I just read this wonderful Article in the Sacramento Bee talking about Frozen Yogurt shops, which were basically extremely in decline and about to go out of business, but have since bounced back with a vengeance due to a self-serve and do-it-yourself-toppings angle.
It was a really great read, so here's a link to the entire article itself for your perusal!BAH... it requires some sort of login... now I'll have to transcribe some quotes directly.
Here are some select quotes to save me the bother of mangling it up by putting it into my own words. It's very interesting to note the Wii parallels!
Quote
It's made one east Sacramento business a standing-room-only institution in just two years. The owners of a Land Park "fro-yo" startup say they turned a profit in their first month. Self-serve saved a failing south Sacramento County ice cream shop from certain death four years ago.
Notice how they're quickly profitable, in their first month, just as Nintendo is quickly profitable with the Wii.
Quote
(describing the decline of frozen yogurt vendors)Then Starbucks and Jamba Juice hit," said Jason Rhoades, a Northern California salesman for California's biggest yogurt shop supplier, Temecula-based Southwest Traders Inc. "They stole yogurt's thunder."
By 2005, the last year for which data are available, Americans ate a little over one pound of frozen yogurt per person. Many small shops closed during a decade-long slide, Rhoades said.
Notice how frozen yogurt used to uber popular, but experienced a decline as the "ocean became red" with competitors like Starbucks and Jamba Juice that drew customers away. This is a lot like how Nintendo was king of the hill, but then faded to the back of the public consciousness as Sony and MS moved in to compete.
Quote
"Ice Cream has gotten pretty expensive," he said. "Frozen yogurt let's people indulge for less money and gives them a rationale to feel OK about it."
Self-serve is a huge plus for shop owners, Tootelian said, because it keeps employee costs down and subtly prods customers to buy more.
Notice how they're comparing themself to ice-cream in terms of price, just like how next-gen game prices strike some as expensive. Notice how they ALSO hit on frozen yogurt's health perception, "gives them a rationale to feel OK about it," just like physical activity gives Wii Sports players a rationale to feel good about playing games.
ALSO, notice how they emphasize cheap overhead and keeping their costs low in order to keep profits flowing. One of the chief benefits of self-serve is that they don't need to hire as many employees, resulting in less personal service to each customer. This is very reminiscent of Nintendo cutting corners to maintain profitability in many traditional fields, such as online connectivity, internal memory, and graphics.
Quote
It's owners are considering a yoga instructor's offer to hold classes in the shop's back half when it's not rented out for parties.
*cough*WIIFIT*cough*
Quote
A few blocks south on Freeport from Yogurtopia's outlet, Here's the Scoop! ice cream shop owners Ron and Melinda Rucker have responded to their customers' requests by adding three hand-scooped frozen yogurt flavors, bringing their total to five.
"We don't do self-serve," Melinda Rucker said. "But to counter the competition, we're adding a yogurt smoothie."
Sounds a lot like Peter Moore telling us, "Oh, MS is going after expanded audience too! We think that's a priority! Here's a Buzz-rip-off trivia game and here's our own version of Rayman Raving Rabbids!"
Basically, "We're adding a yogurt smoothie" = "Casual and family players can play UNO on XBLA."
Quote
(speaking of 4 years ago)"The clientele didn't exist. There were days when we didn't get $45 coming though the door," she recalled.
...
Self-serve saved my business, absolutely, Ragland said, between waves of customers to her C street shop one recent afternoon. "Now I'd like to open a second shop. I'm thinking about Lincoln."
Yup, it's amazing how much gloom and doom was centered on Nintendo just 4 years ago as well. People were certainly hinting that their days of major business were over, and despite remaining profitable, they were certainly on a decline.
But the Wii and DS saved their business! Rise to heaven!