Retail Realities

Designing a great game is one thing, selling it successfully is quite another.

We've always stuck by the decision we made when we started Cheeky Parrot in 2014 i.e. not to compete with our retailers by selling directly to customers. This means when we attend events, we can simply share the fun of our games with no overt or even subtle obligation on players to buy. As one mother wrote to me earlier this year: "The lack of pressure to purchase something gave us space to learn the games and get hooked. I look forward to seeing you guys again at another event."

Julia and DeMi playing prototypes and published games with Wellycon attendees, 2024

I probably suffer from imposter syndrome as much as anyone else, but it helps that I do believe in the games I've published. I still personally enjoy playing them, even, in some cases, years after they first hit the market. Adding other publishers' games to our catalogue gives it just the right amount of depth, with at least a few offerings sure to appeal to even the hardest of retailers! Nevertheless, selling games in Aotearoa New Zealand can be a hard row to hoe.

Virtually all of the larger games outlets earn their bread and butter via tradable and collectible card games such as Pokemon, Disney Lorcana, Magic: the Gathering, and Flesh and Blood. Once on that treadmill, stores are obligated to stock the new cards and products that regularly come down the pike, as well as host events. It's undeniable that these events tend to draw most from a specific demographic, namely younger men, which means stocking the family games we specialise in can be a bit of an afterthought. If you look at our retailer list, you'll see that in addition to larger specialist outlets, we have many bookstores and other non-game outlets in our fold. Most towns have at least one retailer that could be a good fit for Cheeky Parrot, but it often takes an in-person visit to discover these places and get them on board. Continuing success tends to depend on whether at least one staff member is enthusiastic and knowledgable about games. This is beyond our control, but it does explain why we offer a free game as a welcome gift, with the suggestion that staff play it and have it available for customers to examine. We also provide an information sheet for every game we supply which includes an overview of how the games is played and the contents list.

Thousands of new games are introduced every year. We like to think most of our own Cheeky range is accessible, but selling them directly or indirectly to people who don't enjoy any sort of games, whether modern or those traditional games that start with Mono- or Scr-, is an uphill and sometimes simply impossible battle. It doesn't help that the section of the market with the most discretionary income, older people, are also more resistant to novelty (not just in games and hobbies, but music, food, clothes, etc.) Personally, it was the aesthetics of Carcassonne that got me hooked on modern games many years ago, so Cheeky Parrot has high standards for our games' art and production quality. Since we do our own distribution, we also manage to offer quite competitive pricing. But these aspects are just a few pieces of a rather unfathomable puzzle.

There is no doubt that the retail sector has been struggling for years. Forty years of neoliberal economics has done its damage to the real value of wages, and the ability to purchase almost anything with the click of a keyboard represents an even newer challenge. Although Cheeky Parrot works with online retailers, I have a soft spot for brick and mortar stores, which enliven the environments where they reside. They embody their owner's personality and values in a way pixels never can. They also provide passive advertising for us by displaying our games on their shelves, and, when we're lucky, active advertising in the form of recommendations and knowledge. It is always sad to lose a bespoke retailer, and it feels like the number of shops going belly up has been increasing even in the eleven years we've been in business.

One of our newest retailers, Opunake's Licorice: Purveyors of All Sorts, all decked out for Christmas 2024

I strive to know my retailers well and to use the least intrusive ways to get their attention, in part so as not to distract them from customers at their counter but also if I'm honest because I'm an ambivert and not at all a natural salesperson. Sometimes I really struggle to pick up the phone. Yet emails and texts so often go unanswered and promotional content unshared. This Reddit cartoon sums up the ongoing struggle so well: