The move makes GameByte the only social publisher in the world to own every step of the consumer journey.

The GameByte shop will stock over 1000 products including video games, next-gen consoles and gaming accessories

A proprietary e-commerce platform will provide media buyers with total transparency and insight

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84% of GameByte’s surveyed followers* said they want to buy with GameByte

Manchester-based GameByte, the gaming brand owned by global social agency and publishing house, Social Chain, is venturing into e-commerce with the launch of The GameByte shop.

On November 9, GameByte’s audience of more than 6 million gamers will be introduced to over 1000 products including merchandise, gaming accessories, hardware, next-gen consoles and games. The shop will act as an extension of the GameByte website GameByte.com, which hosts its gaming news coverage and features.

Gaming enthusiasts will be able to buy directly from the store or purchase through social by simply clicking on one of GameByte’s Facebook videos, which average more than 25 million views every month.

GameByte’s mantra, ‘by gamers for gamers’, takes centre stage in the creation and launch of the shop, which was ideated based on a survey put to its audience that saw 84% of GameByte’s audience express a desire to buy with GameByte.

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GameByte’s head, Rich White, said: “This isn’t just the next generation of GameByte, it’s the next gen of games media. Though it’s never been done before, we’re in the perfect position to launch a gaming e-commerce platform. We know our audience inside-out.”

The same survey found that one-third of gamers discover new brands on social media, emphasising the role that GameByte’s social following will play in the success of the shop.

Four-year-old GameByte has grown until this point by creating fan-centric original content and coverage for household gaming brands like Frontier and Logitech. In a first for games media, the GameByte brand will now become the client, using its tried-and-tested content strategy to market its own products as well as that of its clients.

The GameByte Shop will also act as ad inventory for clients, media buyers and affiliates, who will have the chance to tap into a market of an estimated 2.6 billion active gamers worldwide, a figure that is set to increase by 5% in 2021 to 2.725 billion.

While this is unprecedented in gaming, the move is reminiscent of the beauty brand Glossier’s strategy. Glossier first began as a publisher, Into The Gloss, and soon turned its editorial audience into paying customers, relying on their insight to create smash-hit products.

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GameByte, of course, will benefit from the resources of parent company Social Chain, which will assist in content creation across editorial, social-first video and display ads, to promotional posts, performance marketing, driving traffic and customer acquisition.

Social Chain’s business development director, Sam Barrett, added: “We’re already a trusted source of gaming news and entertainment. Now with our proprietary e-commerce platform, we can provide a seamless purchase journey for both our community and for the world’s leading gaming companies, by owning every step involved to help them reach their customers.”

The shop is a natural next step for GameByte, but also hints at the upward trajectory that social commerce is on, with companies like Social Chain at the forefront. What’s more, it promises to demonstrate the power of community and social-first savvy in generating revenue for both the brand and its partners.

*These figures are based on a survey of 1,569 gamers from the GameByte community.