Best Buy piloting new digital, in-store gaming destinations
Best Buy Co. Inc. is beta testing an online hub for gamers and will soon open a dedicated gaming section in a California store.
Known as Best Buy Gamers and available in beta on the Best Buy e-commerce site and mobile app, the digital hub includes special gaming reviews, articles and videos from gaming content site IGN, which is a Best Buy Gamers partner. Customers can find and purchase gaming products and gear, with special offers for members of the My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total rewards program tiers.
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Gamers can create a personal profile and select their favorite platforms and devices, the genres they follow and how they like to play. Through the end of November, customers will be able to enter special sweepstakes daily, including the chance to win an in-store speed run around a Best Buy store where the winner will get two minutes to fill a shopping cart with products and take home all the items they can grab. To celebrate the launch, the first customers to create a profile will receive a $5 bonus reward.
The hub will also feature updates on in-store gaming events like the upcoming Nov. launch of the new video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, as well as a League of Legends pop-up at Best Buy’s Brooklyn location.
In November, Best Buy will open a dedicated in-store gaming experience at a store in Torrance, Calif. Gamers will be able to play the latest titles, get expert tips and attend events hosted in partnership with IGN.
“For many, gaming isn’t just about playing. It’s the excitement of following new launches, discovering what’s next and being part of the moments that bring gamers together,” said Patrick McGinnis, chief revenue officer at Best Buy. “For decades, Best Buy has been the destination for gamers, and Best Buy Gamers is another way we’re reaching more customers and bringing fans closer to the culture they love, from the lead-up to launch day to the hours spent playing at home.”
As gamers share feedback on Best Buy Gamers while it’s testing in beta, Best Buy says it will continue adding features, content and benefits.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Best Buy operates more than 1,000 retail stores in North America.
