Guild Wars 2

I was kind of hoping for more of a turn out this Wintersday sale, but ..its just a festive mini Aurene (Milking it much?) , some items didn’t even make a return. Really hoping next weeks beats out the last two weeks, gemstore wise at least.

Thoughts?

Also Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year~!

So far, I have found their holidays sales disappointing, to say the least.

I get that it is a strategy to string out your offerings during events, but a lot of the hype of the holiday dies down for me once real life holiday hits and is over. Right before the Wintersday patch hit, I was bouncing off the ceiling waiting for it to start. I was lamenting the fact that I only had the one Wintersday outfit and hoping some new offering was headed our way. At this point, however, two days after Christmas I have switched all outfits and wardrobes back to their normal looks and I just don’t have that spirit anymore. You gotta find that sweet spot for these sales.

Maybe I’m completely wrong and your data shows it, but the timing of the mini seems off. I was thinking I was feeling the same about a Halloween sale of something as well, but I can’t recall what was on offer and when during that.

I cannot imagine what sensible strategy would avoid offering an updated selection of items in the gem shop during the gift-giving season. People want stuff; their people want to gift it to them. Other people want stuff and are asking their loved ones for currency cards — they are unlikely to want GW2 gems over cards for other games, if there’s nothing special in the menu.

My personal theory: the gem shop management is missing some decision makers (someone is on medical leave, suffering a family emergency, quit, or was fired) and ANet went into Wintersday less prepared than usual.

Agreed.

I’ve actually been patiently waiting for the Arctic Explorer outfit to come back into rotation. The last time it was released was mid December of last year, which is confusing because wouldn’t it have been a good idea to bring that outfit back when Cracking the Ice was released?

(the above is assuming that I didn’t somehow miss the sale of that item recently. I’m on vacation and away from my PC to do a proper search.)

Shaaba.5672:

I get that it is a strategy to string out your offerings during events, but a lot of the hype of the holiday dies down for me once real life holiday hits and is over. Right before the Wintersday patch hit, I was bouncing off the ceiling waiting for it to start. I was lamenting the fact that I only had the one Wintersday outfit and hoping some new offering was headed our way. At this point, however, two days after Christmas I have switched all outfits and wardrobes back to their normal looks and I just don’t have that spirit anymore. You gotta find that sweet spot for these sales.

Maybe I’m completely wrong and your data shows it, but the timing of the mini seems off. I was thinking I was feeling the same about a Halloween sale of something as well, but I can’t recall what was on offer and when during that.

Exactly. I know I am much more likely to purchase seasonal items during the build up to a holiday, not when the holiday has come and gone. True, New Years has yet to come, but I am no longer in a Wintersday mood. I would think the entire month of December, up until Christmas day, would prove booming to sales. Who’s still in the spirit in January?

I’m still waiting for the sale to happen…. last years wasn’t grand however they at least had something to show for it. I however wouldn’t hold your breath over it every year they seem to become more lazy with Holiday stuff and just re-hash all from the year before.

I think they probably should have offered more items prior to the real holiday.

I do think they held off on Festive Aurene until after the real holiday for people to use their Gift cards, cash, etc. to spend on the Miniature. I would have expected there to be more on offer this Tuesday, though, for that very reason.

/shrug

One of the best proxies for determining the effectiveness of gem shop sales strategies is to look at the gold:gem ratio. When keys are discounted, the rate goes up. When wings are added, it spikes even more sharply.

This week, the rate dropped.

Yeah but in my case, I received some Gem Cards for Christmas. I loaded them into my account and they are all just sitting there. But ArenaNet on the other hand already has the money so they don’t care if I cash them in or not…..

Sad but true….. Kinda like the 6 Permanent Copper Salvage kits sitting in my bank, with the shared slots I don’t need them, can’t refund them, can’t sell them, and can’t even give them away………

It really appears to me it is all about the money, they really have no sense of loyalty to their customers. Unfortunately it’s a business first and only……… Sad really sad.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Yeah but in my case, I received some Gem Cards for Christmas. I loaded them into my account and they are all just sitting there. But ArenaNet on the other hand already has the money so they don’t care if I cash them in or not…..

Just because they have an ineffective Winter Holiday sale doesn’t mean they don’t care. They might have misjudged the climate for sales or failed to prepare in time.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Sad but true….. Kinda like the 6 Permanent Copper Salvage kits sitting in my bank, with the shared slots I don’t need them, can’t refund them, can’t sell them, and can’t even give them away………

And that’s been explained multiple times: few companies don’t offer even partial refunds months after a new, better product becomes available.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

It really appears to me it is all about the money, they really have no sense of loyalty to their customers. Unfortunately it’s a business first and only……… Sad really sad.

That confused two completely different human “mechanics”:

• ANet is a business. It’s first goal always has to be about making enough money to keep on being a business.
• Loyalty to customers is a separate goal, that sometimes synergizes well with making money…and sometimes doesn’t. Very few businesses can afford to offer loyalty at the expense of otherwise sensible economic choices.

A business loyal to its customers can still make mistakes, can still offer bad or no options.

LadySwan.8751:

I was kind of hoping for more of a turn out this Wintersday sale, but ..its just a festive mini Aurene (Milking it much?) , some items didn’t even make a return. Really hoping next weeks beats out the last two weeks, gemstore wise at least.

Thoughts?

Also Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year~!

Sales are not the only /fail this year. The ongoing nerf to the gifts hit hard, as did the dramatic drop of the flakes (with some kinds completely fading away).

