PAs Should Be Aware of Lead Times for Holidays

mwokee

I sell images commerically. My buyers are generally working on annual events months in advance, and sometimes a year in advance. My Christmas-themed images started selling in September/October because the buyers were working on their Christmas publications. It was more than frustrating for me that Halloween items here at Daz debuted in store on October 31. I could have used some of them but I put them into the wishlist and will get them at bargain rates later. Easter is right around the corner and if the PAs would like to cash in on that holiday, new items should be out in the store like yesterday. And it's not just me, I'm sure the 3D hobbyist would like to create holiday-themed renders in time for the actual holiday, not days after the fact. FYI.

WendyLuvsCatz

this comes up every year, I have raised the topic myself.

Apparently it's because they are giving us a whole year to do our stuff!

So being very thoughtful and considerate. 

RawArt

I agree...but the counterpoint is that selling Christmas items before December means that by the time Christmas sales come around, those products are old and 10 pages back in the store, so they go unseen.

Yes they can be put on sale again, but people have already moved on to the new and shiney.

 

mwokee

I've never seen this discussed before. Do those threads get deleted?

Sevrin

I don't even know if it's the PAs.  Rendo starts selling holiday stuff well before Daz does.  Daz rarely misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

mwokee

RawArt said:

I agree...but the counterpoint is that selling Christmas items before December means that by the time Christmas sales come around, those products are old and 10 pages back in the store, so they go unseen.

Yes they can be put on sale again, but people have already moved on to the new and shiney.

 

Daz has been taking the old and repackaging them as new. That's an "opportunity" to sell them twice. :-)

Sevrin

mwokee said:

I've never seen this discussed before. Do those threads get deleted?

I posted a thread about the same sort of thing about Hallowe'en back in September.

https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/438947/are-we-skipping-hallowe-en-again-this-year#latest

Timbales

The store should consider adding a "Holiday" genre category to assist customers looking for seasonal items. It may be confusing for people outside the US who use the term for a vacation, though.

WendyLuvsCatz

mwokee said:

I've never seen this discussed before. Do those threads get deleted?

mine https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/68019/seasonal-stuff-should-be-in-store-well-before-the-day/p1 

cherpenbeck

How about producing the item in time, and give them a new texture for the actual Holidays? That way both kinds of customers would find them when needed.

duckbomb

mwokee said:

I sell images commerically. My buyers are generally working on annual events months in advance, and sometimes a year in advance. My Christmas-themed images started selling in September/October because the buyers were working on their Christmas publications. It was more than frustrating for me that Halloween items here at Daz debuted in store on October 31. I could have used some of them but I put them into the wishlist and will get them at bargain rates later. Easter is right around the corner and if the PAs would like to cash in on that holiday, new items should be out in the store like yesterday. And it's not just me, I'm sure the 3D hobbyist would like to create holiday-themed renders in time for the actual holiday, not days after the fact. FYI.

I'm sorry if this is off topic, I don't have much to say there other than I understand and agree with your argument.

I wanted to ask, do you have any kind of portfolio or website where clients can reach you and see a sample of your work?  I've been looking to see how I can best integrate DAZ Studio into a more commercial workflow, and since you sound very established I was wondering what customer-facing advertising or "store front" you may have.   

Serene Night

Yeah, this has always been disappointing. I remember one yearr this christmas themed apartment set was released very close to christmas. I bought it, but It would've been nice to have  at thanksgiving.

Cybersox

I can see that it's a tricky thing to time, as the vast majority of DAZ users probably wouldn't be interested before Thanksgiving in the U.S., as that's traditionally when all the holiday season promos start.  Dropping something this niche any earlier than that to benefit the small handfull of people looking for new items for commercial work would almost certanly result in a significant drop in sales for the PAs involved. 

Ascania

Cybersox said:

I can see that it's a tricky thing to time, as the vast majority of DAZ users probably wouldn't be interested before Thanksgiving in the U.S., as that's traditionally when all the holiday season promos start.  Dropping something this niche any earlier than that to benefit the small handfull of people looking for new items for commercial work would almost certanly result in a significant drop in sales for the PAs involved. 

