Video Games and eCommerce

I must admit, I’m a bit of a kid at heart as it relates to playing video games.  Being a child who grew up in the 80′s, I was immersed with Nintendo and Sega and fascinated by spending hours trying complete Super Mario 3 or Ninja Gaiden.

We get older and with age comes responsibilites.  Time becomes scarce.  I have less time to play video games but try to bust out the XBOX once a week for a little R&R.  My interests these days lie in sports games and within a new sports game release I observed the intersection of eCommerce integrated within the online gaming experience.

When playing FIFA 10 (a killer soccer game) within the menu of the game there is the ability to go to the FIFA store.  When there, users have the ability to use stored payment options to purchase additional gaming components among other things.  It makes a ton of sense to personalize the store based upon user preferences and with the millions of consumers who use video games daily, this can be an interesting channel to watch in the years to come.

Lets say I am a Liverpool fan.  For those in the U.S., Liverpool is a popular football (not soccer in Europe) team that has a devoted following in the Premier league of England.  When configuring the game upon my first play, I select Liverpool as my favorite team.  Imagine the possibilities and potential revenue share potential that can take place.

Within the store, I could be presented with Liverpool apparel, memorabilia, ticket offers, and other items that passionate fans love to buy.  Essentially, it could operate as an affiliate marketing relationship, but instead of the publisher getting paid by the retailer, the video game company, in this case Electronic Arts, would get paid a revenue share from the retailer or wholesaler that ships the item.

This becomes simplistic because payment info (Credit card data) is already stored within most user accounts.  Online gaming has led to users purchasing subscriptions etc online and most users have their info stored. This leads to an easier transaction and higher conversion rates.

Video games and eCommerce is an emerging channel and one that should be watched.  Take a minute and think about your assortment and target demographic.  Maybe this opportunity is closer than you think.

Tags: Multi-Channel