Use points to buy games

[Humble Shipper]

So currently the points are honestly useless. Once you get the customization options you want, you still get left over points that just sit there and stockpile up gathering virtual dust. I personally have 60,000+ points that I'm never going to use. In other online stores, currency like that can be redeemed for real world money, but in a gift card sense, meaning that money can only be used in that specific store. Similar to how the Eshop handles this with Nintendo. This should be a feature with steam points, rewarding users for continuous use and purchases.

[Wolf Knight]

you earn points by buying games...and you want to spend the points on more games...

so you want steam to lose money when you spend your points? steam does not own any of the games it sells (unless its made by Valve). steam gets a cut of the price a game sells for. so your idea would cost steam a ton of money, or you would need a ton of points just to save $1

[Radene]

Maybe buy (untradeable) coupons with points, if the publishers get on board with that. That, I think, is the closest to a "loyalty program" that this can go.

[Humble Shipper]

Think of it like those punch cad things some places do. Obviously it wouldn't be the exact conversion rate they're doing now. The Eshop conversion rate is currently 5%. Ex: a $59.99 game will give 300 points, and those 300 points will give $3 off whatever you put it towards. I understand steam doesn't own a majority of games they sell here, so I can see how it would be difficult, and it would all depend on if the other companies steam works with would be on board.

[SimonaK]

not crazy idea.
You cannot buy a game with money and points in same time.
and
Game buy with points doesn't give points.

Let's see.... if I spent $100 I receive 7300 pts.... so How much pts to get a $100 game.... mmhh... 10 times more.... 73000 pts

doesn't sound like much point, does it?

normal ...hey don't forget you spent 2000 pts for wallpaper.... 2000 pts = $27.39

[cinedine]

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

you earn points by buying games...and you want to spend the points on more games... [...]

Ever heard of chashback or payback? Entirely possible.

[Gwarsbane]

I knew this was coming with these stupid points....

"GIVE ME FREE GAMES"

Or better idea just wait till it goes on sale, buy it for 90% off, get some points and get some digital junk.

If Valve ever considers this, they should make it million points for every dollar and games can only be bought with the points when they are not on sale.

Seriously I hope they never do this and set their foot down and put it right in the FAQ so that we can point people to it....

"Points will NEVER be able to be used to buy games or in game items from the market."

[nullable]

Originally posted by Pebble:

Think of it like those punch cad things some places do. Obviously it wouldn't be the exact conversion rate they're doing now. The Eshop conversion rate is currently 5%. Ex: a $59.99 game will give 300 points, and those 300 points will give $3 off whatever you put it towards. I understand steam doesn't own a majority of games they sell here, so I can see how it would be difficult, and it would all depend on if the other companies steam works with would be on board.

Yes, however I would qualify Nintendo eShop sales as pretty anemic compared to Steam sales. Owning both a Switch and a PC, since I'm not getting great prices on games in the eShop the points do help that. But I think I'd rather have the more aggressive pricing on Steam if I had to pick one over the other.

I mean it wouldn't be difficult. Steam would just have to subsidize the cost of the points, like they do with the $5 discount doing many recent sales. But whether that's a cost they're interested in bearing is another question.

At this point I think because the points aren't worth anything, making the worth something to discount games causes two problems. One, who's wasting points on the point store anymore? So that's been nullified. Two, everyone who's already spent umpteen thousands of points believe they've been tricked into wasting them. Which is arguably worse than having points and having no use for them, from a PR standpoint. Especially as they were a very recent introduction as a permanent fixture.

And it's not like Valve is not aware of how the Nintendo eShop works, they chose not to emulate it though.

[SpunkyJones]

Does this qualify as today’s thread?

[Snapjak]

Originally posted by SpunkyJones:

Does this qualify as today’s thread?

Definitely.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by Gwarsbane:

I knew this was coming with these stupid points....

"GIVE ME FREE GAMES"

Same, it is inevitable. You'll get the same repertoire of individuals asking for these who typically don't have any knowledge as to how money works. "Valve has billions. This idea that i'm presenting will in fact take X amount of money out of valve's pockets, surely they can afford this for everyone!"

[SimonaK]

Originally posted by The Living Tribunal:

Originally posted by Gwarsbane:

I knew this was coming with these stupid points....

"GIVE ME FREE GAMES"

Same, it is inevitable. You'll get the same repertoire of individuals asking for these who typically don't have any knowledge as to how money works. "Valve has billions. This idea that i'm presenting will in fact take X amount of money out of valve's pockets, surely they can afford this for everyone!"

Hey dude, keep calm.

There are dozens and dozens of free games in the store..

Be comfortable to take when you want.

[76561199075864979]

you what

[Supafly]

You're getting something for free already....................but I want my freebie to give me other free stuff.

Ungrateful and entitled youngster I assume?

[Sleepy Yoshi]

I can see incentive for Valve to do this. Loyalty programs are not rare by any stretch of the imagination after all and for good reason. From my viewpoint Valve really wants three things, for you to use their platform, for you to buy games directly from them, and to retain these customers.

All of those conditions are met with this type of program. However, I think it would make more sense as a discount towards a purchase with a cap rather than potentially purchasing a full product. How much of a discount is up in the air, but it needs to make sense from Valve's perspective more so than what the consumer may want.

Imo that means the discount would never be greater than 30%. Valve would not eat an upfront cost in this case. There is still a potential cost of course, but the idea being that less profit on an individual sale is made up for by a larger quantity of sales due to the loyalty program itself. The points required would also be something that would need to be carefully considered.

At any rate, that's one way I could see this working. That being said I do not personally think it's something Valve will do, at least at this point and time. I outlined the three points I believe Valve wants and while a loyalty program may potentially check all the boxes, I think said boxes are already checked by other elements on the platform that have a stronger effect then such a program would have.

Just my two cents without the "hurr durr you want free stuff, what an entitled kid" rhetoric that tends to pervade these boards.

[SimonaK]

Originally posted by Sleepy Yoshi:

I can see incentive for Valve to do this. Loyalty programs are not rare by any stretch of the imagination after all and for good reason. From my viewpoint Valve really wants three things, for you to use their platform, for you to buy games directly from them, and to retain these customers.

All of those conditions are met with this type of program. However, I think it would make more sense as a discount towards a purchase with a cap rather than potentially purchasing a full product. How much of a discount is up in the air, but it needs to make sense from Valve's perspective more so than what the consumer may want.

Imo that means the discount would never be greater than 30%. Valve would not eat an upfront cost in this case. There is still a potential cost of course, but the idea being that less profit on an individual sale is made up for by a larger quantity of sales due to the loyalty program itself. The points required would also be something that would need to be carefully considered.

At any rate, that's one way I could see this working. That being said I do not personally think it's something Valve will do, at least at this point and time. I outlined the three points I believe Valve wants and while a loyalty program may potentially check all the boxes, I think said boxes are already checked by other elements on the platform that have a stronger effect then such a program would have.

Just my two cents without the "hurr durr you want free stuff, what an entitled kid" rhetoric that tends to pervade these boards.

I don't see how we could see the shop points as a loyalty program.

My coffee shop giving to me a free coffee cup after 6th is much better in the concept.

At least, there, I receive free a thing I pay always.
And I receive a free that because I buy always that.

In shop points, all we can to hope to get are esthetice stuffs...for...our..profile? (and chat...)
It's weak, very weak, especially for those who put theirs in private.

I'm sure that over time the points will accumulate and accumulate in accounts.

Valve was already planning to find something else to buy in the future ... that's saying it.