On Tuesday, Kickstarter announced it was welcoming e-commerce platform Shopify to its resources page. According to the crowdfunding giant, Shopify is now offering campaign creators a 45-day free trial.
The Kickstarter team stated:
“We are excited to work with Shopify because when paired with themes and add-ons, it’s a service that can help you get a head start on your promotional efforts and can also be used as an e-commerce tool once your project is funded.”
Kickstarter urges creators to use Shopify before launching their campaigns. By creating a Shopify landing page, the creators will be allowed to do the following:
- Share news about the upcoming project
- Collect contact information from people interested in what the creator is making
- Direct visitors to wherever the creator would like to send them (your project preview, Facebook page, etc.)
- Get a head start on tracking and testing where the creator’s fans and followers are most likely to see messages
Kickstarter went on to note the ways creators can use Shopify while their projects are live:
- Start with the free Jumpstart theme, which is easy to set-up, and has tools for sharing information about the project and the campaign’s progress
- Include images of what the creator’s making, press quotes, and a prominent button that links to your Kickstarter campaign
- Once the project is launched, creators email everyone who signed up for updates and invite them to take part in your project
The funding portal went on to note how creators can use Shopify to deliver rewards and scale up:
- Collect backers’ reward preferences and allow them to purchase additional add-ons
- Create and print shipping labels at discounted rates
- Offer backers discounts on other products the creator’s made
Kickstarter added:
“After you’ve delivered rewards to all of your backers, your Shopify page can be used to manage returns and sell your product to new audiences. At this point, you should update your Spotlight button with a link to your Shopify store so that anyone who missed out on your campaign knows where to find your work.”