Gamestation, a UK based retailer of video and computer games has over 200 stores countrywide and are probably the fastest growing games retailers in the country. In addition to their very successful chain of video and computer game stores they also offer mail order and online purchasing facilities. They carry an extensive range of new and pre-owned games in a variety of formats. They also accept trade-in’s and offer to buy clients old games from them.

Big e-commerce sellers include books, CD’s, DVD’s and games. Each of these items can be purchased without seeing the actual product. A purchasing decision is often based on online product evaluation. This is done by means of reading various write-up’s on the products features and benefits and evaluating other user’s experiences. The above reasons combined with the fact that lightweight items attract low delivery costs make online purchasing of these common entertainment items simple and very popular. Companies such as Amazon.com and others have enjoyed and continue to experience remarkable online success with book’s, CD’s DVD’s and games. Internet marketing is a critical component in the overall marketing program of a company such as Gamestation.

Gamestation.co.uk has an exciting and very lively home page which will appeal to their young (average age of gamers is 23) and largely male audience (approximately 91% of gamers are male). The page consists of a black background with white, blue and orange font’s which add colour to the page. Interesting game graphics are used to great effect. The overall look and feel is a playful one which will appeal to younger users. Although playful, it does at the same time maintain its form and structure striking an appropriate balance of logical function and exciting graphics.

The website is easy to navigate with a menu on the left side of the page as well as a search function at the top. It does not however include a sitemap which would not only have been handy for navigation but would improve search engine ranking too. Products are categorised per console type which is a sensible approach and seems to conform to the industry standard.

The site is e-commerce enabled, allowing users to make purchases online. They include some interesting promotions and make use of the usual retail sale techniques such as pre-order now and now in stock. Some of the language used is very indicative of an offline selling strategy. Slogans such as "play more, pay less" and "hot stuff" may be offshoots from existing marketing campaigns.

GameStation does not take full advantage of the benefits and significant role Internet marketing has to play in the online video gaming industry. For example, they put forward the notion that their stores are staffed by knowledgeable gaming enthusiasts. It is fair to say that in so doing, they acknowledge their clients need for video and PC gaming information.

Gamers enjoy sharing information, trading secrets, giving advice and generally discussing a hobby about which they are passionate. This often results in a shared sense of community with one another. Gamestation does not integrate this offline selling advantage into their online environment. Many opportunities therefore exist for the deployment of a "website as information resource" strategy which can be used to successfully attract and hold visitors interest. GameStation could include more content in the form of game reviews, previews and articles. Increased content would improve their page rank and attract more visitors.

Websites, generally will conform to the standards set by the industry in which they exist and the nature of their business. A business involved in the sale of an entertainment product such as games needs to provide a high degree of engagement. Visitor engagement improves with the number and type of features presented. Features should be plentiful providing the user with lots of value in terms of entertainment and information. They should also be interactive, invite participation and where appropriate include multimedia features.

It would be advisable to include some interactive features such as a forum for the purpose of live discussion between visitors. The use of short video extracts from the more popular games could also prove successful. Another advantage of video clips would be their social marketing potential. Other features which could prove beneficial from a viral marketing perspective include newsletters, news clips, competitions and RSS Feeds.

The site loads very slowly, even by industry standards, this is most likely a result of the use of large file graphics. The Gamestation website has a relatively high search engine inclusion rating. Approximately 88 sites link to GameStation and their Alexa traffic rank is 17 339.

The site has a good look and feel, good navigation, and provides useful information. Features include a store locator, e-commerce and search function. Although GameStation does present an interesting affiliate marketing program which allows participants to earn variable commissions based on the items purchased, it seems that the Gamestation website currently serves its purpose as a marketing support tool and has yet to be fully optimised for maximum Internet marketing potential. It receives an adequate amount of traffic and has an average search engine ranking. General website performance could be improved through the employment of more features, higher interactivity, the use of multimedia and an increase in content related features.