It's the basic conflict, DAZ targets the hobbyist market and thus markets products at event-appropriate times for hobbyists while the professional segment that also uses DAZ products requires a different schedule, one that would drastically impact hobbyist sales if it were to be implemented. So I expect professionals will just have to suck it up and work with a year lead time, using the previous Christmas' product offers instead of the shiny brand-spanking new ones.

Sevrin

Ascania said:

Cybersox said:

I can see that it's a tricky thing to time, as the vast majority of DAZ users probably wouldn't be interested before Thanksgiving in the U.S., as that's traditionally when all the holiday season promos start.  Dropping something this niche any earlier than that to benefit the small handfull of people looking for new items for commercial work would almost certanly result in a significant drop in sales for the PAs involved. 

It's the basic conflict, DAZ targets the hobbyist market and thus markets products at event-appropriate times for hobbyists while the professional segment that also uses DAZ products requires a different schedule, one that would drastically impact hobbyist sales if it were to be implemented. So I expect professionals will just have to suck it up and work with a year lead time, using the previous Christmas' product offers instead of the shiny brand-spanking new ones.

Craft stores cater to hobbyists, and they've got their stuff on the shelves in time. 

Timbales

Ascania said:

Cybersox said:

I can see that it's a tricky thing to time, as the vast majority of DAZ users probably wouldn't be interested before Thanksgiving in the U.S., as that's traditionally when all the holiday season promos start.  Dropping something this niche any earlier than that to benefit the small handfull of people looking for new items for commercial work would almost certanly result in a significant drop in sales for the PAs involved. 

It's the basic conflict, DAZ targets the hobbyist market and thus markets products at event-appropriate times for hobbyists while the professional segment that also uses DAZ products requires a different schedule, one that would drastically impact hobbyist sales if it were to be implemented. So I expect professionals will just have to suck it up and work with a year lead time, using the previous Christmas' product offers instead of the shiny brand-spanking new ones.

I agree. Christmas and other seasonal items are available year round in the Daz store. Expecting them to be at the top of the page when you want them isn't realistic. But Daz should offer an easier way to find them by offering a genre category.

terranullis

the way the daz store ignores holidays always baffles me.

any other retailer would spend practically the entire month giving you christmas-themed stuff. and it's not like there's nothing they could offer. i honestly would like some north pole things which are more modern with materials etc, and i don't have a santa outfit i'm happy with. i'd buy more. dforce christmas lights? just me who wants things like that?

i gave up on christmas renders this year. only did a couple because i already used these assets last year...

Daz Jack Tomalin

terranullis said:

the way the daz store ignores holidays always baffles me.

any other retailer would spend practically the entire month giving you christmas-themed stuff. and it's not like there's nothing they could offer. i honestly would like some north pole things which are more modern with materials etc, and i don't have a santa outfit i'm happy with. i'd buy more. dforce christmas lights? just me who wants things like that?

i gave up on christmas renders this year. only did a couple because i already used these assets last year...

Whenever we do anything specific in the PC+, like Halloween for example, it's usually met with complaints of 'I dont like halloween stuff, so I can't shop'.. I assume Christmas stuff can be equally as polarising, so it's a case of having to try and cater for everyone.

MimicMolly

Jack Tomalin said:

terranullis said:

the way the daz store ignores holidays always baffles me.

any other retailer would spend practically the entire month giving you christmas-themed stuff. and it's not like there's nothing they could offer. i honestly would like some north pole things which are more modern with materials etc, and i don't have a santa outfit i'm happy with. i'd buy more. dforce christmas lights? just me who wants things like that?

i gave up on christmas renders this year. only did a couple because i already used these assets last year...

Whenever we do anything specific in the PC+, like Halloween for example, it's usually met with complaints of 'I dont like halloween stuff, so I can't shop'.. I assume Christmas stuff can be equally as polarising, so it's a case of having to try and cater for everyone.