Seems that all this game is now is an insane grind to get even the smallest of completely underwhelming rewards (unlit, tiny guild hall xmas tree, I am looking at you), and/or a race to do so before they nerf it even worse.

Honestly, it’s pretty much just not worth bothering to play.

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Yeah but in my case, I received some Gem Cards for Christmas. I loaded them into my account and they are all just sitting there. But ArenaNet on the other hand already has the money so they don’t care if I cash them in or not…..

Just because they have an ineffective Winter Holiday sale doesn’t mean they don’t care. They might have misjudged the climate for sales or failed to prepare in time.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Sad but true….. Kinda like the 6 Permanent Copper Salvage kits sitting in my bank, with the shared slots I don’t need them, can’t refund them, can’t sell them, and can’t even give them away………

And that’s been explained multiple times: few companies don’t offer even partial refunds months after a new, better product becomes available.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

It really appears to me it is all about the money, they really have no sense of loyalty to their customers. Unfortunately it’s a business first and only……… Sad really sad.

That confused two completely different human “mechanics”:

• ANet is a business. It’s first goal always has to be about making enough money to keep on being a business.
• Loyalty to customers is a separate goal, that sometimes synergizes well with making money…and sometimes doesn’t. Very few businesses can afford to offer loyalty at the expense of otherwise sensible economic choices.

A business loyal to its customers can still make mistakes, can still offer bad or no options.

OK Ill #1 I was making a statement in regards to there was nothing I wanted or priced as I may want in the trading post but they already have been paid. That’s it No more no less and you cannot argue with that fact.

1. I have never heard anything about them addressing the issue with the salvage kits, (What did they say since you know it seems) how about putting something on the loading page when I open the game, I don’t have time to read every posting and site here (or more than likely) on Redditt.

1. You are dead wrong customer loyalty goes hand in hand with business/brand loyalty. If a company stops working for the customer the customer will find someone else who will.

I’ll step back from the podium, its your turn.

Spook.5847:

LadySwan.8751:

I was kind of hoping for more of a turn out this Wintersday sale, but ..its just a festive mini Aurene (Milking it much?) , some items didn’t even make a return. Really hoping next weeks beats out the last two weeks, gemstore wise at least.

Thoughts?

Also Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year~!

Sales are not the only /fail this year. The ongoing nerf to the gifts hit hard, as did the dramatic drop of the flakes (with some kinds completely fading away).

Seems that all this game is now is an insane grind to get even the smallest of completely underwhelming rewards (unlit, tiny guild hall xmas tree, I am looking at you), and/or a race to do so before they nerf it even worse.

Honestly, it’s pretty much just not worth bothering to play.

I agree with you Spook.5847, the game has become nothing but a grind. Do x number of jumping puzzles, drink x number of drinks…. What happened to the plan of not making you go kill x number of enemies to accomplish something from the original statement made when they were developing GW2?

Remember Colin saying “I swung a sword, I swung a sword again”? Yeah Colin is gone ( (I still say fired but that’s my opinion) they have lost, whether it be by accident or choice, their edge. Everything is now a grind not just some of it.

Sorry for the rant I just hate when I agree to something only to have someone else change the rules after the fact.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Illconceived Was Na.9781:

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Yeah but in my case, I received some Gem Cards for Christmas. I loaded them into my account and they are all just sitting there. But ArenaNet on the other hand already has the money so they don’t care if I cash them in or not…..

Just because they have an ineffective Winter Holiday sale doesn’t mean they don’t care. They might have misjudged the climate for sales or failed to prepare in time.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

Sad but true….. Kinda like the 6 Permanent Copper Salvage kits sitting in my bank, with the shared slots I don’t need them, can’t refund them, can’t sell them, and can’t even give them away………

And that’s been explained multiple times: few companies don’t offer even partial refunds months after a new, better product becomes available.

Lite Ning Strike.5203:

It really appears to me it is all about the money, they really have no sense of loyalty to their customers. Unfortunately it’s a business first and only……… Sad really sad.

That confused two completely different human “mechanics”:

• ANet is a business. It’s first goal always has to be about making enough money to keep on being a business.
• Loyalty to customers is a separate goal, that sometimes synergizes well with making money…and sometimes doesn’t. Very few businesses can afford to offer loyalty at the expense of otherwise sensible economic choices.

A business loyal to its customers can still make mistakes, can still offer bad or no options.

OK Ill

1 – I was making a statement in regards to there was nothing I wanted or priced as I may want in the trading post but they already have been paid. That’s it No more no less and you cannot argue with that fact.

2 – I have never heard anything about them addressing the issue with the salvage kits, (What did they say since you know it seems) how about putting something on the loading page when I open the game, I don’t have time to read every posting and site here (or more than likely) on Redditt.

3 – You are dead wrong customer loyalty goes hand in hand with business/brand loyalty. If a company stops working for the customer the customer will find someone else who will.

Edit: One other thing make the ability to trade, sell or whatever the multiple items bought from the Gem store optional. Heck I have 16 sets of permanent harvesting tools spread out through 23 characters but I will keep them all, because of the convenience factor. They take 3 slots in the shared inventory, and even though I have bought my max I still have other items I prefer to keep there.

I’ll step back from the podium, its your turn.

I am still waiting for this: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Wintersday_Minis_3-Pack

I usually buy gems with money, but for Festive Aurene, I just used in-game gold.