Katrar
Major
Reged: 09/15/02
Posts: 1314
Loc: Seattle, WA USA, Terra
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"Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
#162011 - 08/10/11 03:33 AM (76.28.186.150)
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Cash shops are huge money makers for free to play MMOs, and they've been around long enough for many "lessons learned" to have become standard practice among the most successful f2p games.
Perhaps the most important lesson learned is the usefulness of "urgency" in pushing cash shop purchases. 'Limited time only' opportunities are the primary vehicle for sales of this type.
Probably a good 95 out of 100 cash shops out there offer limited time only deals, and EVERY major (AAA) game title utilizes this tactic. Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Champions Online, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, etc. and all use frequent special pricing
What they do is regularly offer special pricing on select items. 30% off, sometimes even 50%, whatever. They offer these special deals for a few days, then the prices get jacked back up.
Different games have different reasons for offering specials on the days they do. Some are in game reasons, events, holidays, etc. Some observe real world holidays. Often its a mix. For some games sales are sporadic, but for many, and especially the bigger games, it has come to pass that there is ALWAYS a sale of some sort going on.
The reasons behind offering cash shop sales are the same for an MMO as they are for any department store... the impression of value they give to the consumer. Ever notice that there seems to be a new sale every week at Macys or Target? It's because we human beings can't resist a sale, even when its not REALLY a good deal.
People tend to buy things they think are a good deal. And often people tend to spend more money, in aggregate, on sale items than they would under normal conditions on full price items. As well, people tend to make impulse purchases when they are offered add ons at full price.
So how could this apply to Neveron, a game whose donation page has been more or less static for 10 years?
First, sell things at reduced prices from time to time. Sell particular mechs are reduced cost, maybe a STY-3C is 33% off for 3 days only. Maybe you can get a MAD-4A for the low low price of 15 DP, but you can only buy one at that price and that sale won't happen again for at least year. Maybe offer half price dp skilldowns for a day, or 20% off commercial doublers. Maybe offer dp sales for an increased 25% bonus for a few days, so you'd get 53 for 40, 150 for 100, etc.
Offer extras when people buy things. Someone bought a mech? Have Nev immediately offer them an improved pilot for a reduced amount. Guess what, they probably wouldn't have bought that without the prompting, and you've just taken a few extra dp. On top of that, they're probably HAPPY about it.
Offer these bonuses regularly, make it something different every time, and make a big deal out of it. People are happy when they think they've managed to get a good deal, and when people think they aren't getting screwed, they are more likely to what? That's right, spend more money.
At the end of the day is the knowledge we all acknowledge, deep down, that Neveron is horrifically priced. Every single person playing this game, that has ever tried to explain it to non players, has brought up the 360 dollar mech. It's pointless to explain dp conversion rates so its a 360 dollar mech, right? That's what I say when I want to hear "what the ****?" =P
What I'm getting at is this... Neveron could benefit from utilizing special pricing to promote sales, and we the customers could benefit from occasionally getting access to things a bit cheaper.
Nev on the whole has actually gotten more expensive as the years have rolled past. Mechs have gone from 20, to 25, to 35 dp (MAD-4A as this particular example). Everyone remember being able to skill down tower and vee gunners in TWACS? How much money did you spend on that? I must have spent hundreds. Now, I haven't paid for a dp skilldown in years, because I perceive it as a poor return on investment. Notice I say perceived return of investment. That's the thing that gets you, and that's what cash shop sales attempt to overcome. Nev, with its pricing scheme, could probably benefit from this little bit of consumer psychology more than almost any other game out there. lol
So, SM, here's my basic argument in favor of "cash shop sales" on Neveron. It would be good for Nev. It would be good for us. It would be good for everone. If anyone else has any experience spending money on cash ships on popular F2P games these days, especially big money makers like DDO/LotRO etc, please post your thoughts.
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HoC Gaming - Come war with us!
The HoC Archive - Neveron's definitive historical document
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jake
Sergeant
Reged: 01/11/05
Posts: 147
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: Katrar]
#162015 - 08/11/11 01:15 PM (76.181.199.112)
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I will doom this suggestion by saying this: I agree Katrar and it is an excellent idea.
