's clothing upstairs..that light brown with the dark brown shadows is really popular in stores...I like all the windows here. It's easy to move around in this store..the floor is uncluttered and there aren't things messing with the camera angle.

Not all stores are large boxy spaces or permanent. Below are 3 pics from the ZombiePopcornSL Carnival - small temporary spaces, tents, boxes...and carnival rides! Here's a SLURL tho I don't know for how long this will be around - http://slurl.com/secondlife//193/51/24

DarkerSide - a store in a sky box. That cube in the center has a staircase up to a small 2nd floor room that you can see in the 2nd pic. I liked the black and white color scheme and the foliage decorations on the walls. Pictures of items on the walls. Sales, freebies and cheepies on the stairs.