Determining Avatar Consumers Shopping Behavior in Second Life

Virtual shopping allows users to build economic relationships, leading to the development of virtual businesses and the appreciation of virtual currencies. It also allows users to express their creativity, which adds a new dimension to the design and marketing of virtual products. Second Life is a platform where individuals create their digital identities with the unlimited possibilities offered by the virtual world. In this environment, the virtual shopping experience is an important element that enriches users’ social interactions, offers economic opportunities, and allows them to express their creativity. Users have access to a wide range of products from clothes to jewelry, from household goods to artworks through virtual stores. Research was conducted with researcher avatars in the Second Life universe, one of the most popular virtual world platforms. The snowball sampling method was used to reach 26 consumers with purchasing experience in the virtual world. Summarizing the results of the research, it is seen that the participants have been in SL for a long time and the majority of them belong to Generation X and Y. It was revealed that they mostly shopped from the Second Life virtual market, and clothes ranked first among the products they frequently purchased. They also expressed their opinions on the need for more varieties and types of this frequently purchased product type.