A few weeks ago , America ’s largest video game retail chainannouncedthat it ’s going to get in the comic book business . It was a move that took many by surprise . Now , we ’ve got an interview with a GameStop executive who explicate the mentation behind the decision .
I spoke with GameStop ’s director of consumer product Clint Walker last calendar week over the telephone set , where he recite me that the determination was base on the character of the great unwashed who frequent their stores . In the conversation that trace , Walker paint the cartoon strip - selling initiative as an evolution of GameStop ’s current business , and also explains how the party is plan to step intoa whole other expanse of dad - culture retail .
io9 : Why does GameStop need to take up selling comic Good Book ?
Clint Walker : I ’ve been in my character as the director of consumer products for the last few years . We delimit consumer merchandise as plaything and collectibles . The decision to commence trade comic books in the US domestic GameStop and ThinkGeek memory is because , for us , it ’s a very raw contiguousness .
We ’ve got that collector fan in our surroundings . And the smashing affair there for us is the purchase power we have , [ and ] the trueness programs we can bridge over across to the risible book fans , so it ’s a true opportunity . We ’ve hired a few capable affair experts on our end . They ’ve got a couple not bad years of merchandise noesis that we can really lean against .
But the opportunity for us is we ’ve got a great selling acculturation . Our number - one focus for our stores is build relationship , which we just see as a innate paroxysm . As for comic workshop themselves , we bonk it ’s an opportunity . Some of our rival has gone to the roadside , like Hastings [ remark : the national entertainment retail chainthat filed for bankruptcy in 2016 ] or some of the other , smaller operation . But , in general , [ this move ] very much aligns with our destination of being the riotous fashion in pa culture . There ’s just a fantastic chance as we continue to grow our partnerships with Marvel and DC and some of the gum anime properties we ’ve been introduce .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF73Sn0OQLg
Talk to me about those human relationship with Marvel , DC , and the other publishers . I assume you ’re working through Diamond Distribution to get single issues in every workweek . Or , are you just sticking to vivid novel and gather editions ? What ’s going to be useable on the shelf ?
Walker : Yeah , we ’re going to align with Diamond . We ’re doing tremendous business with them to day of the month , more on the aggregator ’ statues , action mechanism figures , and the collectible side of the business . We ’re going to be [ rolling comics out ] in a small subset of stores , probably in the next couple of week on both the GameStop and ThinkGeek side .
But truly , our biggest chance is around Marvel . Marvel is one of our gravid fandoms , but also one of the fastest - growing fandoms . It ’s actually out - performing Star Wars , presently , with some of our mainstream mathematical product . But the chance is just opening door around the Marvel and DC class . We really , truly have gone after Image and Oni and Boom , as well . Those are some of the indies we ’ll be approach . But , really , I think you ’ll see most of our stores cater to the primary Marvel and DC fans .
Okay , so where are these test depot located ?
Walker : They ’re move to be , really , nationally . They wo n’t be concentrate . With the ThinkGeek storehouse that we ’ll be testing in , there ’s a bombastic substructure in Florida and Texas and the Northeast . But as you have it off , Game Stop stores are pretty much nationwide today .
How will the in - store display setups change to accommodate funnies ?
baby-walker : We will actually be leveraging a spinner wrack ; it ’s a vertical , free - stand spinner rack . And that will be our primary name and address . All four sides will be consecrate to comic . And we ’ll be expecting to receive weekly shipments , and truly just judge to make more of a sensation of urgency around the category . We do n’t plan to fill again at this time . We actually expect our initial leverage could be the chance , and really keep it lean and miserly .
Does that mean you wo n’t be doing a back - catalog scheme where you bribe back and buy in senior outlet , like you do with video game ?
Walker : There ’s potential . But I call back for the most part , we understand that the comic client can be extremely generous but also a footling abrasive in terms of the in - store surround . So we ’ll be see at those type of chance , but on the initial go , it ’ll most probably be newly released merchandise . But we ’ll also be look at how do we surmount and expatiate based on what we ’ve learned early on .
For video plot , GameStop tends to work on exclusive packet with hardware manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo . Do you see any form of similar packaging program as opportunities you might pursue with comics publishers move forward ?
