Best Buy takes the midnight madness route for new PlayStation
Photo: Best Buy

Best Buy takes the midnight madness route for new PlayStation

It’s not unusual for retailers to open their stores at midnight to drum up excitement and sales for Black Friday events. While such events are not typical for the rest of the year, Best Buy is doing just that on Oct. 13 when it opens its doors at 12:01 a.m. (on the East Coast) to introduce the Sony PlayStation VR.

Best Buy will make the new virtual reality goggles available in limited quantities in 350 stores (it runs 1,050 total) as well as on bestbuy.com. The unit, which operates with a PlayStation 4 console, will also be available at 11:01 p.m. at locations in the Central time zone, 10:01 p.m. in Mountain states and 9:01 p.m. out in Pacific time zone states.

With its early sales events, Best Buy is looking to promote itself as the retail home for VR. The company’s website features Oculus and Samsung Gear brands in addition to PlayStation and promotes a range of related products including headsets, VR-ready computers, accessories and components. The site also features Google Expeditions VR kits that give teachers the ability to take students on field trips without leaving class.

BrainTrust

"There’s no downside to trying to create some excitement as long as you can deliver when people show up."

Mark Ryski

Founder, CEO & Author, HeadCount Corporation


"I think Best Buy is grasping at straws. That’s not to say they won’t have lines out the door for this promotion..."

Tom Dougherty

President and CEO, Stealing Share


"This will drive social buzz and foot traffic into stores, priming the 2016 holiday selling season."

Shawn Harris

Board Advisor, Light Line Delivery


Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you see as Best Buy’s bigger-picture goals behind its midnight opening to debut the new PlayStation VR? Will this event help the retailer achieve those goals?

Poll

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Mark Ryski
Noble Member
7 years ago

Staging special events around product launches is clearly nothing new. While I’m skeptical that these types of events have the same impact they once did, or that it will make much difference in positioning Best Buy as the purveyor of all things VR, I give them full credit for trying. There’s no downside to trying to create some excitement as long as you can deliver when people show up. As is always the case, getting people to the store is step number one … getting them to buy is the even more important step number two. If I were Best Buy management, I’d be looking very closely at the store traffic and conversion results from these events.

Tom Dougherty
Tom Dougherty
Member
7 years ago

I think Best Buy is grasping at straws. That’s not to say they won’t have lines out the door for this promotion, but it won’t transform them into the VR Mecca they hope. What is Best Buy’s real problem? Competition and lack of meaning. The shopping experience is terrible (especially during the holiday season) and nothing is ever new (meaning the consumer does not see the experience as a form of discovery).

This all raises the question; how many market positions can a brand OWN? The answer is simple … ONE. So good luck to Best Buy. If it succeeds in owning the VR position it will be in receivership within a year. To borrow and futz with an old sci-fi line (from the original The Day the Earth Stood Still): “Such lunacy (knowledge in the original) exists?”

Shawn Harris
Member
7 years ago

This will drive social buzz and foot traffic into stores, priming the 2016 holiday selling season. If the majority of shoppers have a great buying experience, this will drive advocacy and seed future demand for VR technology at Best Buy.

Lee Kent
Lee Kent
Member
7 years ago

Best Buy is grabbing onto the experiential retailer theme in a good way. If they make it fun and find ways to build on the concept and make these happenings a part of the brand, that could be a winner.

It plays to their demographic and has all the earmarks of a good move.

For my 2 cents.

Anne Howe
Anne Howe
Member
7 years ago

I tend to agree with Tom D. Going after owning the VR market position is too narrow of a goal for Best Buy. That said, people remember 80% of what they experience, versus 10% of what they read. So Best Buy would be doing itself a great favor by delivering an experience that showcases VR but also primes the attendee for holiday shopping. Kill two birds with one (experiential) stone. And P.S. – make the shopper FEEL SOMETHING!