TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MASSES

Web Shopping in Second Life

Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world Second Life, has announced acquisition of two Web-based marketplaces for virtual goods, Xstreet SL and OnRez. It’s consolidating the two marketplaces on the Xstreet SL platform, offering one online shopping experience for customers and merchants. 

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The purpose behind the move is to make it easier for Second Life Residents to find virtual goods to purchase and to provide merchants broader channels to sell their products. 

Linden Lab reveals that in 2008, Residents of Second Life purchased and sold more than $360 million of virtual goods and services. Shopping for virtual goods has become one of the most compelling and popular aspects of the Second Life experience, it says.

 

The acquisition of these e-commerce sites will aid the growth of the Second Life economy by making it even more convenient for buyers and sellers to transact virtual goods and services online.

Similar to e-commerce sites for real world goods, such as Amazon and eBay, Xstreet SL provides an online catalog, where Second Life Residents can browse, purchase and sell Second Life-related virtual goods and services.

“Linden Lab is expanding its footprint in the virtual world industry through four major initiatives – localizing the Second Life experience in key markets around the world, simplifying the ‘first hour experience’ to broaden consumer adoption, enhancing the platform for enterprise users and building our virtual goods marketplace,” says Mark Kingdon, CEO of Linden Lab. 

Just as e-commerce Web sites provide a complement to shopping in real life, Xstreet SL complements how Second Life Residents shop inworld – visiting 3D stores, shopping centers, and malls to purchase virtual services and goods from the Residents who created them. ...Continued

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