Dear Retailer:
As you can imagine, with over 2,000 SKU’s to choose from now at Outset Media, it has become increasingly difficult to put together a list of top-sellers. With so many variables to consider, like your store type, your local market conditions and your store demographic, our best sellers might not necessarily be your best sellers. Practically all of the products in our catalogue are there because they sell. (Yes, like every catalogue, there are a few “dogs” too.) The question is will they sell in your store? I am happy to go through the catalogue with you any time and/or put together a order recommendation for you but, for those that are curious, here are some of my early favorites so far this year:
1. Family Charades in-a-box Compendium (16,000 games and counting since the release in June of 2011.) This is truly a game for any social gathering and is completely adaptable to the age(s) and interests of the players who are participating from ages of 4 to 104. See page 3 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
2. Canadian Trivia: Family Edition – Most of our retailers know that this game is based on the original game that started Outset Media. We also had the Canadian Trivia 10th Anniversary Edition. This version, however, is my favourite. Here’s why: The 9+ age category is much better suited to a family game where young and old alike can learn more about Canada; The game board and the game play are much more fun; all of the components in the game were manufactured in North America; and the $29.99 suggested retail price point is a great value and makes a great family gift!
3. What? Girls Night Out Edition – This is a game to merchandise beside the party game, WHAT? and is specifically for stagette parties or any gathering of wild and crazy ladies. Definitely adult oriented content with an age rating of 18 plus. Having two games in this party game series will make quite a statement on the store shelf. See page 9 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder. A copy of ‘What? Girls Night Out Edition’ was in the 2012 64th Emmy Awards gift bag for nominees and media!
4. Silent but Deadly with merchandising display. Silent but Deadly plays like Crazy 8’s, except better. This is really a fun game to play…much more than just a game with a gimmicky name. Peggable but the merchandiser is so good that it should really be displayed that way. It has the potential to be one of those games that completely takes off with word of mouth among kids ages 8 to 11. Again, it’s the quality of the game play that makes the difference. See page 10 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder. (Ask for the .PDF attachment to be emailed to you if you are interested.)
5. Dung Deck with merchandising display. Dung Deck is a trumps game but it’s the funny trivia that sells this game. Peggable but the merchandiser is so good that it should really be displayed that way. You can have a display of 18 or a mixed display that includes 9 each of Silent but Deadly and Dung Deck. See page 10 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder. (Ask for the .PDF attachment to be emailed to you if you are interested.)
6. Blunders – This new game from Patch Products is for 2+ players, ages 5+. This is a game that makes it fun for kids to learn about manners and more fun for parents to teach them! Great value at $29.99 MSRP. See page C-22 in your Outset Media catalogue because you may want to bring in the other products in the series too.
7. Tobbles is a building toy from Fat Brain Toys for children ages 24+ months of age. I would add that it would probably top out at 36 months of age because it’s hard to imagine a 17 year old playing with this. (Okay, enough funny stuff from the rep.) This is a very well made stacking/building toy with excellent packaging for effective merchandising. MSRP of $29.99.
8. Don’t Rock the Boat – This new game from Patch Products is for 2-4 players ages 5+. Take turns placing the pirate penguins carefully on the decks and masts of the pirate ship without being the player to make it capsize! Besides being fun, the MSRP of $24.99 also makes this a great value!
9. Lenticular Puzzles – Big sellers! The magnetic 3-D puzzle pieces fit together on the lid of the puzzle tin that can be used as a pencil case as well! Each title ships in a displayer of 8 units. See page 22 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
10. Family Scavenger Hunt – This is a new game from Outset Media that is NOT in the catalogue. We were going to release it next year but we had it all ready to go sooner than expected so we thought, “why hold it back?” Great MSRP at $24.99. Play indoors and/or outdoors! (Ask for the .PDF attachment to be emailed to you if you are interested.)
11. New Opoly titles from Late for the Sky – Back by popular demand after a year out of print, Pond-Hockey-opoly 2nd Edition is back in time for the holidays. See page B-23 in your Outset Media 2012 Games, Puzzles & More catalogue in the big blue binder. Take note that two brand new titles JUST arrived and are NOT in your catalogue. Golf-opoly and Garfield-opoly are now available. By the way, I am also a fan of the new Forest-Animal-opoly game on page B-24. Let me know if you would like images emailed to you or check my blog and/or Facebook page.
