Feel free to discard: an idea for March Madness
cecilia.robinson
Posts: 2,208
As it says on the tin: feel free to discard it as I have a fishy feeling punches will punch us in a usual fashion (see signature) again, but I'll try anyway...
Why wouldn't DAZ make this March Madness not punchable, but BOGO? I recall from newsletters from 2012, it was a success (according to the forums at least). A no-brainer: two categories, BUY and GET. You had to buy X items from BUY (you had like 2000+ to choose from) and then you'd get X items from GET (again, there was much variety). There was no additional caveats, the return policy worked. I don't think PC+ items were included, but to me, getting two things while paying for one is a simple and worthwhile deal. No stacking coupons, just good old shopping frenzy ;).
What can be read about the sales' types...
Kyoto Kid said:Hoping MM will be a straight discount sale without all these games.JK0011 said:Now if we could get credit towards anything in the store like a solid dollar amount for say every 5 dollars spent that we could save up and use at the end of the year that might be worth it. With it not being tied to specific items or excluding items and the use of the voucher not being tied to a specific item or excluding items. That might be worth it.
To paraphrase "The marketing folks knows what they are doing because they have the sales figures, and wouldn't do it if it was losing money".Okay, sure. That's painfully obvious.
However, take a look at the traditional sales approach: "I have an item I want to sell. I want to charge $10.00. For the month of Salember, i'm offering a 50% discount. Come buy it while the sale is active for this indicated period of time at this great discount."
Very straight forward. No confusion. There is a stated benefit of a discount with a beginning and an end. Its a method that has been in effect for millennia.
And yet this traditional method doesn't work here at DAZ3D? Why is that?
Why is it that adding details, stipulations, asterisks, preconditions and such is more beneficial to DAZ3D sales practices?
Any suggestions?
Kyoto Kid said:What makes matters worse is punches must be redeemed each week or they go away. To get 15 punches in seven days would mean not only buying 15 new release items, but items I may not need (or want) just to get the maximum discount. Considering the outlay required to get all those punches it could actually exceed any savings I would get due to the way stacking discounts are applied (no more X% off of 50%). I would also have to redeem that discount in the following week, or *poof*, it's gone. I think the most punches I ever had was four and that was because of a not only glitch where a freebie gave me a punch but a couple 1.99$ PC items that qualified as "punchable" (that appears to have changed as well). Never got a 5th item for even a 5% discount, so once the week rolled over, the count reset to zero.Patience55 said:ruphuss said:Patience55 said:March is Coming!Hope everybody is saving big time!!! :-)
hehehe ...
{for the newbies, it's called the March Madness Sale}
why this hype about a sale that wasn't interesting at all last year
just punches I think
we now have better sales the whole year through"Once upon a time" it was one of the best, as in fun, sales throughout the year. If in reading over all the suggestions people have been making improvements are made, who knows ... maybe we'll get a Millennial Cow and an English Bulldog and gee ... have a nice normal straight forward sale, price is what you see, grab it. 24 hour sales have to be about 36 hours to be fair for all around the globe as I recall.
I still remember getting an item [had nothing to do with season sales] in Fastgrab for something like 24 cents.
When I first joined the forums over a year ago all everyone talked about was March Madness and how much fun and what great deals were to be gotten. Then it was that time last year and it was good but not great. Then this year's madness rolled around and it has been so so. While there are some great items to be had I don't want to have to buy 2 items to get the great deals. As well it has been pretty much the same PA store's on repeated sale. The forums here are pretty much dead compared to what it used to be and I have been spending my money over at Rendo.Daz needs to take a very hard look at itself and change a great deal of customer service back to what it used to be otherwise it will continue to lose those from it's PC and continue to turn off those like me who once considered joining it. Let us have the MM sales but on just one item not 2.
Just my opinion but I know that I'm not alone in it and that will in the end hurt Daz's bottom line if they don't change things around.
...really enjoyed the first couple. Built a good foundation of content from them, and yes, got some items for ridiculously low prices. Was even better as the galleries, contests, and PC gave out vouchers that could be used on either DO or PA items which also stacked with coupons (that had no minimum purchase requirement).
