MMORPG MARKETING STRATEGY

[pichoy01]

Legend:

in bold=sub topic
bold underlined=main topic
red text= important notes





Introduction

Mmorpg games(Ran online,Ragnarok, RF,Perfect world, flyff,cabal online,lineage and etc.. etc) most likely they do have market place where players interact and they sell and buy to provide their gaming needs.Personally i play mmorpg game and i've been selling and buying through out the cyber game and later make profit or real money for my wants.Content of this thread based on me- other feature might be insufficient but the base idea would be right.I prefer to make example on more on ragnarok.



Part One:Gaining money

1.Buy and Sell

           Arguably the most exciting way to get to the glorious billion-gold mark, the key here is to buy low, then sell high. By no means is this a damaging move on your part, that's how it is in real life anyways. Watch for players who shout/use the chatbox to sell prices at lower rates; or look for players who've got newly opened shops and may have made mistakes in the prices(ex. instead of 7m they accidentally sold it for 700k) (especially when it's late at night or early in the morning, whereupon they might be quite sleepy or drunk/hungover). Take advantage of the mistakes of others to further your ventures, just make sure they're the ones who made the mistake, and not you who's forcing them to do so (that would be scamming), so as to absolve you of all responsibility.Remember, what you're after here is maximum profit. Don't go buying items that only give you measly profit once you sell them. Aim for double the selling price, or better yet,  a hundredfold or more.



2.Item pricing
       All pricings  assume that the items for sale are of reasonable quality and for good levels.


Upgraded Equipment -
                   Whenever you upgrade an equipment, the value increases, but that value depends on the level of upgrading, and not necessarily how many upgrading items you used. Basically, if you're selling an item with a +4 modifier for the value of the item + the value for 4 burr, then you're not going to win over buyers.
Even a toddler can upgrade an item to +4 since there's a 100% success rate. For every increase past that though, you get a significant amount added.
Upgrade
=neutral ~ base price
=+1 ~ +40%
=+2 ~ +45%
=+3 ~ +50%
=+4 ~ +55%
=+5 ~ +100 - 200%
=+6 ~ +200 - 350%
=+7 ~ +350 - 600%
=+8 ~ +600% - TILT!!!
=+9 ~ TILT! TILT! TILT!
=+10~ CHAMP!!!(for games like ragnarok)

As you can see the higher the upgrade weapon the high the price it goes but take note of upgrading its a gambling that you could earn instant money but you could also lose instant money.


Part Two: Market Dynamics

1. Supply and Demand -
                 Anyone who's had economics before in HS, and practically anyone with half a brain knows the fundamentals of supply and demand.
Supply = Demand ~ moderate
Supply > Demand ~ underpricing
Supply < Demand ~ overpricing

You can easily see how it affects the pricing for a weapon attack upgrade and an armor defense upgrade.Most of the mmorpg games do have item upgrader , in this part you should see what people needs the most example in ragnarok (they need elunium for armor upgrade which the supply is not that high for the demand that amazingly high then go for it, and which oridicon least) You should consider the following in following the market dynamics:

do the players do need the item?
do they use it regularly?
do their jobs are highly population?
is their level are suitable for the items?


2. Economic Status -
            A concrete example would be comparing the tricycle fare matrix in a poor neighborhood, to that of a middle to upper class one. For the former, a 5-minute ride would cost only P6.50, however, the latter's 5-minute ride would cost upwards of P25. The general belief is that the richer the community, the easier it is for prices in a designated area to increase, seeing as many would find it insignificant; over on the lower side, products and services are given at cheaper rates so as to maximize patronage.

If everyone in a server starts out at level one with 0 gold (no transferred gold from migration), then all items they loot/receive all increase in price gradually, not instantly.

In this section the server of the game affects the cost of the item.Maybe their supply are high but the demand are low this affects also.^_^V




4. Where/When/How to Vend
             - For certain items, picking the right time and place is the difference between getting rich fast, and waiting days on end just to make a killer sale. Example(in ragnarok yggdrasill berry would be very indemand in terms of WOE)(in other games, special/ep potions would be needed when there's a clan war,chip war and other in game wars.


-Naming your shop!
      At most times, you really need to tell everyone what you're selling. Don't go for whacked shop names like "I love you <insert name of online bf/gf who you're having affections for because you lack intimacy in real life>" or "Oye! Dance! Clap! Jump!". There are a lot of players who need to buy what they need fast (we know most of us guys tend to go to a mall, buy what we need, then leave), transacting business in the least time possible. Having a shop name that lets them know you cater to their needs increases your chances of making a good, not to mention, quick sale.
Example(Equips for high lvl) something like that stuff.


Don't deceive shoppers. This goes for both players with vend cards, and those without. Some of the former tend to use shop names that seriously are a far cry from what they are selling and at what prices (ie. Elunium 20k when the basic price is 80-90k) just to attract attention. Also, the term "SALE" is overused and pointless if you're selling at base prices, while a "99% Discount" and vending something that exceeds 10k is just stupid. Some without vend cards tend to have fun and frustrate others by pretending to sell items for lower prices yet just wish the buyer to literally chase them just to trade.


- Use your resources. Post your price lists here in the forums and see if there are others who wish to buy. PM your buddies and guildmates asking if they need anything. Use at least two megaphones just to tell everyone what you've got up for grabs. And haggle/transact with customers the same way you would in a mall - with professional courtesy and decency, yet with shrewd cunning when making a profit.
Treat kindly customers who are good for business:
ie. "Thanks again, and next time if you need somethin' new go to me first aryt dude?"
Ignore those who are a royal pain only after you give them enough chances:
ie- last straw na. "kuya tawad naman 4M sa gaunt, cge na cge na.. kanina 6M, ngayon 4M tawad lang"
"WTF??? 4M is considered 'tawad'? You might as well want it handed to you for free!"



^_^V hope this will help my co-players