7526 4 3 econsultancy_xml <p>Giants like Toyota and Adidas, as well as smaller enterprises, have all opened storefronts in Second Life in recent months as hype surrounding the 3D environment and its potential for e-commerce and marketing reached fever pitch.</p> <p>Gartner said the majority of internet users and Fortune 500 companies would be inside such worlds by 2011, but analyst Steve Prentice advised caution before frippery.</p> <blockquote> <p> <em>"The collaborative and community-related aspects of these environments will dominate in the future, and significant transaction-based commercial opportunities will be limited to niche areas, which have yet to be clearly identified," </em>he said.</p> <p> <em>"Meaningful corporate use of public virtual worlds/platforms will lag considerably behind individual consumer use as enterprises struggle to develop appropriate and relevant business models."</em> </p> </blockquote> <p>Prentice laid down "<a href="http://corporatemedianews.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=132163">five laws</a>" for those companies considering emerging into worlds like Second Life:</p> <ol> <li>Virtual worlds are not games.</li> <li>Behind every avatar is a real person.</li> <li>Be relevant and add value.</li> <li>Understand and contain the downside.</li> <li>This is a long haul. </li> </ol> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph>Giants like Toyota and Adidas, as well as smaller enterprises, have all opened storefronts in Second Life in recent months as hype surrounding the 3D environment and its potential for e-commerce and marketing reached fever pitch.</Paragraph> <Paragraph>Gartner said the majority of internet users and Fortune 500 companies would be inside such worlds by 2011, but analyst Steve Prentice advised caution before frippery.</Paragraph> <Block> <Paragraph> <Quote>"The collaborative and community-related aspects of these environments will dominate in the future, and significant transaction-based commercial opportunities will be limited to niche areas, which have yet to be clearly identified," </Quote>he said.</Paragraph> <Paragraph> <Quote>"Meaningful corporate use of public virtual worlds/platforms will lag considerably behind individual consumer use as enterprises struggle to develop appropriate and relevant business models."</Quote> </Paragraph> </Block> <Paragraph>Prentice laid down "<Link URL="http://corporatemedianews.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=132163" Window="New">five laws</Link>" for those companies considering emerging into worlds like Second Life:</Paragraph> <List Type="Numeric"> <ListItem>Virtual worlds are not games.</ListItem> <ListItem>Behind every avatar is a real person.</ListItem> <ListItem>Be relevant and add value.</ListItem> <ListItem>Understand and contain the downside.</ListItem> <ListItem>This is a long haul. </ListItem> </List> </FormattedContent> 2007-04-25T15:26:00+01:00 4 1 econsultancy_xml <strong>Eighty percent of businesses will have a presence in a virtual world, says a new Gartner report that otherwise heaps suspicion on the value of Second Life e-commerce.</strong> <br /> <br />The tech research firm <a href="http://corporatemedianews.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=132163">advises</a> businesses to <em>"limit substantial financial investments until the environments stabilise and mature".</em><br /><br /> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Emphasis>Eighty percent of businesses will have a presence in a virtual world, says a new Gartner report that otherwise heaps suspicion on the value of Second Life e-commerce.</Emphasis> <LineBreak /> <LineBreak />The tech research firm <Link URL="http://corporatemedianews.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=132163" Window="New">advises</Link> businesses to <Quote>"limit substantial financial investments until the environments stabilise and mature".</Quote><LineBreak /><LineBreak /></FormattedContent> false 1102 363164 Businesses warned to wait for Second Life opportunities false 2007-04-26T10:56:00+01:00 businesses-warned-to-wait-for-second-life-opportunities 2009-04-28T22:47:39+01:00 2009-04-28T22:47:39+01:00 270