Looney Labs Icehouse Mailing list Archive

[Mike Vande Bunt <Mike.VandeBunt@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris Kice wrote:

> I'd really love to see Treehouse become the next L*C*R - one of those 
> cool looking games that every game store has in a small rack next to the 
> register that people grab and set on top of their order as they're paying.
>
> While I love the single-stash Icehouse pieces (especially since I'm both 
> an OCD-fueled collector and a bits whore), I can see why it's not a 
> anywhere near a slam-dunk purchase and that a new model is in order to 
> get the game into the hands of consumers.
>
> Icehouse pieces are unique and colorful and, with the custom Treehouse 
> die, should really "pop" and inspire those all important impulse purchases.
>
> Chris
>
>  
I suspect that one of the design aims of the Looney Labs POP display is 
that it is small enough to BE placed right next to the cash register.  
And I also think that Fluxx may already be in that "impulse buy" 
category (evidenced by its sales).

So it looks as if our job as Rabbits should be to demonstrate those 
impulse buys by picking up a Treehouse set each time we visit our FLGS.  
And it wouldn't hurt to suggest that they move the POP display up to the 
register, if it isn't there now.

I know a bit about retail (I write software for retail POS systems), and 
I know that retailers like to see is items that are steady sellers.  So 
. . . if you're going to be buying Treehouse sets as gifts for all your 
friends, don't do it all at once (unless you have to, say, if St. 
Fnorber's Day is comming up).  If someone goes into a FLGS and buys 5 or 
6 Treehouse sets (whatever the POP holds), that may be great from a 
sales standpoint, but the shop owner doesn't really know if they will 
ever sell any more when they re-stock.  (I retail terms, you can't make 
a projection based on a single sale.)  Thus, if you spread your 
Treehouse purchases out over several weeks you are DEMONSTRATING that 
Treehouse is a steady seller.  This fails if the shop has no way to 
track sales over time, or they know you so well at hthe FLGS that they 
realize what you are doing.  Naturally, convincing other people to also 
purchase Treehouse sets is even better (and there are all those other 
goodies in the POP display).

And then, once Looney Labs sells a huge quantity of Treehouse sets, they 
can invest in that new mold to produce Icehouse pieces economocally, 
making a $25 Volcano boxed set (with Kadon board; I can dream, can't I?) 
a reality.

Mike Vande Bunt