New cloud-based software application will allow comic shop customers to track their subscriptions and place their monthly preorders with their local comic shop retailer.
Diamond Comic Distributors, the leading distributor of comics, graphic novels and pop-culture merchandise, announced today the upcoming release of PULLBOX™, a cloud-based software application that will allow comic shop customers a better way to preorder titles and products from their local comic book specialty shop.
Developed from the ground up to help customers place orders with their local comic shop, PULLBOX handles monthly comic subscriptions, preorders for upcoming titles and products, and special orders all from Diamond’s consumer pop-culture website, PREVIEWSworld.com, while also providing comic shop retailers with the back-end tools necessary to manage their pull-and-hold customer base.
The new cloud-based software is part of a broader strategy by Diamond to create an easy way to funnel orders to local comic book shops and make the preorder process a much more viable and vital process for the entire comics industry.
“We’re excited about the potential of PULLBOX to help comic shops and their customers,” said VP-Retailer Services, Chris Powell. “We want to make ordering from a comic shop as easy as possible for customers, and in turn, further improve our retailers ordering efficiency.”
PULLBOX has a variety of included features to help customers order and purchase from comic book shops:
Manage Preorders. Add titles to your monthly pull-and-hold list, order additional titles and products from that month’s PREVIEWS preorder catalog.
Synch with Your Participating Local Comic Shop. Powered by comicshoplocator.com, customers can choose a local participating comic shop and synch with them to send their monthly preorders, special orders, and more.
Place Special Orders or Keep a Wishlist. Forgot to order a title or saw something new coming in to comic shops that you want to purchase? Customers can use PULLBOX to place a special order with their comic book shop to purchase. They can also keep a Wishlist of other items and then send it to their retailer to see if they have any items in their store.
Enhanced Search and Ordering. Customers will be able to access a more advanced search at PREVIEWSworld.com that allows them to search the complete database of items offered by Diamond and place orders with their local comic shop.
Track Your Weekly Purchases. Customers will get additional tools to track which titles and products they ordered are releasing that week to stores, see future week’s orders, and more.
12 thoughts on “Diamond Set to Release New Online Pull & Hold Service: PREVIEWSworld PULLBOX™”
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Ay idea when this will go live?
Another article indicates that some type of beat will be available in April, and it the full system will go live sometime after that.
Not sure all the information I got was directly from diamond
Sorry, beta, not beat.
Is there a beta test?
I don’t use pull and subscriptions anymore.. all books are on permanent probation. If I stop liking a book, I simply stop buying it. No need to remember to go cancel a pull or what not.. 🙂
^^THIS^^
I already have this. Whenever I see something I want I just call my main shop or send them an email, and they get it for me.
Is midtown’s 35% off advance order only something they offer? Or is that discount given through Previews? I don’t advance order consistently enough to keep having to pay for shipping each week. But if “shipping” was taken care of by sending it to the local LCS and I got the 35% discount, that would be sweet! Or am I just being too hopeful?
That is Midtowns own discount. Its up to your local shops to likely provide any discounts for pre-orders or subs/pulls.
Midtown is offering the discount out of their Diamond Discount. So most big shops get about 50% off. Many local shops offer subscribers 10% off. Midtown does it to attract buyers and to pre-order the books. Many local shops don’t do the volume that midtown does so they cannot offer the big discounts.
This is only going to work if it brings New Readers into Comic Shops. I would think Diamond will end up charging some kind of fee for the service, so Existing Customers using the service for their local pick-ups would result in less money being made from Customers they already cater to. I have a pull list for my favorite books that I want to read as soon as they come out, and my local shop doesn’t obligate me to buy what they’ve pulled. Of course, I rarely drop one of my favorites, so I’ve never had to cut anything off my pull list in recent years, but it encourages others to get a pull list with them. Plus my local shop gives two discounts for pull list customers. You get 10% back in gift certificates toward back-issues for every dollar you spend; and for every $10 you spend you also get a stamp on a stamp card (worth $15 off any purchase when you reach ten stamps). So overall you are getting about 20% off for shopping locally (I say 20 because you don’t get stamps for uneven dollar amounts, so spending $23 and $37 is only getting you 5 stamps, not 6). I want local shops to thrive. I hope this new service isn’t another way to slice up the pie and force shops out of business with even tighter margins.