Online Retail vs Street Dates

Day one delivery is crucial to online retailers. It drives pre-orders and secures sales that may otherwise have gone to High Street rivals.
However, this is dependent on shipping and delivery times.
To ensure a game arrives on release day – besting the convenience of picking it up in-store – sites must depend on Royal Mail, couriers or other third-party services.
Many sites send out games early to account for potential delays: a seemingly sensible solution, but one that can result in consumers receiving the title ahead of the publisher’s street date.
This is long-running issue came to a head this month when ShopTo refused to stock any future Activision products over a dispute around Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Site owner Igor Cipoletta told MCV the publisher’s shipping policy, which limits when retailers can send out copies of the game, damages ShopTo’s ability to guarantee day one delivery to customers.
Some sites use this as justification for early shipping. Naturally publishers grumble, but the most vocal protestors is often other retailers, who feel unfairly disadvantaged by the few that purposefully ignore shipping rules.
But should all online retailers be allowed to ship early if it ensures customers get their goods on day one?

“If a good friend agreed not to tell my mum
about a surprise party and they took it upon
themselves to tell her four days early,
I would not be happy.”

Craig Constantinides - business development boss, Go 2 Games

“Absolutely not,” said Gameseek MD Stephen Staley. “If you allow that sort of activity, instead of sales being about price and quality of service, it’ll all be about back-room shady deals and that’s not good for the customer in the long run.
“Keep the playing field level and the customer will benefit because retailers will have to up their game instead of just relying on ‘buying’ their next sale.”
Go 2 Games’ business development boss Craig Constantinides added: “An agreement is in place for a reason. Perhaps it’s because of the online retailers that break new release rules in order to maximise profit and brand awareness that we all now suffer unreasonable demands from customers.
“If a good friend agreed not to tell my mum about a surprise party and they took it upon themselves to tell her four days early, I would not be happy.”
Publishers might be more lenient if early shipping was the only way to guarantee purchases reaches their destination in time, but most delivery services – including Royal Mail – already offer faster deliveries to those willing to invest.
“We dispatch all pre-orders using next day guaranteed delivery to ensure that our customers receive them on release day,” said Games Trade’s co-director Nadir Husain.
“This is obviously a more costly option, but customers that pre-order should be rewarded for enthusiasm and brand loyalty.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/onlin...-dates/0115669