I think having it be a dedicated games store is a losing proposition. The people who shorted GameStop back in the day were right to do it. Physical stores for video games just don’t have a long-term future.
What I think would work better is something like Fry’s or MicroCenter. Canada has BestBuy, but that’s more an electronics store for the general public. Fry’s and Microcenter are more focused on serving geeks: gamers, 3d-printing enthusiasts, makers, people into building their own PC, etc.
Sell 3d printers and 3d-printing gear. Those are often things people want to see in person before they commit. And, sometimes people want a part immediately and don’t want to wait even overnight for it to arrive. Sell RGB PC gear where people need to see it to appreciate it. This won’t work if the markup is too big. But, if it’s close to the price you can get online, I think people would rather look at some things in person rather than based on photos and videos online. Sell Arduino and Raspberry Pi gear, along with the small, cheap discrete components you need for those kinds of projects. Obviously you can order that stuff online, but often order minimums and shipping charges make it really expensive. If you can just grab a few things out of a bin, you’d probably save money. Stock headphones, and let people try them before they buy. It can often be really hard to tell if a headset is going to be too heavy, too tight, too hot, etc. Let people test out clicky keyboards to see how they feel and how they sound. This is another thing where how it feels makes a huge difference and you can’t tell when you buy online.
They should also have a very good e-commerce website with competitive prices. Assuming they’re going to have physical stores, make it easy for people to have their orders delivered to the stores. Computer gear is one of those things that you don’t want sitting out on your porch. And, once someone’s in the store, it’s easy for them to remember something else they needed to get.
It’s still going to be hard for a brick and mortar store to compete against Amazon. But, there are also advantages to doing certain things in person.
I think having it be a dedicated games store is a losing proposition. The people who shorted GameStop back in the day were right to do it. Physical stores for video games just don’t have a long-term future.
What I think would work better is something like Fry’s or MicroCenter. Canada has BestBuy, but that’s more an electronics store for the general public. Fry’s and Microcenter are more focused on serving geeks: gamers, 3d-printing enthusiasts, makers, people into building their own PC, etc.
Sell 3d printers and 3d-printing gear. Those are often things people want to see in person before they commit. And, sometimes people want a part immediately and don’t want to wait even overnight for it to arrive. Sell RGB PC gear where people need to see it to appreciate it. This won’t work if the markup is too big. But, if it’s close to the price you can get online, I think people would rather look at some things in person rather than based on photos and videos online. Sell Arduino and Raspberry Pi gear, along with the small, cheap discrete components you need for those kinds of projects. Obviously you can order that stuff online, but often order minimums and shipping charges make it really expensive. If you can just grab a few things out of a bin, you’d probably save money. Stock headphones, and let people try them before they buy. It can often be really hard to tell if a headset is going to be too heavy, too tight, too hot, etc. Let people test out clicky keyboards to see how they feel and how they sound. This is another thing where how it feels makes a huge difference and you can’t tell when you buy online.
They should also have a very good e-commerce website with competitive prices. Assuming they’re going to have physical stores, make it easy for people to have their orders delivered to the stores. Computer gear is one of those things that you don’t want sitting out on your porch. And, once someone’s in the store, it’s easy for them to remember something else they needed to get.
It’s still going to be hard for a brick and mortar store to compete against Amazon. But, there are also advantages to doing certain things in person.
Sounds like MemoryExpress?
Never heard of them, and they don’t have a store near me. The pictures I’ve found make it look basically the same as a Best Buy though.
More like a cross between radio shack and Best Buy?