I don't understand Daz "sales". Get 50% off this or that item if you buy one of these other items that you have absolutely no need for. The sale item must be created by a left-handed troll on Thursday, at least six planets in the solar system must be in alignment during low tide and cannot weigh over twelve pounds. Purchaser must chant "ia cthulhu ftaghn" while skipping backwards on one foot in a counter-clockwise direction and swinging a live chicken overhead.What's wrong with just saying, "hey look, this item is on sale. This is how much it costs. Buy it now."
Maybe I'm just old fashioned.
What's wrong with just saying, "hey look, this item is on sale. This is how much it costs. Buy it now."
Geez, that was SO-O-O last year
I also hated those buy this today for extra discount tomorrow so am glad that is gone.
...and a post by Havos, too big to quote, but very informative: http://www.daz3d.com/forums/viewreply/752962/.
What do you think? Did you enjoy the items in the respective categories in 2012? Do you prefer punches?
PS I think it also included free items that were considered old in 2012. The preview can be seen here: http://web.archive.org/web/20121228171244/http://www.daz3d.com/shop/sales-promotions - as you can see, it is just flat "buy from here, get from here".
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Comments
BOGO's only work if all the products in the store belong to one source.
If someone buys one PA's product and gets another PA's product for free, then the second PA will get nothing for it.
This will not work out well for s store setup like this.
The BOGO deals always applied just to DOs... So it wouldn't run into problems like that, Rawn.
Well when you mentioned March Madness, it is implied that the sales are for PA products, because MM is when PA product sales get highlighted.
Sorry for confusion, I'd say MM is when there are deals every day, but if you put it that way...
Anyway, can you answer the questions please? Do you prefer punches to simple sales?
We PAs have two main sales a year that, for the purpose of production, are the biggies: March Madness and the Annual PA Sale.
It is true other products are released during both but the shining focus is on what we put out during those times - should we choose to release during those months.
As for your question - I'm with Rawn. I very much prefer punches to BOGO option. I don't put the time into my environments only to hand them off for free. :D
That said.. straight forward sales are okay, too, as long as we keep the discount reasonable. Anything over 30% off for a new release is too high a price for me. Anything over 50% for a back catalog item is also going over the comfort limit.
I'm okay with earned discounts as long as there is some sort of balance for both sides.
~Bluebird 3D
I prefer Simple sales. Straight forward discounts.
Some extra cheap DO's added to the stash are always appreciated.
I understand PA's not wanting to give away their stuff but sweetning the pot with extra stuff works too.
Opening the vault works too, a few recently showed an interest in M2 due to recent grab bag stuff, if nothing else it gives newbies an insight into the DAZ-olution of figures.
Frankly I don't care one way or another. If I get punches or extra discounts or any of that jazz it is gravy. I'm more than willing to buy something I want with "only" a 40-45% discount. And most of the big sales have started with those discounts as the base.
The sale you linked too was all DAZ O's and the free products are all less than the product your buying (it looked like many where plat) so in many cases it was not even as good as a 45% off sale as far as pricing. And it had a "catch" as well. Buy 10.. So you buy 10 full priced products and can get 10 less priced products for free. Back then that was a great discount because you very rarely saw a discount over 35%. Actually I suspect that DAZ would make more money on those B1G1 sales since the discount on many things would end up less than 50%.
We could go back to the old way.. But back then a big discount on PA products was 35% and the only time you saw 50% (and never more) was during the PA sale. Little or no participation by PA's in things like MM and fewer PA products overall during those months because of the sale competition. DAZ wanted to include PA's in the big sales other than the PA sale because it was good for everyone. PA's had more chances to be highlighted, DAZ gets a cut of our sales and customers get bigger discounts.
Yes, there were easier sales in the past. There were also fewer of them with less discounts for the customers. Even customers who do not try and get punches or buy multiples or what ever. As a customer I really don't want DAZ to go back to those lower discount sales that were so easy and so rare. I am much happier with the sales that, even before a punch or what have you, starts at a bigger discount.
Make it Men's March Madness and release content for male figures only during March.
Frankly I don't care one way or another. If I get punches or extra discounts or any of that jazz it is gravy. I'm more than willing to buy something I want with "only" a 40-45% discount. And most of the big sales have started with those discounts as the base.
The sale you linked too was all DAZ O's and the free products are all less than the product your buying (it looked like many where plat) so in many cases it was not even as good as a 45% off sale as far as pricing. And it had a "catch" as well. Buy 10.. So you buy 10 full priced products and can get 10 less priced products for free. Back then that was a great discount because you very rarely saw a discount over 35%. Actually I suspect that DAZ would make more money on those B1G1 sales since the discount on many things would end up less than 50%.
