The exhibit hall is organized into virtual booths by game company. In each booth are the company’s products. When a fan clicks on a product, a list of nearby stores with the product in stock are displayed, and the fan can then order the product from the store and check out. Over 700 stores use Crystal Commerce’s service, and although some are not taking orders, depending on the nature of local quarantine orders, “the vast majority are still able to ship out orders and desperately need more ‘virtual walk-ins’ ...to keep the life-blood flowing until this is over,” Crystal Commerce CEO Dan McCarty told ICv2.
The project began in early January. “We had the idea late last year, and then I personally started putting way more after-work-time resources into it as I saw this getting worse and worse,” McCarty said. Crystal Commerce has reduced its $599 start-up fee for retailers to $0.99; it takes a 2.5% commission on orders referred through the virtual convention, and retailers pay a $99 monthly fee to participate in the program, which also includes in-store POS and placing inventory on third-party platforms such as TCGPlayer.
Crystal Commerce is urging retailers, publishers, and fans to refer potential customers to the virtual exhibit hall, and focusing on the need to support local game stores. “Our dream is seeing the next generation of kids with thriving local brick-and-mortar, safe places to play, nerd out, have fun, discover new hobbies, and make their new best friends,” McCarty said. “What other local businesses can say they create community like this? We all know these are SPECIAL places and must be protected.”
