The 4 Player Types

When it comes to choosing prizes to carry in your redemption center, the first thing to think about are the players coming in and what they actually want to play and redeem tickets for. We’ve studied our customers and their guests and have determined that there are 4 types of players in the arcade- Impulse, Trader, Saver and Super Saver, and you need to have prizes for each of them.

The first player type is the Impulse Player. This guest typically skews younger but can encompass all ages. They are in your location for a single visit, perhaps attending a school event or birthday party and they have a limited amount of play on their game card. They’ll win as many tickets as possible and then cash them all in at the end, prioritizing instant gratification. They usually spend about 250 tickets or less and most likely will be shopping out of the bins. Think of prizes like Tootsie Rolls, Soldier Figurines, and Finger Traps. This ticket range tends to account for nearly half of prizes redeemed, and likely will be a similar percentage in your game room, so keep this in mind when spending your inventory budget. 

The second player is the Trader Player. This is a guest who has their eye on a particular prize, for example, a big Nerf blaster. They won’t win enough tickets for that, so they’ll trade down the wall for something within their ticket range, most likely within the same product theme. They may not get the big-name brand prize, but they can still play an epic game with a lower value, import blaster. They’re spending usually about 250-1250 tickets- think prizes such as Putties and Slimes, Dart Blaster and Princess Jewelry Set. This player may redeem in combination with Impulse prizes as well. This ticket range accounts for about a third of prizes redeemed, so consider this when budgeting for prizes. 

The third player is the Saver- this is a guest who is saving their tickets across multiple visits for a particular prize. They’re typically a bit older, pre-teens to young adults, value quality,  and like prizes that are new and trendy, such as Nerf Blasters, Licensed Plush, and Collectibles. They’re spending about 1250-3750, and this is a much smaller percentage of prizes redeemed, so spend your budget wisely.

The last Player Type is the Super Saver. These are your regular, repeat visitors who are playing for high-value prizes- gaming consoles, appliances, and speciality lamps. The game room may be an important part of their social life, and they’re your most loyal guests- you should get to know them by name because they’ll give you great feedback on what kind of prizes to stock. They’re strategic about their play, coming on half-price game night, taking advantage of specials, and they’ve figured out how and which games to play to maximize their ticket payout. They’re usually spending 3750 and up. These prizes take much longer to win so there is no need to stock them heavily. Saver prizes often serve as motivators, meaning that most guests will give up before they save up the required tickets, but that prize has still done its job.             

Every store and location is different, so consult your Stock Trend report to get a more accurate feel for actual ticket redemption. A 6-week range should give you a good overview of the ticket ranges being redeemed, and you can use that as a base when placing orders.  The most important thing is to keep your guests happy and provide prizes to motivate them to play and return. Prizes drive gameplay, and winners make players.