Two major retailers detailed plans today to boost video game sales at their respective stores. Walmart, the convenience giant, kicks it off with a new website sporting its own game reviews and exclusive content while GameStop bulks up downloadable content for its customer loyalty program.
Walmart's Gamecenter may sound editorial in nature by offering "exclusives" and reviews, but it's still very clearly a market-driven outfit. The website's celebrating its launch by offering users $50 eGift Cards to anyone who pre-orders three more of the year's "most anticipated titles," like Medal of Honor, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Fallout: New Vegas "and more." (We don't think they mean Puzzle Quest 2, sadly). Gamecenter also lets users access Walmart's used games program where you turn in your old games or consoles for prepaid Visa cards.
GameStop, meanwhile, is ramping up its existing in-store programs and introducing a customer loyalty program after posting company sales of over $2 billion for the first time ever in a non-holiday quarter. GameStop CEO Daniel DeMatteo said that the in-store Legends of Zork promotion was "highly successful" in converting GameStop customers to browser gamers and that their new customer loyalty and DLC marketing programs would kick off at test stores later this month with a nationwide roll out planned for fall.
So what it seems to come down to is convenience versus customer service. Which retailer do you think has the better freebies?
Source: Daily News from GamePro.com
Thursday, May 20, 2010