by FEMAELSTROM, HSM team writer

In the world of marketing, one of the most important elements is the value of word of mouth. This may seem like an obvious concept, but let’s see how it affects the world of Home.

In Home, we are all surrounded by people who buy stuff. Those people spend their hard-earned real money on virtual items, and they definitely have opinions about the value of a commodity. Sometimes an item will hit the open market, and the fans go crazy for it. It then becomes the hottest commodity to have. Many times, this happens because when one person buys an item, they tell a friend, and that friend tells another, and as the old 80’s Faberge shampoo commercial goes, “and so on, and so on, and so on.”  The good news of a desirable item travels fast among friends. In no time the item, commodity or space is selling hard and fast.

The speed with which one person’s word of mouth can spread in so many circles become almost mind boggling. If I tell a friend, they tell others they know, those friends tell their friends and the chain continues farther than anyone realizes, in a geometric progression. And so when a developer puts out a good item, it may bring strong sales and good customer loyalty for future sales, based on the quality of a single item. Simply because of word of mouth. One person telling another.

Lockwood is a developer that understands this. They consistently make good items that people clamor for in the Lockwood public space. When word spreads of a new item available, I know that the XMB emails fly out telling me. We all visit their store to be advertised to and get our item. Sometimes it’s even free. Free items are a good practice — they get us into the store and makes us want the other new, desirable stuff that’s available. And we, in turn, buy.

Glitches never look good; ask her.

Juggernaut is another good example. They produce quality items that people will search out. The recently released “Bramblenook Farm” is an item that I have seen many people buy, and now, when I look in my Home Navigator, there are a lot of my friends there, either visiting or playing in a space they own. This is one of those great items that is gold for Juggernaut, and the word has spread among friends, resulting in sales.

However, there is a down side to word of mouth, equal to and just as important as the benefits. If a developer makes a really bad or “glitchy” item or game or personal space, the word of mouth will spread fast as a brush fire.

I know that some of my friends have bought things that they fast came to regret. They sent out the word as a warning that a certain thing or place does not work as it should, making me hold my horses on a purchase. There is a developer currently on Home whose goods I have refrained from buying, because their personal space had a glitch that would not allow me to use the maximum 100 slots. For me, this has only happened with their estates, so I avoided buying their commodities for a long time.

There is a game that is currently facing harsh criticism in the forums, and among my friends because the game is said to be almost too hard, with few check or save points. For many gamers this is an issue, and the word of mouth can kill those sales that are “on the fence”. This is not to say that Home gamers want the fast and easy road, but they are complaining about a facet of a game, and that word of mouth stopped this shopper from buying it.

I guess he bought a space that didn’t work right

It does greatly help when a developer moves to accommodate the users after a complaint has been reported. It reassures the fans and users that a company is listening, and that they want to be an active part of the community and raise the level of satisfaction in the marketplace. Many of the developers are trying to be in tune. I have heard stories of Hellfire Games and Lockwood working diligently to help various friends with issues. This is not to say that they are the only ones — they are just the ones I have heard of.

The point is this: word of mouth has a huge effect here in Home. If the developers want to keep a brisk pace of business going here, they had better keep up the good work and keep “glitchy” or defective properties and items to a minimum. The same tongues that can spread a glorious review about a certain product can also kill sales when it comes to spreading the word about any element that would be discouraging, glitchy, faulty or non-functioning.

In today’s national economy, people are having to watch their money more and more closely, and that includes the sales of PSN cards and what is bought with them. If a developer makes a good item, then that’ll be what a Home user wants to spend their money on, and the problematic or “glitchy” items will be overlooked.

One other reason quality is very important is that a history of good quality makes a Home user confident in the developer. If a user is able to buy with confidence repeatedly, then that developer will always have an anchor with the buyer. If there is a lack of confidence, it will take a larger, and lower priced item to draw back the discouraged.

Something just isn’t right here, what is it?

To the developers: make sure all the items you create are of the highest quality, and are priced fairly. Leave the choice of details up to the taste of the player and what they like. You can’t make something that everyone will love, but at least an item can showcase the quality that represents your company. If there is any developer that makes something not so good, remember that it will take a bigger effort to bring back one-time buyers.

Here in Home, we show our favor and dislike with our money. When something is glitchy or defective, the word will spread and people won’t buy it. Developers, keep watch on what you do — we are out there, and our money is the device that we will use to show our joy or dissatisfaction. We Home users are happiest when when we have hard choices to make among a flood of good quality items, and we always look forward to seeing the new items after the weekly maintenance. Make us drool, make us drop our jaw in awe, makes us kneel in front of our screens and beg, make us want — we will spend and be happy, as long as it’s all good.

Did I reveal too much there about myself and my first glimpse of the store?

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