{"id":5327,"date":"2017-05-30T11:42:51","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T18:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/chapter-10-from-indiegogo-to-amazon-to-retail\/"},"modified":"2021-04-15T07:20:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T14:20:25","slug":"chapter-10-from-indiegogo-to-amazon-to-retail","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/chapter-10-from-indiegogo-to-amazon-to-retail\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 10: From Indiegogo to Amazon to Retail"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mifold, a portable booster seat for children, has enjoyed astounding success since its <\/span>Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign<\/span><\/a> ended in September 2015. The project, which had a funding goal of $40,000, amassed a total of $2.6 million from backers around the world. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds a bit quaint now,\u201d founder and inventor Jon Sumroy says, \u201cbut we didn\u2019t actually set out to raise money\u201d. He says the main reason why the startup turned to crowdfunding was to get a better sense of how many products to manufacture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized that if we did presales on Indiegogo, we\u2019d get the pre-orders and know exactly how many to manufacture. That was the first reason we did it.\u201d Publicity, he says, was another: a trending crowdfunding campaign could gain serious traction with the media.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What came next was unexpected. \u201cWhen the crowdfunding round was completed, we continued to only sell the product directly to customers by ourselves online,\u201d Sumroy says. \u201dWe didn\u2019t approach any retailers.\u201d Yet the mifold generated so much interest that Sumroy was soon fielding inquiries from some of the biggest retailers in his product category: Buy Buy Baby, Babies R Us, Target, Amazon, and Walmart.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Crucial Launchpad<\/span><\/h2>\n

An important first step was getting the mifold listed on <\/span>Amazon Launchpad<\/span><\/a>, a marketing platform run by Amazon that features cutting-edge products and hardware from start-ups, many of which were spawned from successful crowdfunding campaigns. It has partnerships with crowdfunding platforms, venture capital firms, and accelerator programs such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Y Combinator, Techstars, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been funded on one of these platforms, getting set up on Amazon Launchpad is fairly straightforward. Creators sign up as a vendor, register their product information, upload creative assets (videos, brand story, images etc), and launch their product on the Amazon Launchpad storefront. If you\u2019ve been funded by a company that isn\u2019t listed in Amazon\u2019s network of partners, the retailer will assess your product on a case-by-case basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sumroy says being online suited mifold. \u201cInitially we were only available online, and that was in our interests,\u201d he says. \u201cWe felt it was a quite complicated product.\u201d Being stocked online made it easier for people to understand the product, he says, because consumers could easily \u201cread more information and watch videos\u201d about the mifold.<\/span><\/p>\n

What to Expect<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sumroy says that being approached by retailers has many clear advantages. \u201cNegotiations were a lot easier than if we had approached them,\u201d he says. This meant he could bypass the arduous process involved in wooing a brick-and-mortar retailer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically, creators need to approach the retailer, attract the attention of the buyer, arrange a meeting with the buyer, and then convince them that they should stock your product.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWhere it was easy that they understood the product, they liked it, they saw it different, they saw it was creating a new market.\u201d Nevertheless, the negotiation process was challenging. \u201cWe\u2019re a small start-up, and they are very powerful. They all want to pay the lowest possible price for your product,\u201d Sumroy says.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sometimes, retailers will want to push you to have a brick-and-mortar presence as well. \u201cWe are now in bricks and mortar because two retailers were much more interested in having the product in-store than online,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce they were comfortable that this was a product that did well online, they pushed us to go in-store much quicker than we probably would have done if it was up to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prepare for Logistical Challenges<\/span><\/h2>\n

Being stocked in brick-and-mortar stores can present creators with more logistical concerns, Sumroy says. For example, being stocked online typically requires creators to deliver to a single distribution center for e-commerce delivery. But if you\u2019re in a physical store, you \u201chave to deliver to all of their stores and regional hubs\u201d, Sumroy says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting the product ready for the retail market requires some work, too. Even small things, like a product\u2019s packaging, are crucial to get right. \u201cIt\u2019s very different to when someone is buying it online,\u201d Sumroy says. Products that are stocked in stores typically need more padding in their packaging.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to succeed in-store, we\u2019ve had to design point-of-sale materials so that they would have impact, so that people can see us. We\u2019ve also had in-store videos so people stand at the shelves and watch the videos there,\u201d Sumroy says. \u201dThat\u2019s all very easy to do online, but obviously much more complicated and expensive to do offline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Marketing for Success<\/span><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve made the shift into the retail space, don\u2019t rely on retailers to do the advertising and marketing for you. \u201cThe only way anybody knows about us is if we just keep shouting about ourselves,\u201d Sumroy says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do a lot of Google Adwords, Facebook advertising. We do a lot of promoted posts on Facebook, and do a lot of work with a PR agency that we have for the US market.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sumroy estimates the start-up\u2019s expenditure on marketing expenses is somewhere near tens of thousands per month.<\/span><\/p>\n

For those with retail aspirations, marketing will prove an important investment. Sumroy says retailers expect creators to undertake \u2018marketing support\u2019 \u2013 this includes initiatives like promotions, which creators are expected to pay for. It\u2019s similar on Amazon. \u201cIt\u2019s like a search engine,\u201d Sumroy says. \u201cYou have to make sure you\u2019re investing in Amazon marketing services to make sure that when people search for car seats, they find mifold\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mifold, a portable booster seat for children, has enjoyed astounding success since its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign ended in September 2015. The project, which had a funding goal of $40,000, amassed a total of $2.6 million from backers around the world. \u00a0 \u201cIt sounds a bit quaint now,\u201d founder and inventor Jon Sumroy says, \u201cbut […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":5293,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-guide-chapter.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5327","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChapter 10: From Indiegogo to Amazon to Retail | BackerKit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.backerkit.com\/blog\/guides\/post-campaign-guide\/chapter-10-from-indiegogo-to-amazon-to-retail\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Chapter 10: From Indiegogo to Amazon to Retail | BackerKit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The mifold, a portable booster seat for children, has enjoyed astounding success since its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign ended in September 2015. 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