Patent ID: 8732035

Claim:
A method of providing a competitive sales environment in a virtual world, the method comprising: receiving, byat least one computing device, a request for product or service information from a consumer avatar; querying, by the at least one computing device, a database of vendors based on the request for product or service information; identifying, by the at least one computing device, at least one vendor relevant to the request for product or service information; notifying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor of the request; querying, by the at least one computing device, the at least one vendor to participate or decline participation in a sales environment with the consumer avatar; receiving, by the at least one computing device, a response from the at least one vendor, wherein the response of the at least one vendor is based on the request for product or service information and a quantity of vendors notified being below a predetermined threshold; and in response to the at least one vendor accepting the query to participate in the sales environment with the consumer avatar, making available to the consumer avatar, using the at least one computing device, the sales environment based on the request for product or service information.