To start, I hope everyone is safe and healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are looking forward to a time when we can see each other in person. When we started Mantle in 2019 our initial goal was to introduce ourselves to the industry, gather feedback, and integrate constructive suggestions into our business plan. We were already starting to build a knowledge base with our regular blog and we were in the middle of producing an industry podcast to support store owners. All of that changed in March of 2020.
While attending the 2020 GAMA Trade show we talked to professionals from all three tiers of the gaming industry. We learned a lot from listening to what potential clients had to say and was excited to bring those suggestions back to the Mantle team and begin implementing them. As you know, GAMA was likely one of the last in-person trade shows to happen. During the Covid-19 shutdown, as with many companies around the world, productivity took a back seat to safety. It was impossible to plan a launch timeframe or even launch our test stores. With a handful of podcast episodes already recorded, we had to hold publication until we knew what the conversations should be moving forward. Our primary goal was to ensure that everyone stays as safe as possible while caring for their own families.
With 2020 coming to an end the Mantle team is safely back to work. Even within these uncertain times, now more than ever, retail stores need a secure and integrated sales system with an increase in online sales and curbside pickup orders. We are looking to launch for our hand-selected alpha stores in early 2021 with beta store access shortly after that. If you are interested please follow this link to apply.
Production of our podcast has resumed and will be releasing soon. A free blog designed to help educate and build businesses is also resuming regular posts. In the hobby and game industry, there is often more than one solution to a problem and our goal is to keep the conversations going so we can share all our solutions. It’s our hope that this blog and podcast will help discover the solution that’s right for you. We welcome any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions. Your simple suggestion may be the key to another retailer, publisher, or distribution partner needs to help their success. If you have any topic suggestions for the podcast or blog, please email us at podcast@MantleStores.com
With a new focus Mantle is back to work hoping to help all of the struggling hobby and game stores out there trying to survive in these uncertain times. Thank you all for your patience. We look forward to helping find and share the knowledge to help everyone grow their businesses. That is why we’re building a platform with the business tools, reporting, and integrations you need to succeed.
