Covid-19 is the new reality game stores are going to have to deal with for the next 6-12 months, maybe longer, hopefully less.
That means no events, no organized play, restrictions on the number of people allowed in a building at once, or being completely closed down in some regions.
But that doesn’t mean game stores are done for.
There are still opportunities out there that game stores can take advantage of, they just need to start thinking outside the box.
#1. Ad costs are down as business owners get scared and stop marketing.
Now is the time to double down on your marketing, not pull back. People are going to be stuck at home, scared, staring at their phones and social media more than ever. Now is the time you can get in front of them on the cheap.
#2. We’re all content creators now.
Now is the time to build out that website you should have had for years and offering your products online. To start a YouTube channel and create video content. To start recording a podcast. To organize Facebook live broadcasts where people can learn to paint miniatures, or construct terrain, or learn a new game. To create a sense of community that people need now more than ever, just in a different form.
#3. E-commerce will be more important than ever.
Amazon isn’t going to be major competition for the games industry for the next while as they refocus their operations to providing medical supplies and home products to consumers. Showcase your products in your content and offer local delivery.
Create a nice online buying experience for your customer and let them know that they are directly helping a small business survive this pandemic.
Listen to the Covid-19 episode of the Manaverse Podcast.
#4. Your customers want to support you, you just have to give them a way to do it.
Offer gift cards so they can give you money now and get the benefits in a few months. Offer a Patreon account where customers can pledge a monthly amount in exchange for the content you’re going to produce in point #2. Create a paid membership or group with exclusive content.
We can’t control what happens with the Covid-19 pandemic or how the state handles it, but we can control how we respond to it.
You can choose to fold and walk away, saying that there was nothing you can do.
Or you can look for the opportunities that are all around us and make the best of things.
The ones who do will come out of this much stronger than before, with additional revenue streams and a committed community that knows who was there to support them when they needed it.
Covid-19 is not the end of the world, and it doesn’t mean the end of your game business.
We will come through this.
Now, let’s get to work!