Biggest sellers in the virtual world
Customization and game enhancements are likely candidates for virtual goods. Real world revenues for online goods continue to grow.
Obviously every site is a bit different, but there are two common threads of items that people seem ready to pay for:
- Customization of the environment -- page decorations and other things that provide some kind of status in the game
- Enhancements to games -- if you can't beat them, you can just pay for items
Of course, there are many other possibilities--virtual gifts play a big role in Facebooks' revenue and I believe there is a huge market for goods such as baseball cards and other tradeable real-world/virtual world crossovers.
Looking at three of the top virtual goods companies, Rory Maher outlined how they make money.
Tencent
Premium instant messaging
Pet penguins
Page decorations
Playdom
Clothing
Weapons & adornment for cars
Advancement in the game
Zynga
Poker chips
Mystery crates
Home improvements
Flame throwers
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom