This Meant Faster, Alternative Shipping for the Nintendo Switch
We are nearing 3 Million Sales of the Nintendo Switch and we just can’t seem to get enough shipments. Would you believe, however, that Nintendo’s debut stock could have been significantly smaller? Through their initiative, they managed to ship 2 million units by the end of March. This meant making their consoles extra portable and moving them via plane.
According to the Wall Street Journal, meeting customer demand meant opting for shipments via plane instead of the usual freight venture. “We carried some of the Switches by plane in March to serve our customers more promptly,” said a company spokesperson. Thus, Nintendo had to pay more just to make sure retailers could deliver reasonable supply.
The convenience of flight transport aren’t cheap, as mentioned by Ace Research Institute analyst Hideki Yasuda, “Air is a big profit-squeezer because it could cost additional 5,000 yen ($45/ €40) per unit.” Therefore, it’s no surprise Nintendo is now back to shipping by sea.
Since launch, Nintendo Switch, its games, and its accessories have been in high demand. GameStop will attest to this, as will the “Sold Out” placements on every online listing. Nintendo COO Reggie Fils-Aimé even claimed the console is breaking records every day. At this point, it’s practically guaranteed to outsell every console in every month it returns to stock, at least for the foreseeable future.
Fortunately, Nintendo expects to ship another 10 million units during the current fiscal year, running through March 18, 2018. It has even been speculated that the NES Classic was discontinued to support Nintendo Switch production. Unless the retro console returns in the near future, it’s a likely possibility.
How do you feel about Nintendo Switch shipping via plane just to meet demand? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.