Social Rocket
Best Buy launched the gaming section "Best Buy Gamers" as a beta on 20 October 2026 and won the gaming media brand IGN as a content partner. Users find game reports, videos, hardware and offers in one place on the US website and in the Best Buy app. The electronics retailer announced this in a its own press release. From a marketing perspective, this is about more than a new category: editorial discovery and the next purchase are meant to happen within the same customer relationship.
A publisher delivers attention, the retailer delivers the shopping cart
According to the published plans, IGN contributes reviews, articles, videos and content produced specially for Best Buy. Best Buy controls the interface, the product range and the member benefits. In customisable profiles, users can specify their preferred consoles and devices, genres and gaming habits.
This means the customer journey works differently from an isolated social ad: a person learns about a new release, comes across matching hardware or offers, and can then buy from the retailer. This is a content-to-commerce strategy on its own platform, not just an affiliate link in someone else's feed. Adweek's coverage also places the partnership ahead of major game launches.
Profiles create opportunities – and measurement problems
For the retailer, interests voluntarily selected by users can be a useful signal: those who specify their platform or favourite genres may see more relevant content and product recommendations. However, the start of the beta does not yet mean that Best Buy is achieving higher conversion rates, better customer loyalty or more additional revenue. Published comparison data for this is lacking.
The decisive metrics would be, for example, the share of profiles created, use of IGN content, product views after an article, orders and repeat purchases. Ideally, the added value would be tested against users without a personalised content stream. A mere click count on a game review does not yet prove any additional hardware sales.
A gaming community should also work in the store
Best Buy connects the digital offering with its stores. For November, the company announced a gaming experience area in Torrance, California, plus events such as a League of Legends event with partners in Brooklyn. In the US, members are also to receive time-limited offers and promotions. Details of such US promotions are no commitment for German customers; a German launch has not been announced.
Here the concept differs from Walmart's creator channels on VIZIO WatchFree+: there, entertainment is brought into a TV interface, while at Best Buy it is brought directly into the retail environment. And while Wirecutter stages long-term tests as a media event, Best Buy integrates external gaming know-how into a personalised shopping offer. The content series from Fender and Marshall are a further example of building one's own topical reach.
What German retailers can learn from this
The transferable part is not a celebrity testimonial or simply taking over third-party articles. A relevant editorial theme world, proprietary product data and a measurable path to purchase can together achieve more than interchangeable banner ads. Prerequisites are clear labelling of advertising and partnerships, genuine editorial independence in reviews, and separate measurement of reach and sales.
Classification: Best Buy Gamers is currently a US beta test. Whether IGN content brings the retailer additional customers or merely keeps existing buyers on the site longer remains to be verified.
Image: Official presentation of "Best Buy Gamers", source: Best Buy Corporate News.