Stop Rotating Items on the Gem Store

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

I can't even count how many times I see an armor or a skin on someone and I go to check the gemstore and its not available. My latest example is that its dragon bash, I want to make a dragon bash themed outfit, so i make up armor in the wardrobe and go to the gemstore and all 4 of the pieces I need to create the outfit aren't available.  Same thing happened with the mount skin that I wanted, where it wasn't available for over a YEAR in the gemstore and it took me complaining on the forums for you guys to bring it back (canthan menagerie mount pack).  By the time the items are available to purchase in the gemstore my desire to buy them or the festival or the inspiration to create something new using them has passed and i end up not buying them.

I don't know how long it takes to rotate all of the items in the gemstore, but I would say that at any given time there is only 1/6th or 1/8th available at any given point?  Meaning more often than not you can't get what you want, and this happens every time i get the urge to buy something.

I don't know what psychological benefit you guys THINK you're generating by having artificial scarcity, but its annoying and I've passed up on probably 10 items now at this point because they aren't available when I get the urge to buy them.

Please just stop rotating and make everything in the gemstore available, its ridiculous at this point.

[Farohna.6247]

It's called fear of missing out.  They sell more (it's not just games, all brick and mortar stores do it as well) by offering for a limited time.  Yes, it works. 

 

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

10 minutes ago, Farohna.6247 said:

It's called fear of missing out.  They sell more (it's not just games, all brick and mortar stores do it as well) by offering for a limited time.  Yes, it works. 

 

in my case it doesn't work, because i don't necessarily want it on release, and there is almost no way for me to predict "oh i'm definently going to want this in the future." you're asking me to predict when I will have the urge to buy a skin in relation to a spontaneous feeling/event/inspiration so I don't buy it when it comes out and then when I want it, its not available, so I can't buy it.  When it is available the urge has faded, so in my case they are losing sales.

Also its dragonbash, all of the "dragon" themed gemstore items aren't available for purchase, its ridiculous, and poor planning and I think its hurting sales, despite you saying it creates urgency to buy on release.

The entire dichotomy creates a negative experience and leaves me feeling like I want to buy nothing, because its irritating and artificially induced.

Edited June 11, 2023 by Jumpin Lumpix.6108

[kharmin.7683]

Well established marketing tactics would disagree with you.  If FOMO didn't work to make more profits, companies wouldn't engage with it.

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

3 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Well established marketing tactics would disagree with you.  If FOMO didn't work to make more profits, companies wouldn't engage with it.

sure, its been a never ending source of dissatisfaction and negativity for me, i guess i don't think like other people, i find it extremely irritating.  Its like going to buy a product off a website and it perpetually says out of stock, its one of the most irritating things i can think of when it comes to shopping or when it comes to something you want. but ok... just makes me want to buy nothing even if i want it, because im irritated with the company.

when you see something that is a gemstore item 9 times out of 10, it won't be available, i dunno why people are ok with that, or are like "yah that works, were good with that."

Edited June 11, 2023 by Jumpin Lumpix.6108

[Vyr.9387]

It does work against the vast majority of people, sadly enough.
The few of us with patience and/or principles are, understandably, getting thrown under the bus thanks to the wondrous duet of capitalism and masses living by their primal instincts.
Ironically enough, that same capitalism dictates that people do have all of the strings in their hands: if nobody indulged their immediate whims, the (Gem) store would starve... or adapt.

So do stand tall by Your decisions, regardless - or, rather, in spite - of these manipulative machinations. We might not see a change in our lifetime but hell knows - no single snowflake ever feels responsible for the avalanche.

As for what can be done today, I tend to keep screenshots of particularly interesting combinations I stumble upon, as imperfect a solution as it is. Happen to find the lacking pieces somewhat easier to remember that way, especially if one of them comes around with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

[Jumpin Lumpix.6108]

Just now, Vyr.9387 said:

It does work against the vast majority of people, sadly enough.
The few of us with patience and/or principles are, understandably, getting thrown under the bus thanks to the wondrous duet of capitalism and masses living by their primal instincts.
Ironically enough, that same capitalism dictates that people do have all of the strings in their hands: if nobody indulged their immediate whims, the (Gem) store would starve... or adapt.

So do stand tall by Your decisions, regardless - or, rather, in spite - of these manipulative machinations. We might not see a change in our lifetime but hell knows - no single snowflake ever feels responsible for the avalanche.

As for what can be done today, I tend to keep screenshots of particularly interesting combinations I stumble upon, as imperfect a solution as it is. Happen to find the lacking pieces somewhat easier to remember that way, especially if one of them comes around with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

yah i hear ya, i guess they don't care, fine with me, i was going to buy 5 "dragon themed" gemstore items because of dragon bash, that i don't have.  None of them are available, so I'm buying none.  When they are available, dragon bash will be over, so no point in buying them.  I also like how everyone acknowledges on here that the psychological benefit of generating scarcity in capitalism and how it works so well, but they dont focus on the negative psychology thats generated when people become irritated with the same psycho dynamic. which will most assuredly result in me not buying anything.  THey act like that doesn't count or its not a real thing thats happening or LOL. or whatever.  I guess everyone in this country enjoys being irritated or seeing others irritated like  lord of the flies.