Walker : You know what , you bring up an interesting pointedness . So , we have had strip in our environs around certain title . With Injustice 2 last year , I know we actually leverage our relationship with WB around the launching of the game to give some promotional gifts in our stores . I ’ll give you another representative : This year , Spider - Man is derive from Insomniac Games for Playstation … now that we ’re kind of in the office of a pop - culture business , it ’s really [ about ] flourish opportunities across all the categories that we contend . To sincerely bring something unequalled . So it ’s a really exciting time for us when you see all the thing that Marvel and DC are doing in the video game quad , that we have an opportunity to build that basket and truly supply to the ultra - fan customer .
You may pull in , you may not , we ’ve actually released an single brand with Marvel call in Gamerverse . So , fundamentally Marvel has done the inquiry in terms of section their consumer base , and we have a marque call Gamerverse , which are products that will be launching with the Spider - Man video biz from Insomniac this September . What they ’ve been able to do in term of locomote to market with that demographic , you roll in the hay , segment out Marvel as a high tendency around video gamers is really unbelievable .
What ’s in the window of experimentation that you ’re leaving open for this new venture ? you’re able to put strip in store nationwide , do you give a full financial quarter to see if they ’re successful ? How long are you unforced to take this chance ?
Walker : Yeah , no — we’re actually committed in our agreement . It will be multiple quarters . It ’s not going to be a short term solution . We empathize that , early on on , there could be some infliction points involve . But , we ’re absolutely committed to understand this market and bringing something singular and different in the grocery that does n’t live today .
For us , the braggart opportunities are in reality pre - order and patronage . Most of our outside messages are really about the circle of life , and how you could pre - ordering at GameStop and fetch in trades for purchase of other products . We do that well now , from new TV game to pre - owned , and , more recently , consumer goodness and collectible . I cerebrate that you ’ll see us get into the spatial relation of generating some excitement around pre - order of magnitude and trade in the [ comics ] distance , as well .
How you call up Game Stop could improve on the shopping experience find in more traditional funny book stores ?
Walker : You know , that ’s a really good question … I ’m go to think about that for a moment . I had mentioned our selling squad is diversify along with our categories that we manage , and we have brought in a few dependent matter expert that rightfully pioneered comic book program at other retailers . So that ’s one . But two , I opine for us , we acknowledge that there ’s a Brobdingnagian opportunity to have a nationwide partner with Diamond that does n’t be today . I say this with all due respect , but I read that these fan , these consumers , these loyalists can be very fickle about where they purchase their merchandise if they ’re not happy with the shopping experience .
Who are the subject matter expert ?
Walker : We brought in a gentleman named James Parker , who actually had previous roles at Hastings as well as Thinkgeek.com . He was one of the lead merchandiser in pop acculturation for Hastings , and is a merchandiser on our team that really came in and brought us the [ comics - selling ] chance as something that could be scalable .
Is Diamond going to be your sole partner in full term of acquiring more comic book ? Are you die to work with bookstall distribution channel , at all ?
Walker : I think we ’ll thrive , but early on , Diamond is our master partner . There ’s no signs of exclusivity discussions , but they ’re currently sour fine .
Comics is like a hand - selling occupation , where retailer evangelize to customer . It ’s a little bit different than TV game . Do you experience like you ’re going to have to do unlike trainings with consumer - facing stave to content comics ? How do you plan to train up staff to service that unlike market ?
Walker : Well , our primary communications fomite will be our Power - Up Rewards course of study . You jazz , it ’s one of the large commitment fellow member databases in the US for any retail merchant , and I imagine that ’s where we ’re able to also segment our dedication programs to define who is purchasing what products from us .
As an example , we ’ve been able to pull together theFunko Insider Club , which actually direct to that demographic first . Or on our Pokémon side of the business enterprise , we ’ve done tremendous business with Pokémon on the TV game side , but we ’re capable to sell Pokémon Center production through our Pokémon loyalty database , as well . So I think that ’s where we ’ll set forth to empathise who ’s just shopping in our environment , but you ’re correct , there ’s a difference . The key element here is our associates , and we actually know that our associates are one of our greatest assets . So there ’s a Brobdingnagian opportunity to build that trust and reliability and feedback that the fans are looking for in terms of that tribal knowledge .
news show is breaking about GameStop looking to be produce . Does this exchange the mindset you guy have toward selling comics ?
PR interpreter : Evan , we ca n’t touch that .
laughable BooksDC ComicsGameStopMarvel ComicsVideo games
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