- Used data from a fictional online game to analyze trends in users buyer habits include:
** average sale totals overall, by gender, and by age
** total sales by age group, individual users, and game item
- Observed Trends:
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Males make up the vast majority of players (84 percent), but it is important to note that females and non-disclosed genders make purchases at about the same rate as their male counterparts (males-74 percent, females- 71 percent, non-disclosed- 73 percent). Furthermore, males actually make the smallest average purchases at 3.02 dollars while females' average purchase is 3.20 dollars and non-disclosed genders' average purchase is 3.35 dollars.This means that it is important to not ignore these minorites as they do make up more a meaningful percentage of overall sales. Increasing the percentage of these demographics may even increase the overall average purchase per player.
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Roughly 77 percent of all users are between the ages of 15 and 29. That is a huge demographic to focus on in marketing and game design. This group must be kept happy, but it seems like something is being left on the table with a lack of participation by people over 30 (the game doesn't seem aimed at those under 15 given the artwork, complexity of item names and the fact that all items cost money). According to one report by Entertainment Software Association the average age of online gamers is 31 years old. Clearly the makers of Heroes of Pymoli need to focus on the 30+ year old demographic in order to increase overall participation and profits.
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Consider eliminating some items and incentivizing multiple purchases. There are over 50 items that have netted less than 10 dollars in overall profits. They are either poor items or undesirable to buy for another reason. Having "empty" items like these takes up memory and are also annoying for gamers because it means that more than a quarter of the items they come across are not worth purchasing. This can deter spending as some gamers will see the pruchases as unworthwhile. Also, consider providing incentives for multiple purchases. The largest spender has only made 5 purchases which total less than $20. Making 'boxes' or lumped items at discounted rates can entice gamers to pull the trigger on a purchase.