More gap analysis – and advice on how to clear it
More analysts want to plug their two cents on console sales discrepancies. This time it’s Parks Associates‘ Michael Cai on the PS3, who is not as sanguine as Pachter is, as he talks to BetaNews. On the other hand, from reading his (unsolicited) advice for future PS3 sales, he’s not exactly counting the Sony console out, either.
For Cai, the gap between NDP’s reported PS3 sales and Sony‘s reported PS3 shipments are a product of four factors: (a) Its price, especially for the market beyond the core adopters. (b) Limited supplies at launch, and while Sony shipped more supplies post-launch, they didn’t communicate that well, Cai claimed. (3) Competition from the Wii. (4) Competition from the PS2 – by emphasizing that it was sold for US$ 100, bundled with five games, Cai was implying that Sony might have inadvertently drew attention away from the PS3.
And Cai’s (unsolicited) advice? (a) Sony needs to communicate to the market that the console is available. (b) Sony shouldn’t cut the price immediately – it might send the wrong signal to customers. Instead, they should buff up the product value of the PS3 by bundling it with games and movies. (c) Sony should target the yuppie crowd – those in their 20’s and early 30’s – they have their own jobs and thus can actually buy the machine themselves (rather than have to ask mommy or daddy for it, as it was during the Christmas season).
Interesting that Cai didn’t mention anything about one criticism of the NDP report, which was that it tended to underreport sales because its report only included 60% of retailers.
Via BetaNews
More analysts want to plug their two cents on console sales discrepancies. This time it’s Parks Associates‘ Michael Cai on the PS3, who is not as sanguine as Pachter is, as he talks to BetaNews. On the other hand, from reading his (unsolicited) advice for future PS3 sales, he’s not exactly counting the Sony console out, either.
For Cai, the gap between NDP’s reported PS3 sales and Sony‘s reported PS3 shipments are a product of four factors: (a) Its price, especially for the market beyond the core adopters. (b) Limited supplies at launch, and while Sony shipped more supplies post-launch, they didn’t communicate that well, Cai claimed. (3) Competition from the Wii. (4) Competition from the PS2 – by emphasizing that it was sold for US$ 100, bundled with five games, Cai was implying that Sony might have inadvertently drew attention away from the PS3.
And Cai’s (unsolicited) advice? (a) Sony needs to communicate to the market that the console is available. (b) Sony shouldn’t cut the price immediately – it might send the wrong signal to customers. Instead, they should buff up the product value of the PS3 by bundling it with games and movies. (c) Sony should target the yuppie crowd – those in their 20’s and early 30’s – they have their own jobs and thus can actually buy the machine themselves (rather than have to ask mommy or daddy for it, as it was during the Christmas season).
Interesting that Cai didn’t mention anything about one criticism of the NDP report, which was that it tended to underreport sales because its report only included 60% of retailers.
Via BetaNews