There are hundreds of thousands of websites available on the internet from which we can shop. These websites make it easy for us to find the desired products. It is all because of the internet that we can avail a broad spectrum of shopping opportunities.
Various stores range from general web to niche-specific ones that allow you to shop for anything you want. For example, if you are a gamer and want to purchase gaming products and merchandise, you can go to a specific website. Moreover, you can also visit a general website, where they might have a gaming merchandise collection for you.
It was not an option to consider online shopping in the past, and we had to visit our local shops with a limited product range. Moreover, if we wanted to compare the prices, we had to visit different stores. Other than that, we didn’t have any option. One other drawback of traditional shopping was the time consumption.
In today’s world, we can buy anything online, even if we are at work. Moreover, with the increasing trend in technology as more people shift towards earning through online modes, gaming developers has also become a source of making money.
People now earn through gaming as some bet on a game and earn money by winning it, while others sell the merchandise and other gaming products. You will find numerous websites selling gaming merchandise from where you can buy gaming T-shirts online.
Gaming Merchandise from History to Present
Owning gaming merchandise is just like owning a band T-shirt. You don’t need a T-shirt to enjoy the music of your favorite band. But as you are a fan of the band, you buy the shirt to keep it as a memory and a reminder of what you like.
Similarly, having a physical piece of the game at your home means you hold emotions and enjoy playing with it. Moreover, if you are good at it, you might like to spend hours playing it. We can link self-determination theory in this. Which says that if you understand something and enjoy doing it daily, it becomes a part of your identity. Therefore, to keep that identity alive, we buy things like merchandise associated with our favorite game.
If we talk about the beginning of gaming merchandise and collectibles, it started from Atari 2600. Activation was famous for giving achievement badges to the players after reaching a certain level or high score.
The players had to take a picture of their screen and mail it to the address listed in the game booklet. It was a way to celebrate fans’ achievements through a small keepsake. Activation allowed the fans to connect with them by observing the high score in a new exciting way.
Through giving achievement badges, Activision allowed the fans to connect excitingly. We also experience this now as more and more game developers are trying to combine digital and physical products to create an excellent gaming experience. This experience helps the players connect with the story and character of the game they like to play.
Merchandise, a Game Monetization Strategy
When you search “how to do game developers” on a search engine, you may assume that the first search result will be “make games.” However, it is surprising to know that the first result that comes up is “how game developers earn money?”
The gaming industry in the USA values about $18.4 billion. Moreover, with the increasing popularity of games, developers find new ways to earn more Profit on their games. In the past, there were three strategies through which the developers used to make money.
- Earning profit from selling game
- Selling virtual products
- Placing ads in the games
However, as gaming has become more mainstream, people are becoming more enthusiastic about showing their game fandom. Merchandise not only helps to create empathy for the game but also provides a tangible connection with the digital world/ moreover, it also represents part of the $13 billion industry in the USA.
Moreover, as the age of average games is 38 years old, the days are gone when teenagers used to buy the game using their allowance. Therefore, if the developers want to increase their Profit, monetizing their merchant is an efficient way.
Developing Apps to Sell Merchandise
As the number of gamers increases, more and more people are trying to sell their gaming merchandise. The simplest solution to do that can be building a gaming app. It can help them to sell their merchandise efficiently and quickly.
Moreover, they can find creative merchandise ideas through customer feedback, make custom designs, and worry less about inventory fulfillment. Creating an app can increase the likelihood of adaptation by gamers. Therefore, if the gaming developers want to succeed, they should focus on the merchant pain point.
Build an Online Webstore Telling Your Game Story
If you want your customers to perceive the same gaming experience as your merchant, you should keep the properties consistent. For example, as the games contain stunning graphics and action-packed sequences, your website should also set the merchant with the same feel.
If you want proof of how gaming developers earn a lot of money through online stores, you should look at Bendy and The Ink Machine. They received awards for the best game of 2017 because they had a website that mirrored the same dark experience of their game.
Similarly, Monument Valley is another store famous for its whimsical feel and outstanding visuals. They earned an Apple design award because of their store.
Bottom Line
Selling game merchandise is becoming an effective way to increase Profit, and game developers should consider it. By selling physical products, they can create a lucrative in-game monetization. Moreover, the physical effects will also help the developers connect with their fans in the real world. Therefore, building an online website on the theme of the game and selling the merchandise should be the first option for the game developers to increase their Profit.