Y'all put "Halloween" stuff year 'round though. Just last week there was a Halloween/Horror sale day. Even yesterday's freebie was more appropriate for Halloween than Christmas. Halloween and Christmas aren't equals in this shop.

mwokee

Jack Tomalin said:

Whenever we do anything specific in the PC+, like Halloween for example, it's usually met with complaints of 'I dont like halloween stuff, so I can't shop'.. I assume Christmas stuff can be equally as polarising, so it's a case of having to try and cater for everyone.

I don't know why you listen to those people, 95% of the new stuff that comes out every day, I either don't like it or don't want it. I just wait for when you hit my needs. You know you're in a job where you can't make everyone happy all the time.

But it's obvious the PAs collaborate to some degree and it just doesn't make sense to release items day of. There were some great Halloween items that came out on October 31 which was useless. Yeah, they're there for next year but that's NEXT year. If you're collaborating then do it in a way that's profitable for both you AND me.

Speaking of Christmas, Santa Claus could use some serious updating. The Gen3 version that came out was great at the time but the quality is lacking now that 3D technology has progressed. I have to compete with other artists when I sell my work and I'm always looking for stuff that gives me an edge. I really hope you're not releasing a group of Christmas items on the 25th because I'm gonna say nana-nana-boo-boo I-told-you-so. I would prefer to earn extra money NOW and not have to wait until next year.

Daz Jack Tomalin

mwokee said:

Jack Tomalin said:

Whenever we do anything specific in the PC+, like Halloween for example, it's usually met with complaints of 'I dont like halloween stuff, so I can't shop'.. I assume Christmas stuff can be equally as polarising, so it's a case of having to try and cater for everyone.

I don't know why you listen to those people, 95% of the new stuff that comes out every day, I either don't like it or don't want it. I just wait for when you hit my needs. You know you're in a job where you can't make everyone happy all the time.

But it's obvious the PAs collaborate to some degree and it just doesn't make sense to release items day of. There were some great Halloween items that came out on October 31 which was useless. Yeah, they're there for next year but that's NEXT year. If you're collaborating then do it in a way that's profitable for both you AND me.

Speaking of Christmas, Santa Claus could use some serious updating. The Gen3 version that came out was great at the time but the quality is lacking now that 3D technology has progressed. I have to compete with other artists when I sell my work and I'm always looking for stuff that gives me an edge. I really hope you're not releasing a group of Christmas items on the 25th because I'm gonna say nana-nana-boo-boo I-told-you-so. I would prefer to earn extra money NOW and not have to wait until next year.

To be clear - we still put themed/seasonal items out - I'm trying to explain that I wouldn't expect to see wall-to-wall seasonal items in the store.

I do like the idea of having stuff in categories though, so it can be looked at whenever.

MeneerWolfman

I agree with the the earlier posts of this thread. My interest as well my wallet's goes down after the holiday/season in question.

I also feel bad for the vendors, because if they make something in a decent amount of time before the holidays and then it's stuck in daz's queue, it may not get published in time for the holiday it was targeting. That happened with a couple of items this Halloween, where they got published right after Halloween.

AM has a wonderful utility for adding snow to objects in scenes. I asked him if it would be released before Christmas, because it would be great for making the usual holiday scenes, and he said "yes". I know he submitted a week or so back. It's 2 days before Christmas, so my guess is the chance of seeing it before Christmas is very low, which means my chance of buying it now is pretty low because I've already made my Holiday renders for friends and fans. Maybe next November I'll take a look at it, but that doesn't really help him out.

mwokee

I'm sure you're at the mercy of what PAs bother to put out when they feel like doing something, that's not on Daz. I just rolled my eyes at the Halloween stuff that came out on October 31 or days prior. Too little too late for me, they went into the wishlist and I got them weeks later at nice discounts because of other promotions. Discounts mean PAs earn less money. If you guys put the word out for holiday themes, it'd be great if you put something together ahead if the holiday. You can always push the stuff again when the holiday comes up. I would think a second round in themed items would be a good thing in terms of profits.

