PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, October 26, 2006 – While price plays an important role in a consumer’s final decision whether or not to purchase a PC and/or video game for themselves, it’s the type of game, word of mouth and of particular importance, being able to take a game for a “test drive” that are the most important factors, according to The NPD Group’s Games Purchase Drivers Report.
The report, the first of its kind from NPD, provides insight into what drives consumers to purchase PC and video games and the sources of information used and weighed when making purchase decisions. It also looks at purchase drivers through the lens of NPD’s six gamer segments: Heavy Gamers, Avid Console Gamers, Mass Market Gamers, Prefer Portable Gamers, Secondary Gamers and Infrequent Gamers.
According to the report, other important sources of information when considering whether or not to purchase a game are advertisements, specifically, TV, magazine and online ads, word of mouth and Web sites.
Web sites such as gaming sites and game company sites are relevant sources of information, but they are less important when the consumer gets closer to making the actual purchase decision, when other factors such as being able to take the game for a “test drive” at an in-store location, online, or at a friend or relative’s house, matter much more.
"While various means of allowing consumers to test drive games have long been an important part of most publishers' marketing mixes, the findings of our study now show that it is of particular importance for attracting the broader gaming audience,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Ads, reviews, and other vehicles are relatively more influential to the heavy gamer, but to attract more casual players, getting games into their hands so they can experience the fun first-hand is essential.”
In Time for the Holidays
While not the most important purchase decision influencer, price increases in importance when the purchaser is thinking about buying a game for someone other than themselves. In fact, it is the top consideration when buying games for others, whether this person is a child or an adult.
The recipient’s request for the game, the game’s genre and the gift-giver thinking the recipient would like the game are additional factors that gift-givers take into consideration when purchasing a game.
“As we head into the critical holiday season, it's important for retailers to note that the most important influence on a gift purchase is price,” said Frazier. “Retailers should consider providing shoppers with a recommended game list at gift-friendly price ranges to make the purchase decision easier.”
Methodology
Data was collected via an online survey emailed to a representative sample of 12,100 NPD Consumer Panel members ages 13 and older (ages 6-12 were captured via surrogate reporting) with the final survey data weighted to represent the U.S. population of individuals ages 6 and older. Qualified respondents have to “typically purchase” video and/or PC games, and have to personally play PC games, and/or personally play one of the Current-Gen or Next-Gen consoles or portable systems. Fieldwork was conducted from July 6-14, 2006.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, visit www.npd.com.