TOPPS introduced their new print-on-demand daily baseball card service, TOPPS NOW, at the beginning of the 2016 MLB season. The trading card company was founded in 1938, and now they are trying to reenergize their brand in the digital age. Their new on-demand cards are only available online, and they have been relatively successful this season. But when fan-favorite and New York Mets’ pitcher Bartolo Colon achieved a historic feat in MLB history, the true potential of this endeavor shined through.
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This past weekend Colon became the oldest player in MLB history to hit his first home run, at age 42. In doing so he sparked a huge outpouring of fan reaction across the country. TOPPS was able to capitalize on this historic and fun moment, with their on-demand service TOPPS NOW.
The company’s new digital only service provides fans the opportunity to purchase a baseball card online for 24 hours only. TOPPS selects big-time moments from the season and historic events, turning them into trading cards available the very next day.
TOPPS new on-demand service was construed with fans in mind, with a focus on trying to stay relevant in an online and mobile world. Big moments go viral very quickly, and the trading card company is now capitalizing in this space, in a very unique way. By making these cards available the next day, while these amazing MLB moments are still fresh in a fan’s mind, TOPPS has created a brand new trading card market.
Since the cards are only available for purchase online for 24 hours the day after the event, TOPPS has created a platform where fans must act quickly. Their NOW feature has helped them become a part of the viral MLB conversation.
Colon’s home run card was extremely successful. TOPPS sold 8,826 cards in 24 hours, after they went on sale at 11:30 a.m. ET last Sunday. The cards cost $9.99 each and are only printed once a purchase is made, therefore no extra cards go to waste.
To put the sale of Colon’s home run card into perspective, the next highest selling card NOW sold was Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter, which sold 1,808 cards. To date TOPPS NOW has sold 61 different on-demand cards, which is a lot considering MLB is just over a month into the season.
TOPPS NOW is really trying to engage and involve baseball fans and the response has been very positive. Their Director of New Product Development & eCommerce Marketplace, Jeff Heckman said “We have sold over 20,000 cards in the first 3 weeks of the season. We also have received a lot of suggestions about who should get a card via our #ToppsNow hashtag on social media.”
The viral nature of Colon’s historic home run helps to prove the sustainability of TOPPS new digital on-demand model. With over five months to go in their inaugural season, NOW will undoubtedly keep churning out these unique baseball cards that fans have loved so far.