RRD’s ConnectOne Storefront Portal Provides Tailored Marketing Materials for Wizards of the Coast’s Premium Retailers
4/19/2023
The WPN Custom Marketing Materials Portal provides ordering, kitting, and fulfillment support for over 200 retail partners in the Wizards Play Network
CHALLENGE
Wizards of the Coast (Wizards) is a family of studios specializing in building role-playing, trading card, and digital games for all genres of players. With a focus on community, they partner with more than 6,000 local game store retailers through the Wizards Play Network (WPN) to bring products like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons to players around the world.
The WPN includes a wide range of privately-owned stores that cater to a diverse player base, providing a unique challenge to product marketing. Wizards is continually exploring new solutions to create marketing materials that can be customized to the style and size specifications of each individual WPN store.
SOLUTION
Through an existing partnership with RRD’s Packaging Solutions division, Wizards entrusted RRD’s Technology Solutions Group to develop the solution. RRD designed and built a ConnectOne Storefront? online portal — the “Wizards Play Network Custom Marketing Materials Portal” — to support the ordering, production, and fulfillment of quarterly launch-specific marketing materials. RRD and Wizards are currently piloting the Custom Marketing Materials Portal in over 200 WPN Premium retail partners in North America.
“We designed the platform to provide seamless integration into the existing Wizards Account infrastructure, allowing each retailer to auto log-in and choose complimentary marketing materials (e.g., art posters or marketing displays) directly from the site prior to each new product launch,” said Al duPont, Chief Commercial Officer. “Retailers seeking additional marketing materials can also choose to purchase supplemental items beyond the complimentary pieces offered.”
Each quarterly launch has a designated ordering window where stores can access the available promotional material options, make their selections, and add customization. Once an order is placed, RRD handles the printing, kitting, and shipping of the collateral, ensuring it reaches stores in time for the launch.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of Wizards product launches, the portal includes the ability to manage access to the site and limits the addresses where materials can be shipped. Additionally, the portal tracks log-ins and provides detailed reporting to ensure confidentiality is not compromised and all custom text meets brand guidelines.
RESULTS
Wizards has promoted the WPN Custom Marketing Materials Portal to its retail partners through press releases, email campaigns, and other channels. The launch of the portal in Q3 2022 saw high retailer demand with over 150 orders placed, kitted, and fulfilled. The program has provided:
- The first-ever custom marketing collateral program designed for WPN retailers
- Increased in-store awareness of new product launches and Wizards product offerings
- Improved retailer marketing support
- Waste reduction due to marketing kits being produced based on specific store needs
Additionally, Wizards’ and RRD’s work on the portal won them a 2022 Toy and Game International Excellence Award — a TAGIE — in the “Most Innovative Supplier” category.