Abstract:
Avatars are spending millions of dollars yearly on shopping for virtual items in free-form Virtual Worlds (VWs), such as Second Life. Some studies explaining Virtual World
users‟ motivations to spend real money on
virtual items from a consumer point of view are only available for game-oriented VWs and not for the free-form type. By means of conducting in-depth interviews with Second Life shoppers, the current paper: (1) explores the added value perceived from shopping in free-form VWs, (2) discusses free-form VW shopping motivations in relation to those in game-oriented VWs as well as to traditional and online shopping motivations, (3) reveals users‟ motivations to „reside‟ in VWs, and finally (4) classifies and profiles VW shoppers into distinct VW shopper types considering their shopping behavior and store preferences.