12. Special Ordering Bonanza! – For those that don’t already know, there is quite a selection of Dog-Opoly titles for specific breeds on page B-25. I know that it’s hard to stock all of them but it really is worth your while to bring in a mix of them. They do sell at this time of year. Bring in a selection and I will be happy to email you that catalogue page upon request so that you can display it with the games. We could put a message on there with something like, “Special Order other titles just in time for Christmas! Ordering deadline: (blah, blah, blah.) Just tell me what you want.
13. Keva Series from Mindware
These highly finished wood plank construction and building toys were fantastic sellers last fall. I Highly recommend displaying them together on the shelf as a series! See pages A-8 and A-9 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
14. Q-Bitz –There are very few games that demo this fast or this well. Demo this game in your store and an independent retailer can expect to sell between 40 and 70 units over the holidays. See page A-3 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
15. Q-Ba-Maze 2.0 Big Box – The response to this toy/game since the CGTA Show in August has been very strong. Having a display model in the store is crucial in order to sell these in decent numbers. Think if it as an art piece/toy. It’s tons of fun for kids and way more fun for adults than it should be.
16. FOLD from Fat Brain Toys. I almost missed this one except that it really stood out at the CGTA Gift Show in the displayer and there are 10 extremely challenging puzzles enclosed in each package. At $14.99 suggested retail, they make a nice presentation and, speaking as a consumer, seemed like pretty good value. Ships 12 units to a case with a very attractive shelf displayer. I can see this product doing very well if it is given a reasonably good shelf location at eye level. See page A-31 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
17. Ivan’s Hinge from Fat Brain Toys. This is a puzzle/brain teaser that, like Fold, could do very well with an MSRP of $14.99. With 56 puzzle challenges to complete, this puzzle offers a lot of entertainment value! See page A-31 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
18. Miranda Wooden Games- Attractive packaging and high quality finished wood components and game boards make these games an ideal series for traditional game stores and gift shops. These two-player strategy games also make attractive display pieces on any desk or coffee table. At $34.99 MSRP, they make a nice gift. See pages A-32 and A-33 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
19. Volcano Island Countdown – This is a new game from Spin Master that has an Indiana Jones styled packaging. That’s a personal opinion, by the way, and should not be taken as an official description. The game play looks fun and it’s simple to explain. It’s a cooperative game where you and the other players all have to escape the island before the volcano explodes. $22.00 wholesale price with a special note that it will most likely be in the mass-market. Spin Master indicates that it will be TV advertised which is sort of a giveaway. That being said, look how the game LOGO took off late last season! Independent retailers were ordering this game like crazy in November, December and January. See page A-38 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
20. LOGO – See above. See page A-38 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
21. Artifact – This might be a game to use as a limited time offer and display a number of them. You may recall that they used to retail for $39.99 when they were first released. We are clearing them out to make room for the over 400 new SKUs that we have this year. $7.50 wholesale (clearance pricing.) You could offer them at $14.99, $19.99, $24.99, etc. See page B-38 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.
22. Word Thief!
This is a game with an MSRP of $34.99. The license on this expires in November so we are blowing these out at $3.00 each!!!! Retail these at $14.99, $19.99 or $24.99 to make exceptional margins! (This is NOT in your 2012 catalogue. Check your 2011 catalogue if you still have it or call me to have an image emailed to you.)
23. Spy Alley /Simply Suspects– Like Artifact, above, these games used to retail for $39.99 but we simply had to discontinue some good quality games in order to make room and keep our selection fresh. Get these games at a bargain for $5.00 each and retail them for $12.99 or $14.99 as value priced games or for $19.99 or $24.99 and make some excellent margins. See page A-39 in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder. Either way, you will want to put these in a high profile location to take full advantage.
24. Cobble Hill Puzzles – Cobble Hill Puzzles are now one of the leading puzzle brands in North America. Ask about the top-sellers (See Cobble Hill Puzzles 2012 catalogue in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.) The new Find the Difference Puzzles on pages 48 and 49 will be particularly strong this season in the children’s puzzle category. Ask about our Cobble Hill Puzzles merchandising displayer for the Christmas-themed puzzles!
25. White Mountain Puzzles - Ask about the top-sellers because there are some really good ones. White Mountain Puzzles have a very unique style that does not conflict with the Cobble Hill line. (See White Mountain Puzzles 2012 catalogue in the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.)
26. Mojo Animal Figurines - The animals are individually hand-painted and extremely durable. Made from Food Grade Non-Phthalate PVC, they are environmentally friendly and non-toxic. Each animal has a colour coded UPC label which may look similar to those on other animal figurines. However, take special note of the very attractive margins in the Mojo line! There is also a limited number of fully lit merchandising floor displays for “early adopters” so don’t wait too long to order. To view the complete 2012 collection, be sure to have a look at catalogue section “D” in your Outset Media 2012 Games, Puzzles & More catalogue in the big blue binder, or call your Outset Media representative.
