Trying out a super-sale

[SkeletonKey Ed]

I was a bit disappointed that I got bumped off the front page toplist but I don't think the super-sale is unfair. I have had a bit of an increase in sales over the past few days and Morrus's sale has got me thinking about my own marketing strategy.

Sales on E.N. Publishing products are up and the toplist reflects that. Isn't that what its there for?

Cheers -

Ed Bourelle
SkeletonKey Games

 

[Morrus]

Exactly my thoughts. This sale is teaching me a lot about selling e-products - some things I thought were almost "sacred cows" have held out not to be true.

In addition, despite my thoughts otherwise in the past, it has revealed that the customers are there. The difficulty is in persuading them to spend money on your products and not somebody else's. This seems to be an effective way of doing just that. Hell, maybe it will completely change the way EN Publishing markets and sells it's products in the future.

Make no mistake - I believe that the top lists have had little effect on this sale in particular (although they are useful tools in other circumstances), but as a basic principle I think that this is just an example of the tools available being used to good effect.

 

[rpghost]

Morrus, don't get me wrong. I love what your doing and the benifits to RPGNow are great... the issue is with people who do not like to see their products fall of these lists just so that all of your products can be at the top. I've basically told those people that no one solution will satisfy everyone. I do something one way then the others are pissed. So in the end I just have to decide what's best in the customers interest.

What's best to the customer isn't who came up with the slickest marketing plan or the newest way to "use" the rpgnow promotional services. What's best in the eyes of the customer is us getting them to hear about and see the best products. That can sometimes be a factor of cost, but is usually more a factor of content.

Your massive sale, while a great thing for you and I and your actual customers, it's not nesseraly the best thing for the TOP lists or the new customers who come to our site and see only your products on the top of the list.

In short, the agruement is that best does not nessarly equal quantity sold.

But of course you could argee this both ways (or three ways)... I'm only looking for some suggestions to address this. Maybe we do random top lists in the cateogry where it chooses to display best ranked based on comments one time, best based on units sold another time, best based on total $ volume another time. That way people can see a few different items on the lists.

With this sale you've basically locked your products to the top of those lists for the next year or so... is that good or bad for the customer?

James

 

[rpghost]

In addition, despite my thoughts otherwise in the past, it has revealed that the customers are there. The difficulty is in persuading them to spend money on your products and not somebody else's. This seems to be an effective way of doing just that. Hell, maybe it will completely change the way EN Publishing markets and sells it's products in the future.

This is a very very good point. Since all these people obviously hadn't bought the product before.

We have over 40,000 customers at RPGNow. Our sales over all for 2003 have doubled from 2002. Yet most publishers are complaining about slugish sales.

Oh, along these lines I and many others here would really like to hear your results at SVGames with regards to units sold. Cause it is my theory that there are a LOT more customers out there and SVGames inherited many from Wizards. Do they find your products interesting?

James

 

[Morrus]

Well, James, top lists are never going to help the customer, whatever form they come in. The best solution would be a top list based soley on quality, and having nothing at all to do with quantity.

Tell ya what - why don't you do away with the top lists altogether and send all your customers over to my review pages.

 

[Morrus]

the issue is with people who do not like to see their products fall of these lists just so that all of your products can be at the top.

I don't like seeing Monte's products knock me down the lists, either, but I don't complain about it!

Incidentally, this sale has had little effect on the long term bestseller lists - those move very slowy over periods of months, not days. This is ony affecting the recent top sellers list, and is therefore very temporary in its effect. Give it a few weeks, and you'll never know that the sale had happened!

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Is it ok for me to throw my two cents in?

Everybody has a valid point IMO. Though I agree with Morrus that it is not "unfair". There are no rules against lower prices and sales.

Perhaps the best "comprimise" solution would be in fact two Side by side top lists. One by Quantity Sold, One by Quality.

Using Enworlds (or someone elses) reviews or grading or whatever, is a good basis for ranking the quality top list, though you'd need a larger staff of reviewers. At least 10 or 15 for it to be accurate.

It would be very intresting for customers to be able to compare lists. "Wow, this product is #1 on the sellers list! I wonder why its #49 on the quality list...hrm..."

This gives customers a lot to think about, and more information to use in deciding purchases.

It may not be the most practical idea due to the layout of the RPGnow site.

I dunno, maybe all of the above is worthless and i'm talkin out my arse with stupid ideas.

Its just an opinion. Cheers.

 

[rpghost]

Well, James, top lists are never going to help the customer, whatever form they come in. The best solution would be a top list based soley on quality, and having nothing at all to do with quantity.

Tell ya what - why don't you do away with the top lists altogether and send all your customers over to my review pages.

You might have something there... I recently integrated RPG.NET reviews into RPGShop... I'm sure we can do something simular with ENWorld reveiws. If you have a php function (url) that I can call passing a product title and have it return matches with links, I'll integrate it in under the onsite comments.

I still have to get a link up to your pdf site too. Just still don't know where it would fit best. Maybe the new front page is a good place for that. But I fear it being abused...

James

 

[d20Dwarf]

Only counting the sales of non-sale items seems like a reasonable solution.

To those that are peeved about being knocked off the toplists....big whoop. If you can't maintain sales without being on the toplist, then maybe you don't have a viable product on your hands.

Print publishers don't demand that all game shops put their products on the front window and by the register. In other segments, like groceries, producers *pay* for shelf space so they can be placed in the most prized and profitable spots.

 

[d20Dwarf]

No it's not. What you suggest is, essentially, penalising anyone who has a successful marketing strategy, which is exactly what this is.

I gotta say that, while this sale, its aims and its strategy has nothing to do with RPGNow's top lists (that's just a nice little side-effect), on principle I think I'd be pretty upset if one of the goal posts were moved just because someone was doing well. Nothing to stop those complaining doing exactly the same thing.

This is absolutely correct. And RPGNow already penalizes its most successful vendors by charging more money for Gold service members who sell more books. This is completely backward. Those who generate more revenue should be rewarded, not penalized.