We could go back to the old way.. But back then a big discount on PA products was 35% and the only time you saw 50% (and never more) was during the PA sale. Little or no participation by PA's in things like MM and fewer PA products overall during those months because of the sale competition. DAZ wanted to include PA's in the big sales other than the PA sale because it was good for everyone. PA's had more chances to be highlighted, DAZ gets a cut of our sales and customers get bigger discounts.
Yes, there were easier sales in the past. There were also fewer of them with less discounts for the customers. Even customers who do not try and get punches or buy multiples or what ever. As a customer I really don't want DAZ to go back to those lower discount sales that were so easy and so rare. I am much happier with the sales that, even before a punch or what have you, starts at a bigger discount.
Yes the sales I have seen start at a bigger discount but only if you buy more than one of a new item at 30% off which isn't included in the discount. After I buy two at the intro discount I can not afford to buy more at the greater discount. Which is why I like the straight forward sales or the flash sales. I do Buy PA's at intro prices when I can but usually after that my budget for the week is bust.
I know I am a low spender and I am not the target audience that DAZ is trying to reach and I am okay with that. I maybe bummed that I can't get the higher discount But I spend what I can and no more.
I have participated in only one punch sale and that was the tier one where you had all month to reach the different levels and at the end received a gift. IT gave me 30 days to reach the last tier and my punches didn't vanish at the end of the week. I liked that one.
+1 maybe with a new cat and dog model tossed in :)
I doubt if I count as a big spender and I am about the most "fugal" person your likely to meet these days overall. I think I am a failure if I can't feed 3 adults a nice dinner for $10 or less so I am all about more for less. I'm not sure if I am the "target market" or not. My purchases are driven by value more than discount. I'm more likely to buy a product at 30% off because I know it will be valuable to me and less likely to buy a product at 50% that might maybe possibly at some point have some value. If there is more than one product that looks valuable and inspiring to me then that is a bonus. But do I feel bad about "only" getting 30% off of something I get use out of? Nope. Because I get my moneys worth and more almost every single time. I'm sure I would buy more if I had more available cash right now. Because of family finances there are times I have to take a miss on something that meets most of my internal criteria. But that would be as true for a 50% off product as a 30% off product. And it it is a product that does meet all my criteria and I feel strongly I do need it then I'm just going to have to find a way to make a few more dinners under $10 so that I can find those funds.
Oh, I understand and don't get me wrong I am the same way. If it is a proven PA that I know does quality work I will often bite even at full price if I need it and have a use for it. Many a time I have filled my cart and then emptied it again because it was things I liked in the sale but wouldn't use often enough to justify it.
To a point I can see that. There are a few things that I remember being pretty exciting. But the truth is those are almost all memories of the first couple of big sales I was here for. Every opportunity was more exciting then. At the same time I don't remember being as avid about the new releases. Even during those exciting sales I would forget to check to see what was new or what the deal of the day was. I'm pretty sure that I have not done that in the last couple of years. DAZ midnight (which isn't reaaaaly midnight) is a much awaited event.
I tend to stay up for DAZ time during the big sales but not the everyday ones I am afraid my job would not like me coming in everyday looking like I had been on a three day party boat lol
I guess I am just a person who likes simple things and I can't help but wonder if DAZ went back to the straight sales they wouldn't have nearly as many mistakes that negatively effect the PAs or their customers. But then again at my work we live by the K.I.S.S. motto. ;-)
...well, we have about two weeks to go before we see what kind of sales scheme is hatched.
From worst to best in my book:
If it's a punch sale Then I'm out, because I could never purchase say 250$ - 300$ worth of product in one week (particularly since so much tends to be fantasy themed - which is a genre I do not work in - or skimpwear) just to get 15 punches for an additional 15% off.
...and again, that discount has to be used in the following week for after that, those 15 punches disappear.
"Progressive" sales ("buy one at..., two at..., three at...) are the next tier. Still very expensive when the average price per item is often around 25$ - 30$ and again, subject to the theme or type of content available as to how much of a discount one gets.
