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Distributing games online is no longer a novelty.

According to a survey by The NPD Group, 36 percent of the US population plays downloadable games. With 90% of digital downloads occurring on PCs and the advancing capabilities of gaming platforms, the frequency of downloading digital games online is increasing.

Plus, gamers are notoriously impulsive. As Liam Callahan, an analyst for NPD, points out, “Most digital players don’t plan their purchases. They simply purchase when they find something they like.”

With the ability to download video games over the Internet getting easier everyday and the average gamers impulsiveness to buy on a whim, your e-commerce platform has to be ready to deliver the goods.

Here are five things your ecommerce platform must have to profitably distribute games online – and keep your customers happy.

Give Customers More Options to Pay

Boost conversions by giving your customer more ways to pay, like PayPal or the ability to use any credit card. Don’t limit your customers with one or two options, give them more choices to pay and you give them more reasons to give you their money.

Additionally, minimizing clients’ failed transactions is another way to increase your bottom line while giving your customers what they want.  After just one error message, many potential clients give up attempting to purchase the game altogether. Failed transactions lead to lost customers, which leads to decreased revenue.

Localize Your Customers’ Buying Experience

If you’re distributing games online, you probably have customers all over the world. Make sure your e-commerce platform can display in local languages and customers can pay in their native currency. A localized buying experience instills confidence and security for your global customers.  Seeking out an e-commerce platform that offers multi-currency supportwill make it simpler (and more attractive) for someone who doesn’t live in North America to purchase your game.

Seamless Buying Experience

Gamers don’t want to have to leave their game to make a purchase. With in-app purchasing they won’t have to leave. Whether they’re upgrading, moving from trial to full version or buying new gaming content, in-app purchasing lets customers seamlessly buy more, right there within your game.

Plus, cross-selling and up-selling is always a nice feature to boost sales. Personalization helps customers feel that you’ve chosen items specifically for them, based solely upon their individual likes and preferences— this is incentivizing for them to make further purchases. Cross-selling makes customers feel appreciated. When you recommend items that are related to their purchase or that would enhance their experience, they feel that you’re looking out for them, and they’re more likely to make the purchase.

Customizable Web Store

Customers lose trust when they get whisked away to an order page that looks completely different than the web store. Reduce cart abandonment by making sure your e-commerce provider offers full CSS customization of its order pages.

Amazing Customer Service

Distributing digital games online comes with it’s own set of issues. When problems arise, you want to know your e-commerce provider can make you come out looking golden. Amazing customer service will trump any minor technical glitch or operator error. Keep your customers happy and you’ll have the best marketing advocates.

An e-commerce platform with impeccable customer service offers users immediate attention rather than a form email. When customers feel that they’re getting sub-par service, they’re almost guaranteed to never patronize the business again— good customer service is beneficial to your bottom line.

The digital distribution of games online is growing – and fast. Make sure your e-commerce platform has these features and you’ll be in position to take advantage of the digital distribution revolution.

Ready to see what FastSpring can do for your digital game business? Click here to request a free demo today.