It all started with the original Wii. There was hype, there were plenty of adverts, and people were flooding in to get their hands on this innovative gaming console, that promised to deliver entertainment, not only to the hardcore, basement-dwelling gamers, but to the whole family.
Surprise success
Pre-orders exceeded Nintendo's expectations, and very soon after the devices started shipping it was pretty obvious, that many will have to wait for stock updates. The initial mania, and camping outside supermarket etc., is nothing new in the gaming industry. Stock practically vanishing in the very first days of sales might even be considered normal turn of events in some ways.
The difference started to be visible slightly later on. Some time after release, and there still were pre-orders waiting for delivery... However the lucky individuals that got there hands on the system reassured that the console is worth the wait. It definitely delivered what the adverts promised - family entertainment, fun and quirky games and some physical activity on top of that!
Everyone understood that this was a gamble for Nintendo. With competitors releasing their high spec consoles around the same time as the Wii, its graphics engine definitely was not its selling point. Either the new controls would catch on, or Wii could be a failure. However as time passed, and Wii was obviously being successful the supply has not changed. And even till today the console is constantly in and out of stock.
Are the production lines closed?
A pattern started to emerge. The same started happening with additional product releases. Plenty of advertising, loads of hype, only to be followed by scarce supply. Nintendo always had a group of devoted fan boys following the companies new releases, and with the success of the console with the general public, to anticipate big sales would be natural. What I find strangest from a normal person's view is the constant advertising of an unavailable product.
But if you thought it was bad with hyped Mario games and extra add-ons for the Wiimotes, here comes Wii Fit. Massive campaign on tv and Internet aimed at the both the fitness obsessed as well as the overweight couch potatoes. Followed by... yes you guessed it, non-existent deliveries. A few weeks back when looking for one I was plainly told that they still have not finished supplying pre-orders. Sounds familiar?
Yes, you can get it either in expensive bundles or in places like eBay. Though if you already own a Wii the bundle option is useless even if the price is not a scam. And online auctions unfortunately pray on the scarcity of the Wii Fit board and sellers put extra charge on the original, not that cheap to start with, price. Moreover again, despite the whole situation the buzz is on non-stop. Campaigns travelling from city to city and doing presentations at supermarkets and town centres, as well as tv adverts.
A clever marketing plan
Who is Nintendo trying to kid? You can get away with being unprepared one time. You can pretend you were surprised with the sales once as well. But are we really supposed to believe that it is that hard to fulfil the orders as they come? It smells more like a marketing scam. Lets see what are the gains:
- Loads of pre-orders
- Increased impulse buys
- Popularity spread by friends visiting Wii owners
- Steady cash flow
The pre-orders are obvious before launch, however if the shops are still doing sales based on the pre-order system several months after release there is something wrong. Well, at least from your - consumers - point of view. Everyone else in the chain is happy - Nintendo has predictable sales, the shops have no-risk sales, and the lucky or well connected people can sell their copy with a nice margin. Almost everybody wins...
This leads to the second point. Once any Wii product is in stock for that short period you get people rushing in. It is not available normally, all my friends have it, it is a bargain, so I have to get it now, now, right now. It is in some strange bundle, or the price is slightly higher? Who cares, I should buy it right now, it might be gone in five minutes... And you do not really get to think much about your purchase. You end up spending your hard earned money just because of the hype.
Another reason for the impulse buy are your friends, and I mean the ones that already have the aforementioned piece of equipment. You go for an innocent visit and get sucked in into waving the Wiimotes in the air or doing acrobatics on the Wii balance board... The treacherous bit here is that a 30 minute experience does not necessarily equal the fun you will get out of it if you owned the thing 24/7. Not to mention you will have to deal with your Wii-less friends knocking at your door to try it out.
Conclusions
With all that said I myself am a Wii and Wii Fit owner, and I'm especially not regretting the later buy, but that is a topic for a separate article. However there is one good piece of advice I would like to give to all those looking to get their Wii or Wii Fit at a fair price. Use one of the stock checker websites as these tend to produce good and up to date results, sites like Wii Pre-Order, or go directly to Amazon, as they seem to have stock updates fairly often.
