4 Strategies to open a virtual shop on your SeekaHost Minecraft server to attract more subscribers
BY READERS DIGEST
23rd Nov 2021 Technology
The popular Minecraft game is not just fantastic to learn coding or for gaming with friends.
The popular Minecraft game is not just fantastic to learn coding or for gaming with friends.
Committed Minecraft players looking to earn a bit of cash can start a shop in Minecraft if they have a Minecraft server and know how to run a Minecraft server, which can also be discovered here:
However, it’s not an easy task to start a shop and keep it running and the monetisation strategy needs to be carefully planned to actually earn with a Minecraft server hosted by SeekaHost.
This guide therefore offers strategies and tips provided by SeekaHost’s Minecraft experts that can make starting and running a shop in Minecraft easier and more effective to attract more server subscribers which in turn offer more monetisation opportunities.
Please bear in mind that you cannot earn money directly from your in-game shop. The shop serves more as a means to attract more players that can turn into subscribers willing to pay to access your Minecraft server.
Because even if you get cheap Minecraft hosting with SeekaHost, it still costs you to maintain a Minecraft server and you’d want to benefit from it financially, wouldn’t you?
So, why not combine your gaming and shopping passion with Minecraft to generate some income?
1) Plan what to sell in your new shop for maximum gains
Getting started with your Minecraft shop requires a few things first to consider:
- For the Bedrock edition you can create shops in game, trading items with other players, e.g., 20 iron for 1 diamond.
- You can also set up a shop using command blocks which are little programmable blocks which you use to create shops that use a in game currency known as scoreboard.
- You do this by coding commands like taking an item from a player, giving the item a selected currency, and then displaying the score as a currency.
- For the Java edition you can use many shop plugins to give you extra features like a working shop, currencies, or a scoreboard. The most popular plugins for shops in Minecraft are Essentialx and Vault to establish currency systems.
No matter which Minecraft edition you use, it is recommended to start off small and then expand with items you can mine easily, but that are in demand like farming goods for example. You should also limit the items players can sell to your shop as you don’t want to end up with items nobody wants or is willing to buy in your shop.
Attracting more players with your shop to join your server should eventually lead to the following monetisation strategies:
- Encourage players to contribute to a set amount for accessing your server so that all players receive a reward from your shop to enhance their in-game experience if the amount is reached – the higher the demand the higher your return.
- Amass subscribers to earn from in-game advertisement, sponsorships, affiliate marketing and product placements – the more subscribers, the more monetisation opportunities.
2) Maintain good stock to remain in demand
Once your shop is up and running, you need to ensure you’ve got a good stock of popular items, because Minecraft players can buy your whole stock at any time.
It’s therefore vital to keep track of your shop’s sales history through checking your Minecraft chests and restocking when needed with the right items. Have a good shop storage of surplus items elsewhere on your Minecraft server to replenish your shop chests quickly and not lose your customers.
"You need to ensure you’ve got a good stock of popular items"
Varying the quantity of items is another strategy that will be beneficial as rare items that are more expensive should be sold individually, whereas cheaper items can be sold in bulk to meet different shopper’s needs. This way people will return to your Minecraft server and possibly subscribe and pay.
3) Offer competitive prices in our shop
To attract as many customers as possible to your Minecraft shop on your server, you need to make sure that the items you sell are not too cheap so that you run out of them quickly before you can replenish, while not making them too expensive so that you never sell anything.
Shop around yourself in your competitors Minecraft shops and gage the best pricing for your shop. Remember that supply and demand can greatly affect the price of an item. Minecraft updates often bring about new items, which sell at a higher price initially as they’re high in demand. But to observe the market saturation is key to get the pricing right.
It’s a bit like on the stock market: the value is constantly changing and to make the biggest gains you must invest in the right items at the right time and for the right price.
4) Market your shop
How will Minecraft players know about your shop? Well, you will have to advertise it, just like in the real world.
Utilise global chat to spread the word about your shop to attract players. However, you must stick to the advertising rules and only use market chat when advertising and only advertise once every three hours. If a player asks for an item, you can obviously refer them to your shop.
"Utilise global chat to spread the word about your shop to attract players"
Invite players to your shop on your server and create different events such as an open day where you offer special deals on the items you sell. Make these events known in Minecraft forums and communities and use social media too such as Facebook groups or even YouTube.
For Minecraft players looking to build their own followership, it is a good idea to get a cheap .com domain to create their own website that can be used for international and global marketing and SEO purposes.
Because the end goal is to attract more Minecraft players to join your game server as subscribers so that you build a solid fan base that can help with monetisation.
Invite Minecraft Players to your Shop and build a Fan Base
Think you can pull off a Minecraft shop on your Minecraft server? With the above listed strategies, you should be on the right track for monetising your game server with the help of an attractive in-game shop. Remember, you can only master the craft through trial and error. So don’t give up easily and stick with your guns, it will pay off in the long run.
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