| PPsan said: Hello, I'm a first-time user of this database, and I have a couple of questions. Is there any way to download the complete database so I can study it with Excel and econometric programs such as Eviews and SPSS? I may be looking over this option completely, but all I see is data per week/month/year and automatic charts, no comprehensive database in a downloadable format such as .csv. I copied the data manually for Wii sales, but it's a very tedious and timeconsuming process... Secondly, I noticed Wii sales being seperated in sales in America, Japan, Europe, Australia and Other. When you add these up you get the exact same number as total sales. This leads me to believe that the Other category is just a residual category where all the unexplained sales are lumped. Am I right, or does Other actually refer to a region, such as South-East Asia? Also, does the America category entail only USA sales or does it also include sales in Canada, Mexico and South-America? Finally, I noticed that the Wii hardware sales in America in 2008 show a very erratic pattern compared to American sales in 2007 and sales in other regions. Is there an explanation for this volatility? |
Well that's what we're here for. And most would agree that the volatility of the Wii sales is three fold: First, Nintendo prefers to make big shipments every other week, and sometimes every other three weeks. This reduces their freight costs and makes each shipment of Wiis an event.
Secondly, it appears that Nintendo is keenly conscious of the major releases of its competitors, Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo will often flood the channel with supply just as Microsoft or Sony are releasing their "big" games. This allows Nintendo to claim victory even against major blockbuster titles.
Finally, this year has seen the launch of three high profile games for the Wii: Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Mario Kart, and Wii Fit. Nintendo's strategy has been to make sure that there are enough Wiis available in the market so as to bolster the initial sales of these titles.
So, in a nutshell, the volatility of the Wii market is a one-to-one ratio with supply (as opposed to demand). Whatever supply is in the channel will sell...it's just a matter of when Nintendo feels it is best to fill that channel. Don't expect this to change until after the holidays.
