Indoor games score with new players, more retailers

Discount Store News, Feb 9, 1998 by Mike Troy

Offering stiff competition for the low end of the electronic board market are Wal-Mart and Kmart. A $39 four-player board from Sportcraft was promoted at Kmart, and Wal-Mart offered a $26 four-player board from Regent. Wal-Mart also offered one of its price rollback promotions on a Shootin' Darts set. For $18.88, the set included a .177-caliber air pistol capable of shooting BBs, pellets and darts, a dart board and 12 mohair darts. The promotion ran with the disclaimer "not available where prohibited by law."

Discounters that focus strictly on the low end of the market may be missing out on the opportunity for repeat sales. Manufacturers contend dart players share some of the same characteristics of golfers in that once they become hooked on the sport they have a tendency to buy new equipment that they perceive will give them a competitive advantage. That's why Justin Voden, vice president of sales with Great Lakes Dart Manufacturing, believes educational point-of-purchase materials are important in the discount store environment. If sales associates are not available to explain the product differences, point-of-purchase materials can inform customers and help make a sale, according to Voden.

Merchandising the category on a regional basis is also important. In some regions of the country, especially the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, there are pockets of consumers among whom steel-tip darts continue to be popular. Another reason involves licensing. Great Lakes has introduced a new line of National Football League-licensed boards with individual teams. Being based in Wisconsin, Voden said Great Lakes has enjoyed strong sales of boards with the Green Bay Packers logo on them.

Indoor games have traditionally been popular as in and out holiday promotions primarily because they make good gifts for young males. However, with the market expanding, upscaling and including more females, the category's seasonality may be waning.

"A lot of people have space in their basements and new homes, and indoor games are starting to become year-round items," according to Regent's Sandman.

RELATED ARTICLE: Game rooms

Houses are bigger than ever before, and Americans are using the additional space in new ways. Most notably, games rooms have joined home offices and exercise rooms as an option for the extra square footage.

Houses today are larger than they were 10 years ago (by roughly 300 sq. ft. or the equivalent of a 15-ft. by 20-ft. room), giving homeowners ample space to outfit a room with recreational and leisure products. Today's average home size is roughly 2,130 sq. ft. compared to a decade earlier when the average size was 1,830 sq. ft., according to the National Association of Home Builders.

In addition, the percentage of homes larger than 2,400 sq. ft. has increased. Today, about 30% of homes are larger than 2,400 sq. ft., compared to 10 years ago when only 18% were that large. Home sizes won't be getting smaller anytime soon. Builders expect demand for larger homes will continue thanks to low interest rates, minimal inflation and consumer confidence.