DISCUSSION

Can GameStop become the go-to place for the gaming lifestyle?

July 16, 2019Written by RetailWire Staff

Video games are the latest form of once-exclusively physical media being disrupted by digital downloads. In efforts to adapt, GameStop, a brick-and-mortar chain largely reliant on physical game sales, is now piloting a store redesign to make the in-store experience as much about the gaming lifestyle as the games themselves. The pilot stores will offer new ways for visitors to try out games, in-store e-sports competitions and a special separate store concept catering entirely to retro gaming and classic consoles, according to Engadget. GameStop’s performance is currently in the doldrums due to a combination of slowing physical game purchases and a current gap in the release of popular physical consoles. Stores that specialize in physical media were some of the earliest and hardest hit by the advent of e-commerce, but recent trends have begun to demonstrate a path forward for this type of retail, if perhaps on a smaller scale. For instance, as mass retail record and CD stores largely disappeared from the U.S. retail landscape, mom-and-pops remained and even experienced enhanced interest since the mid-’00s with industry-supported events such as Record Store Day catering to the collector market. Likewise, the one-two punch of Amazon in its initial incarnation as a low-priced online bookseller and the advent of e-readers put most of the dominant big box booksellers of the late-’90s out of business. A rebound in interest in physical books since the 2009 low point, however, has led to the proliferation of experience-focused indie booksellers, with Barnes & Noble left as the big remaining chain struggling to find its place. Rethinking brick-and-mortar stores as lifestyle destinations for serious fans and collectors hasn’t been restricted to mom-and-pops, though. In the sneaker world, Nike and Foot Locker have both launched stores focused on cultural activities that fit the lifestyle of fanatical "sneakerheads." GameStop’s attempt at brick-and-mortar reinvention comes at the same time when it is closing ThinkGeek.com, which sells fandom-focused licensed products, according to TechCrunch. ThinkGeek’s 40 standalone brick-and-mortar stores, however, will remain open and the brand will have a new presence in GameStop stores. ThinkGeek was originally an e-tail only outfit acquired by GameStop in 2015. GameStop gave the chain a brick-and-mortar presence shortly after the acquisition.

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