BOGOs, while still annoying compared to just a straightforward sale with a set discount, at least do not require such a huge outlay as punch or 'progressive" sales do since one single item (it can even be PC+ content as I have seen before) can trigger savings on multiple ones. Of course that is contingent on there being a better variety of PA stores involved and not just the same set of ones over and over. The one downside is the "60 day rule" (I remember when MM sales also allowed the extra discounts to apply to new and recent releases as well, and back then wasn't it 30 not 60 days?).
Finally there is the simple straightforward X% off sale. In the past (Pre-Magento) the base discount may have only been 35%, but PC members enjoyed and additional discount that effectively brought the savings to more like 50% - 60% (Daz math was different back then). There were also other special deals offered (particularly on new releases) and coupons that extended the savings. Of course, save for Flash Sales, and SlowGrab, this is pretty much a thing of the past and wishful thinking.
So of the first three, I guess the BOGO concept is the best for those who don't have thousands to spend, and make their purchases based on need rather than on "oooh shiny".
Based on the discounts many of my products (and yes other PA's as well) are sold at that is absolutely not true. I've never had a flash sale or a fast grab and I have products discounted at or over 60-70% pretty regularly. In a few cases even higher. There are regular posts on these boards about the huge savings people have gotten so you really don't need to take my word for it that there are in fact bigger discounts than ever and they are given far more often.
All arguments aside, here's what it boils down to for me. If it's a "punch" sale I have no interest and will absolutely not buy. On the other hand interesting discounts on a large number of separate products will attract my attention and something will get bought. But not if I have to link it with something I don't really need, or even want. I won't play the game. Marketing people can go hang their diploma on the wall and stare at it all they want.
...I've looked back at old purchases, and in recalculating things found in a number of instances during MM sales there was often an extra discount applied based on my being a PC member.
Other than during a major sales event like MM, the PA, or PC sale, as well as 4 hour "Flash Sales", FG, an occasional PC special (like 40% off new releases), or other limited offers not available to everyone (like the "free Vicky 6 if you never bought any Gen 6 characters" promotion or "thank you" specials - which are usually coupons and not a discount %), in the "Magento era" never have seen more than the standard 30% discount for new releases.
...
I've never really understood why anyone buys something they don't need or want anyway. I think most shoppers are savvy enough to know that buying things that you have no use for is not a savings. I may see a can of sardines at the store marked down 70% percent but I don't eat them so it wouldn't be a deal for me. I wouldn't buy them at 40% off to get an extra 10% off of a can of tuna either. But would I buy the can of tuna for 30% off if I needed it? Yup. I also would buy that can of tuna if I can get an extra discount on the second and third can of tuna. I wouldn't buy more because frankly we eat tuna about twice a year at most. I think that based on the success of previous "punch" sales more people find the DAZ and PA products here to be tuna than sardines.
I've never really understood why anyone buys something they don't need or want anyway. I think most shoppers are savvy enough to know that buying things that you have no use for is not a savings. I may see a can of sardines at the store marked down 70% percent but I don't eat them so it wouldn't be a deal for me. I wouldn't buy them at 40% off to get an extra 10% off of a can of tuna either. But would I buy the can of tuna for 30% off if I needed it? Yup. I also would buy that can of tuna if I can get an extra discount on the second and third can of tuna. I wouldn't buy more because frankly we eat tuna about twice a year at most. I think that based on the success of previous "punch" sales more people find the DAZ and PA products here to be tuna than sardines.
For me at least, when buying the tuna if that first 30% off is all I can afford the sale on the subsequent items is useless to me and thus leaves me saddened that I can not buy more, where as if the discount was greater and straight across the board I could afford to buy more cans of tuna.
That being said that is not to ague with your sales figures as I Am sure there are a lot of people that spend a lot in those sales after all if they didn't work DAZ would not use them. However I personally know quite a few that would buy the sardines to get the extra discount even if they had no use for the sardines except as a candle in a emergency. I am not one of those people. So we will see, I hope it is a sale I can take advantage of if not well then I will sadly wait for the next.
So except for a big sale you got the now standard 30% discount? So how was that different than before when you only got what ever intro discount was on the product? How is it better to not have an opportunity s to save more like people do now?
