Post by fredhocker on Feb 1, 2017 8:34:01 GMT
Hi Thomas,
De Agostini do not discuss their marketing plans with me, but I know that they usually market their products on a country-by-country basis, with different approaches in each. When we were developing the kit, Germany was one of the markets mentioned as a possible venue, but I cannot tell you what their plans are. One of the issues that comes up in their discussions is whether their basic "part works" system of weekly or monthly subscription rather than selling the whole kit at once works. Part works schemes generally do not do well in the United States, for example - modellers there want to buy the whole thing at once, in a box. The American market is more heavily influenced by kit collecting, as opposed to building, than other markets, as customers amass "stashes" of kits faster than they build them. If DeAgostini wants to sell there they have to wait until they have produced the whole kit, and then develop packaging and distribution. The part works approach is normal in Italy, where buyers are conditioned to subscribe on a weekly basis. Here in Scandinavia, the kit is being sold in monthly increments (basically four weekly installments in one envelope). Not sure what format they are using in Poland, but I remember that Poland is a good market for them.
You could always investigate buying the Italian, Polish or Scandinavian version (I am receiving the Scandinavian version, which has amounted so far to nine monthly packages). The instructions are so well illustrated that the text might not be a issue.
Fred
De Agostini do not discuss their marketing plans with me, but I know that they usually market their products on a country-by-country basis, with different approaches in each. When we were developing the kit, Germany was one of the markets mentioned as a possible venue, but I cannot tell you what their plans are. One of the issues that comes up in their discussions is whether their basic "part works" system of weekly or monthly subscription rather than selling the whole kit at once works. Part works schemes generally do not do well in the United States, for example - modellers there want to buy the whole thing at once, in a box. The American market is more heavily influenced by kit collecting, as opposed to building, than other markets, as customers amass "stashes" of kits faster than they build them. If DeAgostini wants to sell there they have to wait until they have produced the whole kit, and then develop packaging and distribution. The part works approach is normal in Italy, where buyers are conditioned to subscribe on a weekly basis. Here in Scandinavia, the kit is being sold in monthly increments (basically four weekly installments in one envelope). Not sure what format they are using in Poland, but I remember that Poland is a good market for them.
You could always investigate buying the Italian, Polish or Scandinavian version (I am receiving the Scandinavian version, which has amounted so far to nine monthly packages). The instructions are so well illustrated that the text might not be a issue.
Fred