(Untitled)

[muppetfromhell]

The fact that nearly two years after its release, people will still wait in lines before a store opens to get a wii is insane. In a "wow, I want to study this" way (I just did a case study on the Wii launch for my work, and drove by Best Buy & Toys R Us lines this morning)

Comments

[kingjeff]

Nintendo has some wonderful marketing geniuses who understand that artificially limiting supply increases demand. Though I'd bet half of the people waiting in those lines are hoping to flip the unit on eBay or Craigslist to make a quick buck.

There is a bunch of data out in Japan that shows how Wii owners buy less software titles per console than any other system and how the Wii owners in Japan haven't even turned on their Wii in an average of 3 months.

[catawbakeembo]

find me a wii fit while you're at it! :)

[dawezl]

Nintendo was also burnt in the past by having too aggressive inventory levels, which results in huge chargebacks (penalties) from the stores. So they made a conscious decision very early on that they would maintain a steady yet modest stream of production, in order to avoid overstocking. The added benefit is that the forced scarcity helps generate demand--when people see a Wii, they want to buy it b/c they feel like they might not get another chance to get one. If there were piles on shelves, they wouldn't feel as compelled to grab one right then.