I still think retail has influence, if Walmart refused to carry a games console because they felt it wasn't profitable for them then yes, walmart is a big enough player where I think it would affect sales of the games console. Keep in mind that every store has limited shelf space, a retailer can refuse a product if they can fill that shelf space with a product that generates more profit. The retailer is in it for profit and profit only, especially Walmart. Walmart has been known to refuse to sell products when manufacturers could not give them a certain percent of sales, they have so much force in the retail market that they can actually do that. If the console makers don't pony up with more incentive for retailers to sell their products their products might not end up at retail.
There are tons of people that don't shop online, though if we are talking about a games console that requires internet access to get online that should not matter as I assume the people who are going to be buying this games console already have internet access at home therefore they could purchase the games console online no problem. But just trust me on this, not everyone is buying everything online. Just look at Black Friday, people still line up at the stores 3 days before BF to get deals. Some people don't have credit cards and can only pay with cash. EBT cards don't work online, at least I don't think they do and EBT cards are probably the biggest source of income for those in my area! Some people just think of Walmart as their first stop for everything regardless of price. If online shopping was that big this would not be happening, stores would be relatively empty for the most part and parking lots would not be filled like they are here and they are filled. We all know the most superior BF deals are easier to get online and some are at online only retailers so if online shopping was really that big theoretically the stores would be empty on BF or just have a few customers per store. If online shopping was that big also stores like Walmart and Target would be closing left and right, while we have seen lots of store closures over the recent years I don't see it as being any more than any other decade in time based on my area, companies will come and go no matter what. The Gamestop's here are packed with consumers buying games, trading games and happily paying GS prices for games.
Not everyone is a CAG, in fact CAG's and deal hunters probably make up 5% of sales of video games if that even. The rest of the sales go to people who are shopping at Walmart and other retailers because they want to buy a game that they can play now. Gamestop wouldn't be in business right now if every person who played video games is a CAG since they wouldn't be able to make money with their business model, and for right now GS is doing quite well.
The music industry went digital mostly because of convenience for the consumer, its not that inconvenient to swap a game disc on a console for another one but for someone to take 100 albums with them on CD wherever they go and listen to them on a portable CD player would be quite cumbersome. Buying individual songs was also another innovation as you wouldn't have to buy a whole album if you just wanted one song from it. The iPod can hold hundreds of albums in one single device and you can take the one device where ever you go instead of hauling around 100 cd's, which is an enormous convenience for users. A home games console isn't portable therefore going digital doesn't offer a whole lot of convenience for the user other than not having a few DVD sized cases laying around in the convenience respect. For portable consoles digital only makes sense but most portable games haven't been the size of CD's and were quite easy to shove in pocket with the console itself if you wanted to play something other than what was in the system.
There are tons of people that don't shop online, though if we are talking about a games console that requires internet access to get online that should not matter as I assume the people who are going to be buying this games console already have internet access at home therefore they could purchase the games console online no problem. But just trust me on this, not everyone is buying everything online. Just look at Black Friday, people still line up at the stores 3 days before BF to get deals. Some people don't have credit cards and can only pay with cash. EBT cards don't work online, at least I don't think they do and EBT cards are probably the biggest source of income for those in my area! Some people just think of Walmart as their first stop for everything regardless of price. If online shopping was that big this would not be happening, stores would be relatively empty for the most part and parking lots would not be filled like they are here and they are filled. We all know the most superior BF deals are easier to get online and some are at online only retailers so if online shopping was really that big theoretically the stores would be empty on BF or just have a few customers per store. If online shopping was that big also stores like Walmart and Target would be closing left and right, while we have seen lots of store closures over the recent years I don't see it as being any more than any other decade in time based on my area, companies will come and go no matter what. The Gamestop's here are packed with consumers buying games, trading games and happily paying GS prices for games.
Not everyone is a CAG, in fact CAG's and deal hunters probably make up 5% of sales of video games if that even. The rest of the sales go to people who are shopping at Walmart and other retailers because they want to buy a game that they can play now. Gamestop wouldn't be in business right now if every person who played video games is a CAG since they wouldn't be able to make money with their business model, and for right now GS is doing quite well.
The music industry went digital mostly because of convenience for the consumer, its not that inconvenient to swap a game disc on a console for another one but for someone to take 100 albums with them on CD wherever they go and listen to them on a portable CD player would be quite cumbersome. Buying individual songs was also another innovation as you wouldn't have to buy a whole album if you just wanted one song from it. The iPod can hold hundreds of albums in one single device and you can take the one device where ever you go instead of hauling around 100 cd's, which is an enormous convenience for users. A home games console isn't portable therefore going digital doesn't offer a whole lot of convenience for the user other than not having a few DVD sized cases laying around in the convenience respect. For portable consoles digital only makes sense but most portable games haven't been the size of CD's and were quite easy to shove in pocket with the console itself if you wanted to play something other than what was in the system.