27. Royal and Langnickel – While this line does very well throughout the year, there is no question that the shorter, wetter and colder days have a lot to do with the sales surge we see during the Fall/Winter months. The selection of new paint-by-number, engraving art and sketching art titles this year is fantastic! If you are relatively new to this category, the beginner art kits also do extremely well during the Fall/Winter Season because they also make great gifts. The new small and large Clear Case Sets on pages 28 and 29 of the catalogue were a real hit at the CGTA and Alberta Gift Show due to their exceptional presentation. They have a nice hard shell plastic case for storage with the added advantage for the retailer and the artist of being able to see what is inside the case without actually opening it. Merchandised beside a selection of the new ‘Mini Tins’, which are also perfect stocking stuffers by the way, and you will have a very attractive and strong art section without a huge financial commitment. Royal and Langnickel strikes a perfect balance between quality and price. This is our third full year of distributing Royal & Langnickel and I have yet to hear of one complaint about the quality of this line or about one disappointed customer. (See the Royal and Langnickel 2012 catalogue in the very back of the Outset Media 2012 catalogue in the big blue binder.)
Hey! What about the other products in the catalogue?
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla of all the new products and forget about some of the other good sellers. Don’t let this happen to you! Have a look through the 2012 Outset Media Games, Puzzles and More catalogue in the big, blue binder and make sure you have all of the big sellers included in your Fall order! Remember, your past efforts to build up these products in your store are all for naught if you forget to add them back into this year’s product mix.
Some good examples of this are TWIG, the high quality, 72-piece, wooden building set. This type of quality building toy is always in demand at Christmas time. With this particular product, however, having an open set on display is imperative because, while the eco-friendly box serves its purpose, it is NOT an eye-catching box. Okay, it’s a boring box but the product is fantastic!
The game of ‘What?’ - With the addition of ‘What? Girls Night Out Edition’ the ‘What?’ brand has become even stronger. Word of mouth continues to drive the steadily growing market for this game and because it is still increasing in popularity, ‘What?’ makes my shortlist again this year for top game recommendations. Practically unbeatable as an office party game during the Holiday Season
‘What?’ is one of the funniest party games you will ever play.
Suggested retail: $29.99 (Deluxe version: $39.99)
Check out the video at http://outsetmedia.com/games/what/what . In fact, check out all of our game videos at OutsetMedia.com. These are great videos for your customers and for training your staff! Ask us how you can use all of our videos on your website! (A copy of ‘What? Girls Night Out Edition’ was in the 2012 64th Emmy Awards gift bag for nominees and media! ** )
Qwirkle - Distributed exclusively in Canada for Mindware™ by Outset Media Corp.
This game is still one of our best sellers! At the end of June, 2011, Qwirkle was awarded the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) in Germany. The award was founded in 1978 with the stated purpose of rewarding excellence in board and card game design and promoting top-quality games in the German market. It is considered to be one of the world’s most prestigious game awards. The criteria on which a game is evaluated include game concept (originality, playability, game value); rule structure (composition, clearness, comprehensibility); layout (box, board, rules) and design (functionality, workmanship.)
Ages 6+
2 to 4 players
(English edition: MW-32016) (French edition: No. 62016)
Suggested Retail Price: $29.99
Sneaky Floor Puzzles – from Patch Products
I say it a lot, but these 46-piece, two-sided, floor puzzles sell like hotcakes…ALL…YEAR…ROUND. These high quality puzzles are bright and colourful and the pieces are thick and durable. The finished size for each puzzle is 2 x 3 feet. In addition to being fun for children as young as 3, the puzzles also have educational value. The letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0-9 are hidden in the scenery…pretty sneaky, huh? Choose from: Enchanted Kingdom, A Day on the Farm, Emergency!, Dinosaur Land and A Day At The Zoo. Other great floor puzzles from Patch include My First Floor Puzzle – Let’s Visit the Zoo and My First Floor Puzzle – Farming Fun. Also, choose from five titles in the 3D Sneaky Puzzles, including the new titles, SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer! See pages B-20 and B-21 in your Outset Media catalogue.
Again, don’t forget to check out our product videos at OutsetMedia.com. They can be used on your website or Facebook page and they are great for staff training! Call me if you would like to set up some time to go through the catalogue for more recommendations!