RawArt

Also keep in mind that PA's generally are artist types and work from what inspires them......to start making Christmas stuff when you are still thinking Halloween is tough (though thats when I try to start)

Sevrin

RawArt said:

Also keep in mind that PA's generally are artist types and work from what inspires them......to start making Christmas stuff when you are still thinking Halloween is tough (though thats when I try to start)

 Well, there's no arguing with that, as long as Daz fast-tracks seasonal items to get into the store quickly, so that PAs' temperaments don't cause their incomes to be reduced.

Cybersox

Sevrin said:

Ascania said:

Cybersox said:

I can see that it's a tricky thing to time, as the vast majority of DAZ users probably wouldn't be interested before Thanksgiving in the U.S., as that's traditionally when all the holiday season promos start.  Dropping something this niche any earlier than that to benefit the small handfull of people looking for new items for commercial work would almost certanly result in a significant drop in sales for the PAs involved. 

It's the basic conflict, DAZ targets the hobbyist market and thus markets products at event-appropriate times for hobbyists while the professional segment that also uses DAZ products requires a different schedule, one that would drastically impact hobbyist sales if it were to be implemented. So I expect professionals will just have to suck it up and work with a year lead time, using the previous Christmas' product offers instead of the shiny brand-spanking new ones.

Craft stores cater to hobbyists, and they've got their stuff on the shelves in time. 

You're not wrong.  The thing is, craft stores also don't sell the majority of their product during the first week of release.  The whole DAZ model of super-hyped "It's NEW!  It's NEW!  Buy it at MEGA-Discount NOW!" advertising for one or two days, followed by that item being quickly being shuffled to the back catalog and rarely being specifically promoted again would never work in a brick and mortar store where there's a pesky little thing called physical inventory to deal with.  On the other hand, most physical retail shops will also blow out the majority of their (insert holiday of choice here) merchandise as soon as that holiday's over and may never have it in stock again...

mwokee

RawArt said:

Also keep in mind that PA's generally are artist types and work from what inspires them......to start making Christmas stuff when you are still thinking Halloween is tough (though thats when I try to start)

Well yeah, I be the same way too. I just created some Christmas images and they're too late for this year. Inspiration comes when it comes. But I am thinking of Easter and there is virtually nothing in the store for Easter. I suppose we'll say Easter doesn't sell but what's there is crap. I've learned that with my own artwork, crap never sells.

I see so much potential for talented PAs to quit their day job or set themselves up for life if they could go beyond skimpy outfits or pretty girls. Someone made the comment that male items are starting to sell better compared to female, but I think a factor is not that male items are becoming more popular but the female market is glutted with inventory. PAs for the most part copy what the others are doing.

PAs who can produce photo-realistic objects and characters are going to rise above the rest and the rest will see their earnings shrink. I'm not saying PAs should stop making toonish and fantasy stuff, they should create toonish AND fantasy AND realism. Business, medical, education, corporate, genres, not just medieval and science fiction. The PA who can produce across the board is going to make it and grow compared to those who keep creating variations of the same thing.

Daz has moved my artwork to a new level because I can edit photography and renders together to produce concepts my competition has yet to figure out how to do. I am not a great artist but I've learned to stay ahead of the curve by doing things new and different or with a fresh twist. If I could figure out how to be a good artist I could quit my day job rather than supplement my income.

I know I'm off on a tangent here but PAs just keep cranking out skimp-ware and pretty faces. You'd think one would create a quality Gen8 Uncle Sam or a Frankenstein outfit that didn't look like a ripped plastic Hefty bag. Among a million other things I could use.

WendyLuvsCatz

oops

https://www.daz3d.com/fg-christmas-props

https://www.daz3d.com/junktown-holiday

Chohole

WendyLuvsCatz said:

oops

https://www.daz3d.com/fg-christmas-props

https://www.daz3d.com/junktown-holiday

?

Leana

Chohole said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

oops

https://www.daz3d.com/fg-christmas-props

https://www.daz3d.com/junktown-holiday

?

At a guess, Wendy meant it's a "oops" that those were released after Christmas.

WendyLuvsCatz

yes

just will be interesting how well they sell, for a year's render preparation 

I hazard to guess the sales figures would have been bigger a fortnight earlier but who knows