Pokemon Snap is coming 4/30/2021
During the pandemic of Covid-19 we have seen massive growth in the collectible markets. Pokemon has benefited huge from this demand and finding product at a MSRP has been a wonder. Truth be told, this demand may have been the saving grace that a lot of small game and hobby stores needed to survive through a certainly tough third and fourth quarter in sales of 2020.
What does the red hot brand of Pokemon mean for you as a retailer and for any publisher with rights to produce Pokemon branded products?
For retailers already basking in the extremely healthy sales of Pokemon, this is going to set a new resurgence of Pokemon nostalgia, which Pokemon is one of the leaders of doing already. 2021 is the 25th year anniversary of Pokemon and I’ll bet they have in store an amazing year of releases. They have already announced Katy Perry as part of their -YEAR LONG- celebration and hinted at additional mega stars to be joining the mix. They also released this YouTube video highlighting their mixed platforms which crossed promoted their products almost perfectly over the years. From cartoon to Gameboy to collectible card to current video game systems and leads to a teaser “electric’ from presumed to be Katy Perry.
All of of this is leading up to another fantastic year of Pokemon and demand will be sky high once again. Pokemon Snap was a beloved game and Nintendo coming back to it as part of their 25th anniversary makes sense.
For the retailers that already carry or want to pick up Pokemon to their product line;
Be ready for allocations, Pokemon has been allocated almost all of 2020 and I don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon. Even with an increased production schedule from a recovering Covid-19 slow down, demand has increased equally or greater. This problem means each product you can get will sell for higher than MSRP, especially on marketplaces websites such as eBay and TCGPlayer based on demand alone. Make sure you are pre-selling only what you know you can receive and save some for your walk in customers. If you have identified your most loyal customers, especially of Pokemon products, be sure to personally call them and offer to reserve one for them. They will continue to be your loyal customers if you put this slightly extra effort into reserving a super hot product for them.
Distributors and publishers that carry or produce Pokemon branded products. WOW. I don’t envy you. You are going to have the same or more demand going into 2021 as 2020. I firmly believe honesty is the best policy. Be up front and clear on what you can offer for numbers and ship times. Being as transparent as you can will strengthen the relationships you have with your retail partners.
With a limited product, you will be receiving phone calls from new store’s that don’t have an account with you. Use these interactions to try and gain new accounts, even if it is only for Pokemon product for now. Build relationships now for future sales.
So, how was your 2020 sales of Pokemon? How do you think this upcoming year of Pokemon is going to shape your business? What new products do you think Pokemon is going to be able to release to shock and wow their fans. Let us know in the comments below.