PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
This month we’ve been looking in depth at the new opportunities being presented to tech retailers, resellers and system builders by the games market – it’s a burgeoning space on the cusp of interesting change, with the likes of Windows 10 and Steam Machines disrupting the status quo.
But it’s also a market that many have been tapping in to for some time, as we discovered when we conducted the PCR Dealer Insights Survey earlier in the summer.
To recap, we polled over 150 UK tech retailers and resellers about the markets they operate in.
The headline stat to come out of the results in terms of games was that 62 per cent of respondents said that they currently sell games PCs, games laptops or games accessories.
Of that group, 24 per cent said that games products generated 20-30 per cent of their revenue.
The prevailing trend among respondents who sell games products was that revenue from the segment has increased over the last five years (45 per cent).
Interestingly, almost a third said that games revenue had decreased over the same period, while 24 per cent said it had remained static.
Looking forward, however, there appears to be a lot of optimism around the potential of games, with 65 per cent of respondents who currently sell games products stating that they felt either Confident or Very Confident about the sector.
Finally, we asked respondents what their advice would be for any dealers looking to break into the games market – here’s a selection of what they imparted:
Do it. There’s a margin to be had. But it does require massive marketing if you want to be a high-level player
Know your stuff and play games yourself
Don’t be cheap – use only top quality parts
Plenty of research and find a supplier you can trust, who will be long term. You don’t want to continuously be trying to source a new supplier
Display your products so people can use them. If someone touches something they can get a bond to it which helps you sell the product
Create a product and support it well
Don’t cheap out on budget components, leave that to eBay, stand out as a True Specialist
Make sure you can market [your games offering] successfully to your customer base
Understand the sector inside out first, and make sure your products are competitive in both tech and price
Use and stick to the premium parts – 75% of people will still try haggling for an ebay price even though they use crappy specs and hardware
Keep a close eye on trends in the games market
Don’t just buy Xbox and Play Station compatible peripherals – make sure there is a wide range for the PC gamer as well. The PC gamer will spend more money upgrading his/her PC and will remember you as a potential place to upgrade peripherals as well
Specification is more important than price
Stock the brands customers want not B brands
Build to order – Specify type of game that the build is designed for ie. Minecraft
Look at gaming laptops, there seems to be huge growth in this sector
Bright lights and flashy works wonders
PCR’s Sector Spotlight on Gaming is running throughout September – click here for more articles
