Target and Best Buy Jumping on the Trade-In Bandwagon

So the question now becomes, if you have the choice who will you choose? It’s nice to see this level of competition come out of two of the country’s biggest retailers but is this too little to late? Does this mean that the notion of used games and trade-ins is still a viable revenue stream for retailers despite all the talk about digital distribution pushing this system out? Totally. Even if you don’t use that in-store credit to buy a new game or to cut that new game purchase price down, you now have store currency and that’s the key here. Ultimately this more than anything else may be the overwhelming factor in the success of these programs from Best Buy and Target. If Gamespot isn’t worried, they should be.

Looking for 360 Slim? Good Luck

But think about this strategy. With the Slim not having it’s own name and essentially having all the components that have up until now been separated (bigger hard drive, integrated wi-fi, kinect enabled) it’s quite feasible by year’s end we’re looking at what will be the standard 360 model until the next console eventually appears. That being the case, it’s understandable then why there would be such a demand, especially if this will be the main model available in stores heading into the holiday season.

So if you are itching to get your hands on one of these new fingerprint friendly, hush-quiet, sleek models you should be able to get one …. eventually.

Best Buy Taking a Shot At Gamestop’s Trade Business

More accessible, better branding and larger inventory means the ability to leverage their trade-in games feature as a set piece for their gaming section of the store and keep people in the store way longer than they had expected to be there thus creating more opportunities for the company to get more money out of you. Make no doubt, this was by no mean whimsy. The retail outlet will also be dealing in used hardware as well so there’s lots of opportunities here for Best Buy to revitalize the game trade business and create a new and improved system that in the long run will outshine anything Gamestop has to offer and might ultimately be the tell tale sign of their inevitable downfall.

Target Brings Back the Bullseye Lounge to E3– Snacks And Games Galore

Plus the company’s acknowledgment of the potential profit from upgrading their gaming merchandise is a move that definitely give them a heads up in video game retailing on their competitors and could possibly cement their branding with the big three for the place to offer exclusive deals like they currently do with Gamestop.

Does this mean Target will become the videogame superstore to Gamestop’s .. game store? Can you buy, Cheetos, socks, a DVD and Mario Kart at Gamestop?

Doorbusters and Videogames — Aint Capitalism Grand?

As to whether this holiday shopping season will salvage the videogame sales slump will be determined in a month or so but for now retailers are certainly doing their part to make it happen.

Next Page »