English Amiga Board - View Single Post - Is there a place for traditional "Computer Shops" in modern retail?

DofD · 18 June 2019, 19:06

There's no easy answer here. It really depends on one's location, services offered, products offered, and what the local interest is. Here, the local computer shops are pretty much all but gone. The ones that remain focus on repairs and upgrades and are long established and have inroads into the business markets.

The costs of brick and mortar stores in most urban settings are far more than a computer type shop could afford, even larger chain store are closing due to leasing costs and lack of viable locations. This pushes smaller brick and mortar stores farther away from prime retail areas.

The advent of tablets and mobile phones with enough power to play games and run productivity apps had been a stab to the heart of the traditional laptop and desktop computer market. Me, I'll stick with my 30" monitors for actually being useful to work on.

The next few years there will be a large push from the games producers for the primary gaming platforms away from disk based distribution to full online distribution with a greater reliance on content streaming, so the stores that retail in new software/games that are disk based will be coming under pressure to survive.

When it comes to an indie retro/classic shop, the big factor here is local interest. Locally here there is a not insignificant interest in retro/classic gaming. We have a retro video game/pinball arcade that is really popular. There are a couple retro Nintendo stores, and a board gaming cafe. As a general observation there is an uptick on the interest in classic/retro platforms, mainly around gaming. As generations age, they are wanting to recapture that bit of their youth with the devices and applications/games they remember as being fun.

So, while a classic computer shop, may not be the way to go, a hybridized concept that crosses multiple classic platforms, that offers a variety of services and attractions. A one trick pony shop won't work in today's markets.

Of course this depends on local consumer market conditions and preferences.

For a brick on mortar to work, you need something to bring people in, and to keep people coming back.

An idea could be something like this.

Start with a cafe concept, hot and cold beverages and light food items (ala StarBucks). To this add a variety of cross segment draws. Board gaming, card gaming, then add retro console gaming (PS1, PS2, NES/SNES, X-Box (more popular draws). People rent time on the retro consoles and have a selection of games. This would be best accomplished on emulated platforms.

Now add in sales and service for retro consoles (refurbished originals or new emulation consoles) with a selection of game titles for the platforms. If people like playing, then they can take a what is fun home with them. Things like sales of platforms and games could be also done online.

To keep people coming back, offer special events like tournaments for various board games, card games, console titles, lan parties.

Then there is marketing and advertising. Know the market segments you're going after and target them. Go local cons and events. Partner with complementary businesses. For example, partner with local business that specialize in modern hardware to get the best cross section of people interested in old and new.

As a growth strategy, look to adding more and different consoles, platforms, games. Get a liquor license for adult evening events.

18 June 2019, 19:06	#6
DofD Registered User Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Victoria, Canada Age: 56 Posts: 134	There's no easy answer here. It really depends on one's location, services offered, products offered, and what the local interest is. Here, the local computer shops are pretty much all but gone. The ones that remain focus on repairs and upgrades and are long established and have inroads into the business markets. The costs of brick and mortar stores in most urban settings are far more than a computer type shop could afford, even larger chain store are closing due to leasing costs and lack of viable locations. This pushes smaller brick and mortar stores farther away from prime retail areas. The advent of tablets and mobile phones with enough power to play games and run productivity apps had been a stab to the heart of the traditional laptop and desktop computer market. Me, I'll stick with my 30" monitors for actually being useful to work on. The next few years there will be a large push from the games producers for the primary gaming platforms away from disk based distribution to full online distribution with a greater reliance on content streaming, so the stores that retail in new software/games that are disk based will be coming under pressure to survive. When it comes to an indie retro/classic shop, the big factor here is local interest. Locally here there is a not insignificant interest in retro/classic gaming. We have a retro video game/pinball arcade that is really popular. There are a couple retro Nintendo stores, and a board gaming cafe. As a general observation there is an uptick on the interest in classic/retro platforms, mainly around gaming. As generations age, they are wanting to recapture that bit of their youth with the devices and applications/games they remember as being fun. So, while a classic computer shop, may not be the way to go, a hybridized concept that crosses multiple classic platforms, that offers a variety of services and attractions. A one trick pony shop won't work in today's markets. Of course this depends on local consumer market conditions and preferences. For a brick on mortar to work, you need something to bring people in, and to keep people coming back. An idea could be something like this. Start with a cafe concept, hot and cold beverages and light food items (ala StarBucks). To this add a variety of cross segment draws. Board gaming, card gaming, then add retro console gaming (PS1, PS2, NES/SNES, X-Box (more popular draws). People rent time on the retro consoles and have a selection of games. This would be best accomplished on emulated platforms. Now add in sales and service for retro consoles (refurbished originals or new emulation consoles) with a selection of game titles for the platforms. If people like playing, then they can take a what is fun home with them. Things like sales of platforms and games could be also done online. To keep people coming back, offer special events like tournaments for various board games, card games, console titles, lan parties. Then there is marketing and advertising. Know the market segments you're going after and target them. Go local cons and events. Partner with complementary businesses. For example, partner with local business that specialize in modern hardware to get the best cross section of people interested in old and new. As a growth strategy, look to adding more and different consoles, platforms, games. Get a liquor license for adult evening events.