BOOM! Studios has announced the BOOM! Retailer Support Services Program, a comprehensive set of initiatives effective immediately to aid comic book shops worldwide affected by the current health crisis. The BOOM! Retailer Support Services Program will initially deliver the following benefits to qualifying accounts pending details being finalized with Diamond Comic Distributors.
BOOM! Studios will extend the returnability program, the BOOM! Guarantee, by making all items that ship between March 18 and June 24, 2020, fully returnable via affidavit to allow retailers to order with confidence. Any retailer not already enrolled in the BOOM! Guarantee can sign up for free on boom-studios.com. The publisher will also increase targeted advertising and promotion around comic shops, and specifically spotlight stores offering services like curbside and mail order options, using the #BoostYourLCS hashtag to reach over 360,000 fans worldwide. A full list of BOOM! guarantee and safe service retailers (with regular updates) can be found on their website.
BOOM! Studios is offering retailers a direct cash infusion by providing previously released rare and popular variant covers for free to qualifying Diamond accounts in April. These gifts will create an opportunity for retailers to generate additional revenue and promotion at no cost. For retailers who do not normally sell variant covers at an increased price, these can be used to reward loyal pull-box subscribers or used to further incentivize customer engagement as prizes or purchasing rewards. They will provide new, previously unannounced one per store variant every month through December free to qualifying Diamond accounts. This program will begin with a new one per store variant for Faithless II #1 in April, followed by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #51 in May, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow #1 in June.
BOOM! Studios will deliver their promised free Diamond Summit retailer variant cover for Faithless II #1 to all qualifying stores in April so that retailers don’t miss out on this issue. They will also offer select variant covers and other items previously planned for 2020 conventions direct to retailers through Diamond, as long as supplies last.
This program includes BOOM! Studios’ support and participation in future industry-wide, coordinated joint initiatives with Diamond Comic Distributors and other participating publishers to benefit and support comic book stores.
“We are deeply committed to working together hand in hand with our retail partners through this period of disruption. BOOM! Studios is proud to take both immediate and long term steps to support those on the front lines of our industry,” said Filip Sablik, President of Publishing & Marketing, BOOM! Studios. “The BOOM! Retailer Support Services Program we’ve outlined today is just the start of our efforts, which will evolve as we receive more feedback from retailers. We believe publishers should earn their space on our retail partners’ shelves and at no time has that belief been more important than now. We invite retailers to participate and share ideas to enhance our efforts together.”
Diamond Comic Distributors and BOOM! Studios will be sharing more information directly with retailers as soon as it is finalized to clearly outline how to receive benefits from the BOOM! Retailer Support Services Program.