The life of a video game retailer is not as simple as one might think. First off, they have to manage their stock efficiently throughout the entire year. Buying, selling, promoting games, attending expos and other important events… It’s quite easy to get overwhelmed by them all. But don’t worry! We’ve come up with a retailer’s calendar to help you pick the most crucial events! So, we divided the year into specific seasons and gathered some important pieces of advice for each of them.

When to buy? When to promote? And when is the right time to go on a trip and attend Electronic Entertainment Expo? Below, you’ll find all that and more. Enjoy your reading!

January and February

Winter means winter break. Not everywhere of course but in Europe, USA and Canada there are few weeks of “no school” time for the kids. Between December and February, some of them go skiing, some stay at home and spend their free time playing video games and some even do both. Winter break is a good time to promote sports games (and games in general) as there is a good chance of acquiring many potential customers.

Another good opportunity is Valentine’s Day. Video games make pretty good gifts, and true gamers always appreciate them. Although it’s not a public holiday in all countries, it’s a cultural and commercial celebration that is significant in many regions around the world.

March

In March, the gaming world prepares itself for a massive surge of big releases. In addition to this, many events are eagerly awaited at this time of year, including IEM (Intel Extreme Masters), Pax East and CeBIT. You don’t have to focus on it but you should still keep tabs on what’s what in the industry.

April, May and June

A potential gold mine. Plenty of big releases are scheduled for these months and some of them are usually strong contenders for the Game of the Year title. This spring-summer period is the best moment for acquiring stock and extensive promoting of your store. Do it before the upcoming silly season or you’ll be forced to lazily wait for autumn.

It’s worth mentioning that June is an E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) month. Scheduled for June 13th-15th it’s one of the biggest events in the electronic media world and a must for everyone involved in it.

July

The silly season starts. In this particular period of time retailers usually don’t receive as many orders as in previous months so they can focus on slightly different aspects of their business. At the beginning of July you should start working on future marketing campaigns and test new tools to improve your work. It’s also the right time to leisurely learn about REST API – a tool which automates digital product sourcing. It’s definitely worth implementing in your store.

August

Still not much to do but hey! There’s still Gamescom ahead! If you have your own store, you definitely should attend this event – either as a visitor or preferably as an exhibitor. You will not only learn a lot about future prospects in the gaming industry but you’ll also have an opportunity to make new business connections. Either way, you can and will benefit from it.

September

The lazy start of a new season. Game releases begin to pop up and retailers once again have to focus on order management. If you decided to implement REST API in your store, now is the time to reap the benefits of your choice. It’s a great backup source of products and you can keep selling even if your supplier has failed to deliver the agreed amount of game codes. Also, another hot season is near and REST API will definitely help you to prepare for every eventuality. In short: work less – earn more!

October and November

Yet another great opportunity for ingenious retailers. At least a handful of big releases take place every year during October and November. November is especially interesting because of a few extremely important dates: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Blizzcon. The first two are a great way to sell a load of games and Blizzcon is just another opportunity to make some valuable connections and learn from the best in the business.

December

Winter is coming and with it different holidays all around the world (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas and many more) so there’s a high demand for gifts. Naturally, video games are one of the most universal ones so during this month you should reach out to as many potential customers as you possibly can. The marketing campaigns you prepared earlier will definitely pay off now.

 

And that’s it! The entire year in a nutshell. This calendar is supposed to be as universal as possible so there are of course some dates and events we have omitted. After all, who knows your business and your target better than you do? We give you the guidelines and you take care of the rest. With that combination, success is just a matter of time!

About the author

Jacob
Jacob
Efficiency and business development freak. With his head full of ideas, advises e-commerces on how to expand to new markets and grow.