Introduction to The Video Gaming E-Retailing Industry
With e-commerce threatening the survival of brick-and-mortar stores, the video game industry is no exception. This high growth industry has seen its retail arm shrinking over the years, with gamers steadily adopting a digital-first approach to their purchases. However, there is still a robust market for games on physical media , along with collectibles and memorabilia. Traditional retailers are now focusing on offering a personalized experience on their e-commerce portals, thus transforming themselves into e-retailers.

e-Retail has now become a mixture of digital and retail sales. Pre-orders for big game launches are a major draw, with collector’s editions being sold exclusively on certain portals in certain regions. Console gamers are known to prefer buying physical media from these e-retailers, as they can trade in or sell them later.

As consumer purchasing shifts increasingly towards digital, the main challenges faced by these companies include:

Competition from big established and in some cases official digital distribution platforms like Steam, Playstation Store, Origin, etc
Competition from other, more established brick and mortar stores now expanding into e-commerce, as well as e-commerce giants like Amazon
The sheer volume of games coming out on a yearly basis, each requiring frequent updating of content and metadata
Generic recommendations that result in sub-optimal discovery and personalization

Visit Gameopedia