Best Buy Launches New Gaming Hub to Tap Into Growing Cohort of Gamers
Best Buy is launching a new gaming experience for customers as it leans into the fast-growing business, reports CNBC. The new experience features gaming content, new technology and special offers, among other features. The online destination is called Best Buy Gamers and is launching in a beta version. The announcement comes ahead of some of this year’s biggest launches, including “Grand Theft Auto VI” next month. Chief Revenue Officer Patrick McGinnis told CNBC the timing of the launch is “pretty perfect,” though the new experience has been in the works for over a year.
Best Buy says millions of gamers shop at the retailer each year, including trying out games in the store and seeking advice from in-store experts. The new gaming experience, created in partnership with video game website IGN, will offer members gaming articles and reviews, live Best Buy event updates for launches, and deals on new technology.
Best Buy is also leaning into in-store experiences around gaming, starting with a location in Torrance, California next month, where Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft will come together to offer gaming experiences and activations for customers.
Total Retail's Take: Best Buy has been looking for growth drivers as the retailer tries to revitalize its business performance under incoming CEO Jason Bonfig. The company has been challenged by slumping sales, tariffs and lower consumer confidence, among other factors. For its fiscal first-quarter results reported in May, Best Buy noted that gaming and computing was one of its biggest drivers of growth. McGinnis said the new gamer experience is an example of the company’s strategic goals coming together, and allows the technology company to connect with customers beyond a transaction.
With the combination of physical retail and the online platform, Best Buy hopes to sit at the intersection of technology, entertainment and culture within the gaming community, according to McGinnis. The company plans to tweak its new online experience based on feedback from its customers and continue innovating to meet its audience where it is, especially as the gaming segment continues to be one of the company’s strongest performers.
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Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
