Margin Makers: Guide to gaming stocking fillers

With the holiday season just around the corner, MCV looks at the best stocking-sized gifts to make gamers’ Christmas wishes come true

Christmas: the season for socks, excessive consumption and – of course – giving gifts.

With a slew of new titles hitting shelves throughout November, gamers are set to be flooding into stores looking for the latest software to give to their loved ones – or themselves, if they’ve been particularly good this year.

This provides the perfect opportunity to retailers to upsell tie-in merchandise and gifts – especially on the lower-priced end of the range, which can serve as perfect stocking fillers.

The months prior to Christmas and the holiday period itself are crucial for us,” observes Leon van der Made, channel manager of gaming at Bioworld Europe.

Some of our bigger licenses like Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty always have a release window at the end of the year so promoting these licenses is very important to generate the biggest buzz and optimise sales.”

Luiz Ferreira, founder and director of Gaming Merchandise UK, adds that while new games are hot tips for the holidays, merchandise based on older titles continues to sell in droves.

Merchandise really does add value around launch but it’s not just about merchandise around new releases at Christmas,” he explains.

We have seen high demand for merchandise from older franchises such as Fallout, Portal and Minecraft.”

Chris Marcus, commercial manager at Ubisoft, says stores should look to expand their merchandise range ahead of the holiday spending spree.

The Christmas period will continue to be important as this combines the times where awareness around key games launches occurs and gifting spend increases,” he states.

Having a larger range of products available during this period would be great.”

Street Fighter Christmas Jumper

Proving that Christmas isn’t all about getting along, this patterned retro-themed jumper sees Street Fighter staples Ryu and Ken pulling the hadouken fighting move pose either side of a snowflake. The rest of the jumper is decked out with Christmas patterns, snowflakes and ‘KO’s.

SRP: 29.99

Manufacturer: Numskull

Distributor: Rubber Road

Contact: 01707 800 881

Mario Wallet and Keyring Gift Set

Nintendo fans can keep their keys and cash safe with this double-pack themed on the iconic Italian plumber. The wallet features four card slots and a change compartment – remember, 100 coins means a 1-UP.

SRP: 19.99

Manufacturer: Bioworld Merchandise

Distributor: Bioworld Merchandise

Contact: +31 251 316 238

Assassin’s Creed Unity Metal Keychain

Ideal for keeping skeleton keys in one place. (MCV does not endorse breaking and entering, unless you are a virtual 19th-century Assassin.)

SRP: 4.99

Manufacturer: Bioworld Merchandise

Distributor: Bioworld Merchandise

Contact: +31 251 316 238

Minecraft Diamond Pendant Necklace

Minecraft players can treat the diamond in their life with this pixelated take on the precious gemstone.

SRP: 11.99

Manufacturer: Jinx

Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK

Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

Mass Effect Garrus Pop! Vinyl Figure

Based on the popular team party character from EA’s sci-fi trilogy, this mini Garrus will surely protect desks from galactic threat.

SRP: 9.99

Manufacturer: Funko

Distributor: Underground Toys

Contact: kenny@underground-toys.com

Portal 2 Weighted Companion Cube Fuzzies

Nobody deserves to be alone at Christmas, and with these fuzzy Portal Companion Cubes, no one needs to be.

SRP: 26.99

Manufacturer: Jinx

Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK

Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com

World of Warcraft Mega Bloks: Faction Packs

World of Warcraft players can celebrate the release of the latest expansion to the MMO with these buildable characters.

SRP: 6.99

Manufacturer: Mega Bloks

Distributor: Mega Brands United Kingdom

Contact: +44 (0)1844 350 033

Metal Gear Solid Mug

Metal Gear lovers can drink their Christmas brew while awaiting Metal Gear Solid V thanks to this stylised mug.

SRP: 12.99

Manufacturer: Gaya Entertainment

Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK

Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com