Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard a bit of hubbub around the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems.
Although Xbox One and PS4 have already hit store shelves, buzz has been generating around both consoles for quite some time.
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According to research and analysis from SDL, online customer conversations may allude to the overall likelihood of purchase, and in turn, total sales. Using its Product Commitment Score (PCS), SDL is isolating customer conversations, including likelihood to buy product, evangelize a brand or share content. Data sets are then crunched to create models around key performance indicators.
“There is a very strong link between the scores we generate and what happens in the real world,” said Liz High, Senior Director of Insights and Innovation at SDL. “Certain keywords link to customer behaviors and help predict where someone is in the buying journey."
Although SDL is conducting this research through the entirety of the holiday season, the company shared some initial findings. We will be reporting on the research as the season progresses.
During the last week of September, PCS for the Xbox One increased from 49 to 57. Conversely, the PCS for PS4 dropped from 59 to 56.
These results, according to High, were likely caused by new announcements tied to the product launches. For example, on September 27, Xbox One unveiled plans for its fitness services. Within that same period, however, PS4 released its European bundle packages, which some were not impressed by.
So, which video game system will dominate the holiday season?
High thinks that predictions can be made by looking to the 2012 holiday season. And all signs point to PS4 as the winner (right now).
"We’ve learned a lot by looking at what the brands did to ramp up to the holiday season last year,” she said. “We’re seeing a lot of evidence that Xbox is using similar tactics as last year."
Because the PS4 release date was announced first, it "has much more weight in early activity,” while Xbox had a rough start “due to connectivity issues."
Another reason PS4 may push ahead is "its clear positioning in the hardcore gaming community,” High said. “Last year, this was consistently clear in all marketing campaigns and messaging."
But Xbox will be taking a two-pronged approach to marketing by creating two sets of campaigns: one for hardcore gamers and one for families who may be using the fitness functions more.
Needless to say, right now, there are a lot of guesses and predictions. But we’re just getting into the heat of the battle.
"The real battle begins seven to 10 days before Black Friday,” High explained. “Purchase peaks will occur between Black Friday and December 28 or 29."
So, there you have it! Stay tuned as we continue to cover SDL’s research.
Which system do you think will win this holiday season? PS4 or Xbox One? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