I am sure if really pushed some PA's could be convinced to go back to the way it was in the old days. But you should be clear on how they remember the "good old days". Intro sales were between 15-30% (almost everyone is a standard 30% now). No additional discounts on new products other than that 30%. Twice a year PA products would go on sale for 50% off for one or two days during those sales and for a weekend at the end of the sale. A few PA's would run an extra birthday or anniversary sale at some point during the year but not everyone did and I doubt that would change. There would be no coupons used on PA products at all (forget that you use to could use the plat coupon the system no longer exists for that) and since there would be no sales running regularly there would also be no chance of stacking multiple discounts. The only drawback in trying to convince the PA's to go back to those simpler times with those easy to understand lower discounts is that the new system has made most of them more money because people have more changes to buy products at a discounted price.
Cool with me, it will save me money since I won't buy much if anything.
i dislike (HATE!) the punches also.
Why not just a scrolling banner of more PA flash sales like we have now, I LOVE those!!
...those "two big" sales no longer are 50%. They have become the 'progressive" style sale which usually means having to spend a lot more to get the same discount one could get on a single item before. I know that since the sale structure changed, my purchases have gone down (and that was when I still earned a decent steady income).
Like LeatherGryphon, I completely ignore the punch sales altogether as I don't have 100s to spend on new releases each week. Fastgrab seems to change once in a blue moon these days and flash sales are real hit or miss based on the timing and duration (often when I see a notice in the Flash Sale thread for a store I'm interested in, I find it has already expired after I click on the link).
So in the end, for myself it still pretty much comes down to the three "big event" sales, (MM, PA, and PC) and weekly PC offerings just as it was before.
I agree with Kyoto Kid as I am the same way. I spent more when the sales were simple. however it is clear we are in the minority. And yes it wouldn't bother me if we went back to the old way coupons and all because I don't get to use the extra coupon as often as I would like nor do I use the PC one very often not like I did the PC in the old days.
Don't get me wrong I am glad the PAs are making money and hope they continue But I was asked which Sale I preferred and I prefer the simple sales it is clear at least some if not all of the PAs prefer the complex sales. Neither one of us is wrong. It is a preference nothing more nothing less.
And if March Madness has nothing for me so be it at this point it is all speculation on my part.
I've never really understood why anyone buys something they don't need or want anyway. I think most shoppers are savvy enough to know that buying things that you have no use for is not a savings. I may see a can of sardines at the store marked down 70% percent but I don't eat them so it wouldn't be a deal for me. I wouldn't buy them at 40% off to get an extra 10% off of a can of tuna either. But would I buy the can of tuna for 30% off if I needed it? Yup. I also would buy that can of tuna if I can get an extra discount on the second and third can of tuna. I wouldn't buy more because frankly we eat tuna about twice a year at most. I think that based on the success of previous "punch" sales more people find the DAZ and PA products here to be tuna than sardines.
While I agree with the logic behind your argument, ie no one wants to buy something they do not need or want, the recent sales logic can make getting that unwanted item make sense. For example if I wanted a 40$ scene set, and I was willing to buy it at 30% off, ie 31$, but in the meantime a deal came along where I had to buy an unwanted 2$ PC item and get the scene at 50% off, the total cost is 22$, so obviously I get it at less than what I had been willing to pay for it in the first place.
To use the fish example above, if a can of sardines was 1$, and the tuna was 4$, but if I bought the sardines then the tuna was 2$, then it is a no brainer to buy both. The neighbour's cat would be happy aswell, as it would get the unwanted sardines!
But your finding a use for the smelly fishes.
I'll admit to buying something I don't want or need to trigger a sale discount. Usually a outfit texture. Did that during the V4/M4 sale to get the 80% off. I usually try to select an item I will use, but sometimes I can't always and choose the lowest price item on the list.
I've also known people to buy the same low cost item, to trigger a sale, repeatedl even thought they own it already. So yeah, that does happen.
The punch thing is tough for me, since the majority of items pushed are female clothing, skimpwear and fantasy outifts which I don't have much interest in.
I also own most of the DAZ originals I need so getting a discount or them unless it includes new releases isn't very tantalizing.
I'm at the stage, where I've got a decent assortment of most everything except more sci-fi, guys, guy outfits, and men's stuff. I'd probably buy a female figure that was unique enough but I'm not leaping to buy them. I have enough already, and have even begun uninstalling figures because my DAZ studio has become slow with morphs.
There was a time when it was for DazOriginals ...
some people have good memories ...
really good ones ...
80%-90% off DOs - one day only, but it was fun!