 

[Axelteas.7192]

26 minutes ago, Farohna.6247 said:

It's called fear of missing out.  They sell more (it's not just games, all brick and mortar stores do it as well) by offering for a limited time.  Yes, it works. 

 

When a skin is not avaibale on the gemstore I get a substitute that fits aestethically with the theme/lore and dont look back.  I dont buy it months later because the look is finished.

[Vyr.9387]

13 minutes ago, Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:

I also like how everyone acknowledges on here that the psychological benefit of generating scarcity in capitalism and how it works so well, but they dont focus on the negative psychology thats generated when people become irritated with the same psycho dynamic. which will most assuredly result in me not buying anything.  THey act like that doesn't count or its not a real thing thats happening or LOL. or whatever.

 

I'd assume that's simply the acknowledgement of the seller being unable to do both at the same time.
ANet have shown time and time again that their main goal is to make money, not to please players or preserve (a semblance of a dream of a mirage of) any artistic integrity, the choice of which is entirely their prerogative as is the p(l)ayers' choice to support it or not.

So, from the perspective of the company, you can pick the path of abusing primitive human behavior based on the outdated hormonal hardware, which would milk 90% of your audience all the time and the remaining 10% in case stars are right, earning you a ton of money, or instead stand by your vision and only get a fraction of that, but represent your beliefs first and foremost.
Easy to see which one we're walking, isn't it.

Of course, this choice might be far from ANet's because of how much power shareholders claim, as passionate people tend to practice their craft for the joy of it first, paying bills only somewhere down the line, but that's another discussion entirely.

[Epsilon Indi.2031]

In a perfect world, everything gemstore would show up as purchasable from anywhere be it wardrobe menu or otherwise, similar to bag slots and bank tabs.  But we don't live in a perfect world.  We live in a world where manipulating people to pull more money out of their wallets is okay, so anyone who doesn't want to deal with this has to suffer.

[SinisterSlay.6973]

I find the rotation beneficial.

When the rotation has ugly or garbage items.  Gem prices drop.  So I trade in gold and wait for that one item I want.

Then I snap up the item for free when it comes around on rotation because I saved up gems.

 

Without the rotation I would probably feel compelled to spend money, but with it, my natural cheapness helps me and gives me an advantage.

[Gravitron.7982]

5 hours ago, Farohna.6247 said:

It's called fear of missing out.  They sell more (it's not just games, all brick and mortar stores do it as well) by offering for a limited time.  Yes, it works. 

 

Most game companies including Anet abuse this tactic. It is what it is. 

[SinisterSlay.6973]

3 hours ago, Gravitron.7982 said:

Most game companies including Anet abuse this tactic. It is what it is. 

It also backfires just as often, I believe it is called analysis paralysis.  You don't have the time to think about it, and you know it won't be around so you don't bother.  After a few times you give up all together, resigning yourself.  You already missed out.

This leads to burn out, and ultimately the player abandoning the game.

There is actually some AI companies out there that offer store front plugins for games to change the sales technique used based on the player and how they spend.  Even going as far as changing the price dynamically to encourage you.

Edited June 12, 2023 by SinisterSlay.6973

[Gravitron.7982]

25 minutes ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

It also backfires just as often, I believe it is called analysis paralysis.  You don't have the time to think about it, and you know it won't be around so you don't bother.  After a few times you give up all together, resigning yourself.  You already missed out.

This leads to burn out, and ultimately the player abandoning the game.

There is actually some AI companies out there that offer store front plugins for games to change the sales technique used based on the player and how they spend.  Even going as far as changing the price dynamically to encourage you.

Yeah but I dont think Anet is one of the companies that will change their sales tactics lol

[The Boz.2038]

7 hours ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

It also backfires just as often, I believe it is called analysis paralysis.

That's not what that is. Not even a little bit.
Having a fixed, always-all-available gem store *would* lead to analysis paralysis, choice overload, etc.

[TheNecrosanct.4028]

18 hours ago, Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:

Same thing happened with the mount skin that I wanted, where it wasn't available for over a YEAR in the gemstore and it took me complaining on the forums for you guys to bring it back (canthan menagerie mount pack).

I'm sorry to burst your bubble but they didn't bring it back because you complained on the forum. A lot of items come back at least once a year. They don't do it on individual request. So you can save time and effort complaining on the forum and instead invest in patience, because that's the only thing that works in this regard.

