The Aftermath of the Goozex Exchange

Erik Kubik Says Following the latest Goozex Exchange I had a few concerns. So I turned to Mark Nebesky who works for Goozex. I had few questions about the sale. I wanted to know how it went overall and what determined the games and movies selection. This is what he had to say over email.

How did the sale go? Did you guys run out of anything? Did more people buy stuff this time around?

The sale was what we expected in terms of volume. There was demand at those higher price points for new games, but not as much as in the previous exchange programs we ran where the price points were only about 70% less. In terms of data collecting, it was a success. We know a lot more about purchasing rate, title selection and more specific data for our pricing sensitivity analysis. Our goal was to not sell out of any items or to get more people to exchange points for new games and movies. Rather, our goal is to provide an opportunity for members to exchange their points for items and extend the value of our currency beyond game trading. We would not consider the program a success if we "sold out" of items because we want to make a long-term service out of the exchange and not a one-hour event.With the program in beta and our first few days of data collected we are now in a better position to fine tune the program. Members should expect to see more games come onto the marketplace and possibly price revisions. Again, we're looking to create a long-term service that members can use at any time of the year.

How did you guys decide on the prices and the selection?

Pricing and item selection is the important combination for the Exchange program to work. You can kind of map out a matrix where Goozex would be in trouble if we offered super high demand games at low cost or on the other end of the spectrum, no demand games at high cost. Our objective is to find the sweet spot in the middle that allows us to maintain the Exchange program as a long-term service for members. The pricing decision was based on previous sensitivity analysis data that we collected. The game selection was done on what items that we termed having "medium" demand.

Finally from here on out are Goozex users going to see a sale every month around the same time?

The concept of having an Exchange sale every month is not the direction we are heading. Our goal is to have the Exchange program run 365 days of the year and is open to all eligible users at any time.

My thoughts, I am glad the Goozex Exchange was a success. I am also happy that Goozex is seeking the middle ground for the cost of games, although the initial selection was rather poor. Ghostbusters? Fight Night Round 4? A Bug’s Life?

But since the Exchange went live, a few games and DVDs have been added. There’s a James Bond Collection, Monsters vs Aliens, Tru Blood season 1 Cross Edge for the ps3, Dirt 2, Halo ODST, as well as several others. As for the pricing, it still seems a little high for some of the games and some of the DVDs. But the program is in BETA and I am sure things are still being worked on. I do like the idea of it running 365 days a year instead of for a few days a month.

The Goozex Exchange is Approaching.

Erik Kubik Says It came from beyond the grave! After a few weeks and some setbacks, we have new information obtained secretly from our mole about the Goozex Exchange. It is happening again this Friday, October 2nd 2009 (that’s today). The idea behind the Goozex Exchange is to provide a wonderful opportunity for Goozex members to receive newly released DVDs and Video Games in exchange for their points. This adds value to the Goozex Experience beyond trading games and movies. The G-Team is hoping the Goozex Exchange is as successful as the last one and becomes a long running regular monthly feature.

There are a few new restrictions, taken from the official thread on the Goozex forums. Members can only purchase 1 copy of a product. They can only make one purchase per month (so everyone has a chance). Finally, Goozers must have a minimum feedback of 100 to participate, or 5 trades completed as a seller in the last 60 days with all positive feedback.

The rules are designed to prevent people from exploiting the system. The games and movies in the Goozex Exchange were not listed until today. I’m guessing that today they will mention the time the Goozex Exchange starts as well. In addition, the cost of the games and movies is still up in the air. Although based on the last sale I would imagine games will be around 1400-1600 points and movies might be 200-300 points?

Here are my concerns based on the last time the Goozex Exchange took place. Number 1: not having enough of the product; games like Street Fighter 4 on the Xbox 360 sold out quickly, leaving those who showed up late, such as myself, the leftovers. Number 2: the time the sale ran. In March, the sale started at 12pm PST. Ideally, this was a good time for some members of the site who don’t work regular work schedules, are in college, or have long lunch breaks. For everyone else, the starting time was terrible and many users missed out on the opportunity to obtain the games they wanted. My third and most important concern is, can the web site handle the traffic load? Community members saw Goozex.com stagger with the addition of DVD trading during the first week of its launch. Too many people with too much stuff going on forced the site to an almost stand still.

Let’s see what today brings.

Goozex to Launch DVD and Blu-Ray Trading and an Improved Goozex Exchange

Erik Kubik Says Goozex is adding Blu-Ray and DVD trading this summer to their already successful game-trading service. The new feature launches the week of August the 10th and will run as a beta for 8 to 12 weeks. These additional trading opportunities have generated an enormous amount of positive feedback from Goozex members.

This is what we know so far--like games, each DVD and Blu-Ray will be assigned point values and will require a trade token. The trade tokens and points you receive from trading DVDs and Blu-Rays can be used to receive games, and vice versa. There will not be separate queues for games and DVDs. The movies will appear in your “Requests” and “Haves” lists side-by-side with your games. The options for listing what you have and what you want will be like the games with several options. Although it won’t be the focus of the new trading, HD-DVDs will be included.

Goozex has kept a tight lid on the point requirements for movies, so the biggest question on everyone’s mind is, “How many points will ‘X’ be worth?” Other questions include, will the Goozex Guarantee stand behind the movies like it does the games? Is there going to be a point difference for Widescreen vs. Fullscreen?

Goozex Exchange
Another anticipated change coming to Goozex is the revamping of the Goozex Exchange. The Goozex Exchange is a service that allows users to trade their Goozex points for new games from Amazon.com. The old system was limited by the amount of games Goozex was offering through Amazon and the time frame in which the sale ran. Due to these restrictions, many members felt alienated from this opportunity to purchase their games.

Limited quantities and small sale windows are things of the past! With these promising changes, the Goozex Exchange is now set to run all year long. It will include both movies and games. Users can buy games and movies with their points or use a combination of points and cash to purchase their goods. The new system should be in place in September. The two new features should increase the usability of Goozex while boosting the user base, and increasing the amount of goods and points in the system. Hats off to Goozex for listening to its users and moving forward with new ideas!

For more information, check the Goozex forums for DVDs and Blu-Rays and The Goozex Exchange.