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Toscotto
Lieutenant
Reged: 02/02/06
Posts: 530
Loc: Tacoma WA
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: jake]
#162034 - 08/20/11 02:19 PM (24.19.129.178)
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lol
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The question is not how far, the question is do you possess the constitution, the depth of faith, to go as far as needed?
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cbtgod
Lieutenant Colonel
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 1813
Loc: IN A BOX UNDER A HOUSE
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: Toscotto]
#162037 - 08/21/11 07:49 AM (173.171.168.13)
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cash shops isnt a donation? i have no idea were ironwind metals and i blv its still wizkids? would stand on this? they leave people alone so far as long as thier is no monthly fee or act money made from what ive been told. have no clue on this mr SM whats the skinny on this? l8rs DABOSS
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yes its a toad, if you didnt know that you dont know anything about cbt
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Chetter
Lieutenant
Reged: 08/20/02
Posts: 446
Loc: New Hampshire
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: Katrar]
#162041 - 08/22/11 09:59 AM (24.97.170.18)
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I like this thought and would be happy to spend money on a bargin. "Oue!! What a deal"
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Katrar
Major
Reged: 09/15/02
Posts: 1314
Loc: Seattle, WA USA, Terra
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: cbtgod]
#162043 - 08/22/11 01:46 PM (76.28.186.150)
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Quote:
cash shops isnt a donation? i have no idea were ironwind metals and i blv its still wizkids? would stand on this? they leave people alone so far as long as thier is no monthly fee or act money made from what ive been told. have no clue on this mr SM whats the skinny on this? l8rs DABOSS
What do you think the donation page is? It's a cash shop. Where do you think this all would happen? The donation page. Did you not think all those things you buy with your DP was the Nev version of a cash shop? All those things you get with DP, the dp comes from cash donations.
This isn't about a "cash shop" (Neveron already HAS a cash shop) as much as it is about taking advantage of the marketing strategies that free to play MMO's have perfected over the last decade. None of which Neveron has paid any attention to (to its financial detriment I would argue).
Also, Neveron may be in the $$$ dumps now but its made plenty of dough for its owners over the years. What does Ironwind or Wizkids have to do with neveron and donations now, or different means of spending DP (which is what this is about) that wasn't around in 2001, 2005 or 2010?
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HoC Gaming - Come war with us!
The HoC Archive - Neveron's definitive historical document
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buc
Captain
Reged: 08/12/05
Posts: 710
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: Katrar]
#162046 - 08/22/11 05:38 PM (210.86.1.168)
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I've just started playing another MMO, and what Kato has shared here has been my exact experience.
EG, www.worldoftanks.com. I had Gold (DP), and while the extra slot (armoury) cost 300 gold, I wouldn't bother buying one. They then had a sale on those (50% off), and I bought 6 slots. Where I wouldn't spend 300 gold on 1, I was more than happy to spend 900 gold on 6.
I'm sitting on my DP, not spending it on anything, however if there were deals like what Kato is suggesting, I would take em up real quick! I wont buy a mad-4a currently, however at 50% off I might buy a lance.
Great idea Kato
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cbtgod
Lieutenant Colonel
Reged: 12/14/05
Posts: 1813
Loc: IN A BOX UNDER A HOUSE
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: buc]
#162051 - 08/23/11 05:04 AM (173.171.168.13)
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im not going to argue with you kato you are always right about everything. l8rs DABOSS
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yes its a toad, if you didnt know that you dont know anything about cbt
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ghostrider
Lieutenant
Reged: 03/26/10
Posts: 522
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: cbtgod]
#162067 - 08/25/11 06:27 PM (70.173.25.223)
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technically, the subscription aspect of nev may be legally considered a violation of the agreement of no pay per month... if that is how randy got around the copyright problems with the owners of battletech, ie wizkids (i believe). Not a lawyer, so only taking an educated guess here.
I guess the discounted items would work, since i would never have gotten any tcs without the triple dp for the buy nev pool, so yeah, it does work. Had issues with paying 75 bucks for something that isnt real. but then thats my cheap ****.
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wonko
Sergeant Major
Reged: 03/08/06
Posts: 273
Loc: park city UT
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Re: "Cash Shop Sales" - A Suggestion for Promoting DP Sales
[Re: ghostrider]
#162152 - 09/30/11 03:38 AM (76.23.60.40)
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half price rhinos, sign me up!!!!!
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Democrats are the root of all evil
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