Research and analysis have shown that in a capitalist society these tactics work for the majority of people. So as a company that needs to make money to continue its existence and maintain and develop the game, they will utilize the tactic that is proven to work best. For a game that has no subscription of any kind this becomes even more important. No revenue, no game. Limited availability triggers people into buying and your perspective is in the minority. We can blame capitalism for this, but human nature is just as much a part of this equation. And that won't change anytime soon.

[TashaFoxx.7862]

You're 100% right, but sadly they want more (((profit))). And why bother creating actual content for people to pay for? Easier to just limit the old content.

[SinisterSlay.6973]

19 hours ago, Gravitron.7982 said:

Yeah but I dont think Anet is one of the companies that will change their sales tactics lol

No never, and I am personally fine with that.  It is Anets choice not to sell to me as a market.  They chose another market.  That's fine.

All I can do is say "hey Anet, did you know your method of marketing causes me and people like me to shy away from spending money on your game because your store pop ups means the item is for sale when we are not ready to buy it and gone when we are?"

Edited June 12, 2023 by SinisterSlay.6973

[kharmin.7683]

57 minutes ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

All I can do is say "hey Anet, did you know your method of marketing causes me and people like me to shy away from spending money on your game because your store pop ups means the item is for sale when we are not ready to buy it and gone when we are?"

And I'm sure that they're fine with that because they probably get a lot more profit this way.

[Leger.3724]

I get rotating makes sense but I'm less sure about rotating individual skins for example last week I believe Foefire chestpiece was on sale. The week before that the legs were on sale.

If I saw the full set all at once I might pick it up but one individual piece? Zero  chance.

 

[SinisterSlay.6973]

17 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

And I'm sure that they're fine with that because they probably get a lot more profit this way.

I doubt anyone has actually done a non biased study on this.

Closest I can think of is Egg nog, but it still gets into store the same time every year, so it is predictable.

 

My guess is there are reasons beyond simple profit.  Because a simple fact is, having more things for sale earns you more money than having less things for sale.  Every mega store can tell you that.

Edited June 13, 2023 by SinisterSlay.6973

[kharmin.7683]

And how many of those items sit on the shelf at the mega stores until it is rotated out of stock because it doesn't sell?  Those companies have to pay for that inventory ... oft times at a loss.

[Gibson.4036]

On 6/11/2023 at 4:06 PM, Jumpin Lumpix.6108 said:

 

when you see something that is a gemstore item 9 times out of 10, it won't be available, i dunno why people are ok with that, or are like "yah that works, were good with that."

I dunno, I suppose most people aren't "good with" it, so much as "resigned to" it.

We live in late stage capitalism, which isn't about creating something desireable in exchange for reasonable return. It's all about extracting as much profit as possible through whatever means you can exploit. Unless you can figure out a way to mobilize enough people to make it less profitable to exploit base impulses, there's not much to be done apart from individually unplugging from it as much as you can.

People revolted against the lootbox mount skins, and ANet added the select licenses. People are largely resigned to gemstore rotation, though, so it's unlikely to change. They lose revenue from people like me, who take too long to decide, but they clearly make far more revenue from the people that just have to have a noodle stand the first day they are available. Remember the Noodle Districts that first week? Now I only see maybe one in any given gathering place. But people are still going to throw money at the next thing they'll use for a week or two.

The myth that capitalism moves toward the greatest good through competition and rational self interest has been revealed as a lie long ago. Instead we get disease-causing processed foods, schadenfreude as entertainment, commercialized simulations of community, and exploitation of poor impulse control.

It's probably worth a message to ArenaNet when you don't like something. It's not, however, worth investing any hope that will change anything.

 

[Sobx.1758]

On 6/12/2023 at 6:03 AM, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

I believe it is called analysis paralysis

13 hours ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

having more things for sale earns you more money than having less things for sale

Come on, make up your mind.

 

14 hours ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

All I can do is say "hey Anet, did you know your method of marketing causes me and people like me to shy away from spending money on your game because your store pop ups means the item is for sale when we are not ready to buy it and gone when we are?"

But if you know what you want to buy and you know the item will be rotating in then how are you ready one day and not ready another day when it rolls in? Doesn't it mean you'd buy it impulsively if it was available, but then you decide you'd rather spend on something else instead? At which point... Good for you?

Edited June 13, 2023 by Sobx.1758

[TheNecrosanct.4028]

16 hours ago, SinisterSlay.6973 said:

I doubt anyone has actually done a non biased study on this.

Closest I can think of is Egg nog, but it still gets into store the same time every year, so it is predictable.

 

My guess is there are reasons beyond simple profit.  Because a simple fact is, having more things for sale earns you more money than having less things for sale.  Every mega store can tell you that.

Trust me, studies have been done. It's a general marketing strategy. Sales and limited availability trigger people into buying. It's standard human behavior for the majority of the population. Yes, there will be exceptions, but exceptions are by definition not the majority. ANet's customers aren't categorically different from the rest of the population.