| The Slippers Analogy: Should Shopping for Adult Entertainment be enjoyable? |
Lets face it, men: women know how to shop. They really do. I suck at shopping. Im the guy that every salesman wants to target because I dont do as much comparative shopping as I should. Now with some items (computer or toy-related) Ill be analytical, but with most items -- er, clothes for instance -- Im in and out as quickly as possible. This is not to say that Im not picky about what I wear or what I buy because I am, its just saying that for example, I dont really enjoy "the process" of shopping for clothes. So my wife, who is good about that, helps me out in this regard, thank goodness.
Now, in comparing some of my own shopping habits it had occurred to me that likely a lot of surfers dont like *shopping* online for adult-related entertainment. Im not talking about looking at porn, because obviously they do (thats the point, right?). However, lets face it, if the surfer knows (and sooner or later hell learn) that to get the best quality adult content without the BS he is going to need to buy a membership to an adult entertainment site, and the choice then becomes which one? This is where it then becomes about whether he really enjoy the process of finding the best one or not.
I will get more into that in a minute because thats what this article is really about, but first I have to tell you about what my wife got me for Christmas: you know, its those warm things you put on your feet? Yup, slippers!
At first I was like, hmmm, great, slippers, thank you. But then I started wearing them ... realizing how comfortable they were in place of my shoes (which didnt really let my feet breathe properly) I love them! How could she have known to get such a thoughtful, wonderful gift that I actually could use every day. Thank you, dear!
Now if I had gone into the store shopping for those slippers, I wouldnt have had any real idea what was best to buy because Ive never bought slippers for myself. I know what feels good, what feels right, but I am not sure that they let you just try on slippers like they do shoes (do they?)
Do you see the adult website analogy yet?
Now lets ask ourselves why surfers might not like shopping for adult entertainment online and what one can do to make the experience more enjoyable, and consequently more likely that hell sign up for your paysite (or, more likely, the one you are promoting).
[Ladies, I could use the pronoun "she", so please forgive me for using "he" in this article, its more laborious to write things that way. I do realize you are very much into buying adult entertainment products and services as well as men.]
Selection - Who will have the best selection of desired content? Will the content measure up to the quality of the tour? Will the promises be delivered? Out of the zillion free pics and movies, will there be enough of what the surfer is looking for? And just look at all the competition for "general hardcore" sites. How can and why should the surfer choose your site? SOLUTIONS: By making your paysite as unique as possible, you reduce the possibility that the surfer will be comparing your paysite to countless others. True Amateur sites (if this isnt a play on words) have a bit of a built-in advantage I think on this one because every human being is unique.
Popups - Yes, they do work from a webmaster standpoint, or nobody would use them, and Im not advocating that any webmaster should altogether stop using them (yet), but if you are the customer -- the surfer -- do you want to see a barrage of them? No way! Ive written articles on the proper use and todays value of popup consoles and so have others, but as with any business ultimately the customer is speaking loud and clear on this issue. Now ISPs like Earthlink are offering popup blockers to new customers. Soon, all browsers will offer popup blocking built-in. The paradigm is shifting. By the way, I dont blame adult webmasters for eroding the value of popups, I blame mainstream and that stupid camera ad! But lets face it, as a surfer trying to shop for an adult entertainment website ... well, surfers see this as almost a necessity to use popup blocking. Its *the* online surfing condom.
SOLUTIONS: Use popup advertising sparingly, do not kill or trap the surfer. After all, a growing number of them wont see the popups anyway, so find more creative ways to encourage the surfer to buy (slick packaging works great -- so use more descriptive tours). I realize there is an assumption that the surfer is not one of those surfers on the lookout for free porn. Find ways to separate the wheat from the chaff. Single out that freeloader surfer and torture him, if you must, but my point, if not too obscured, is dont torture the surfer with credit card in hand.
Satisfaction - the surfer is absolutely concerned that hell be able to get his moneys worth. $50 is a lot for any type of entertainment, whether it be a video game or an adult website. Is he going to find enough pleasure to equate to those 50 bones?
SOLUTIONS: price your paysite according to its value. If it isnt worth $50/month then dont charge it just because your competition is doing so. If you are promoting paysites, then promote the ones where there is the most value and focus on those points. Most sponsors will give their affiliates temp passwords so they can see the inside of the paysite(s) they are promoting. Take advantage of their generosity and study the inner workings of these sites to bring out the points of value that surfers will see.
In closing, a good shopping experience will result in more shoppers. If I was going shopping for slippers, then I wouldnt shop in -- nor would I return to -- stores that beat me up because I didnt like their slipper selection. At the same time from the store owners perspective (thats you, kind webmaster) it is important to find out who the tire kickers are -- who is just there to soak up as much free stuff as they can and not interested in ever buying anything. Whatever your marketing strategy is, filtration of your traffic is essential and that is something everybody should agree on.
Now go shopping and buy yourself a pair of nice warm slippers and happy coding to you!
TDavids achievements over the years on the web include: writing and contributing over 100 different articles to various online publications, a print magazine columnist, custom programming for clients spanning the globe, own and operating numerous websites like TdScripts He hosts a weekly live radio show on Fridays from 2-4pm PT focusing on the technical side of webmastering at ScriptSchool |
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| Article Details |
| Author: TDavid |
| Date Posted: June 22nd, 2004 |
| Topic: Adult Industry News |
| Reader Rating: 0.0 / 5 |
| Comments Posted: 0 (see below) |
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