The boost in home entertainment options stemming from the stay-at-home phase of the coronavirus pandemic has apparently sparked a slight resurgence from an old friend: good ol’ DVD.
The 23-year-old standard-definition disc format has seen rapid declines for more than a decade with the rise of high-definition disc, digital delivery and streaming options. But the three-week period from April 19 to May 9 saw sales of film and TV content on DVD post the format’s best year-over-year showing in nearly seven years.
In the weeks ended April 25, May 2 and May 9, 2020, the DVD format posted revenue gains of 13%, 15% and 15.2%, respectively, compared to the similar time frame from a year ago, according to data obtained by Media Play News research. Unit sales during the three weeks were up 10%, 14.4% and 13%, respectively.
Put another way, for the three-week period as a whole, the DVD format was up 14.4% in revenue and 12.5% in unit sales compared with the same three weeks a year ago.
For perspective, the high-definition Blu-ray format was up 9.6% in revenue and 7.4% in units the week ended April 25, but down 4% and 7.7% in revenue, and 6.2% and 9.5% in unit sales the subsequent two weeks, as DVD was rising. For the three weeks, Blu-ray was down 0.8% in revenue and down 2.9% in units sold.
The recent spike may owe to a variety of factors beyond a renewed interest in home entertainment from citizens waiting out the pandemic at home. Streaming services and digital sales were on the rise prior to the pandemic, and shelter-in-place orders only aided their momentum. According to the NPD Group, even DVD and Blu-ray players have seen sales gains compared with last year around this time.
An increase in just the older DVD format could be the result of an increase in impulse bargain bin buys during grocery runs, especially at stories such as Walmart and Target where $5 catalog DVD sections are common. However, the average cost of a DVD is actually up 1.74% during the three-week period, indicating sales of the newer titles are significantly contributing to the surge.
These statistics lead me to believe that people are tired of watching the same things that netflix and streaming services have to offer. Many people are starting to watch movies that they havent seen in 10+ years or more. As nostalgia kicks in right now is the best time to purchase dvds wholesale to resell for a very good profit. The pandemic dvd boost is a great gift for people wanting to make extra income while many businesses are closing up due to the pandemic.
We did a complete restock of product and if your new to selling online read our 2 part blog on selling dvds, games, and blu rays online.
Thanks for reading and as always stay safe :)