Tag: promotions

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News

Introducing Afterpay: Giving fans freedom at checkout

Buying your products just got easier. We’re announcing an exciting new payment method to help make this holiday season your most profitable yet. Give fans the freedom to buy now and pay later—while you get paid immediately. 

Afterpay is the first step towards Spring’s evolution towards one-click, headless checkout for the creator economy. Watch this space for additional updates as Spring becomes the preferred destination for social commerce transactions across the web. 

How it works 

Afterpay makes it possible for you to buy something now, receive your goods, and pay them off later. It’s similar to a credit card, but with Afterpay, there is no interest or cost as long as fans pay off their balance on time. To use Afterpay, all you have to do is create an account and you can start using it as a payment method at checkout. 

Why fans love it

Afterpay enables Spring to offer a ‘buy now, pay later’ option to your shoppers. So what does that mean? Your fans no longer have to spend time entering payment details at checkout—nor enter into traditional loans, pay upfront fees, or interest if they don’t have the money on hand. Afterpay is completely free for customers who pay on time, plus, there’s even the option to split payments over 4 installments. 

Why creators love it

Afterpay can help increase the number of fans purchasing your products, the amount of money they spend, and the likelihood they’ll be back for more. 💰 

  • Some creators have seen conversion rates (fans purchasing products) increase by as much as 22%.  
  • Because Afterpay maximizes fans’ purchasing power, order values (the amount fans spend) has increased by as much as 40% in some cases.
  • Also, data shows fans who checkout using Afterpay are more likely to become repeat shoppers.  

Afterpay in action

There’s nothing needed from you—Afterpay automatically appears as a payment option during checkout for all shoppers located in the U.S. See what the checkout experience looks like for fans below. 

Now, it’s time to get fans to checkout… The most powerful way to do that over the holiday season: Create promo codes and announce your sales on socials. Head to your dashboard below to get started. 

Create promo codes
Categories
Insights

The Black Friday weekend road map

The secret to a monumental Black Friday weekend: plan a solid strategy. It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds—here, we’ll break it down for you. 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest selling days of the year, and Spring is no different. Creators who offer discounts during this weekend can double their sales. 

Make sure you’re prepared for the Cyber weekend. So what does that mean?

First things first, get your holiday products designed and sample orders in by October 10th, so you can start promoting ASAP. Take note of the shipping cutoff dates too, so you can make sure fans receive their orders by Christmas. There’s three key tasks to remember:

  1. Fill out a content and sales calendar 
  2. Prepare promo codes
  3. Create promotional imagery

Create a calendar 

Content and sales calendars can be super helpful, as you might run multiple sales leading up to Black Friday (for example, you might do your sales in one burst the week before, or several pre-sales in the weeks leading up—or both!). Plus, it’s not only sales you’ll be planning, but also promo codes you’re offering, when you choose to promote them on social, and so forth.

We recommend having yours ready by November 1st. Here’s a free template:

Free content schedule template

Important dates 

NOVEMBER 11 – 25TH: Discounts for early birds
  • Build anticipation early with pre-sale benefits (like giveaways). 
  • Include hints about what is coming up, as well as run mini sales leading up to the Cyber weekend.
  • Run different promo types to the ones you plan to run during the Cyber weekend. E.g.  offer free shipping in the days leading up, then percentage discounts for your Cyber weekend sale.

NOVEMBER 26TH – NOVEMBER 30TH: Cyber Weekend
  • Black Friday (11/26): Make the biggest impact on socials. Share promo codes in your content and be sure to feature sample imagery. See how other creators do it here. 
  • Offer a percentage discount promo (ex. 15% off). Run it through Cyber Monday to maximize orders.
  • Cyber Monday (11/29): Highlight your newest digital products. You might add a bonus gift as part of your listing. I.e. a free bonus wallpaper.
  • Giving Tuesday (11/30): Thank fans for their support. Think giveaways, an extra special discount until the rest of the week, and more.

DECEMBER 1ST – 18TH: Thank fans with more promotions
  • Use the beginning of December to continue running other mini sales leading up to the shipping cut-off dates. 
  • From December 1st onwards is the prime time to start offering digital products. With instant delivery and no shipping or logistics to worry about, there’s every reason to create a variety of digital content. 

Preparing promo codes

Prepare your promo codes within the ‘Promotions’ section of your dashboard. Line up your promo codes in advance, and simply switch them on when you’re ready. Find out more about creating promotions here.

Promo codes can be applied to all of your products. You’ll need to ensure there’s enough profit margin to support the promo—no matter what product is being purchased. 

Create a promo code

Top holiday promo hacks

1) Create effective promotional content. Click the image below to see how creators are announcing their sales on socials. 

2) Feature samples. Creators who highlight samples in promotional content earn as much as 200% more profit from their products. Make sure you’re doing it too—find inspo here. Don’t forget to tag @springforcreators and use the hashtag #CreateShareEarn for the chance to be featured on Spring’s socials. 

3) Use free tools to create promos. Sign up with 20% off using Spring’s partnership with Placeit to create sale announcements. Canva is a great tool for creating eye-catching images to share on social media. There are hundreds of templates—just don’t forget to include the promo code, the dates your sale will run, and the discount type.

4) Use integrations. Make sure fans can find your products easily. Pair social content with a link straight to your listing. Present products underneath your videos using the YouTube Integration, or set up the Instagram Shopping Integration to begin tagging your products in posts (and more). Don’t have access yet? Start using the Linktree Integration, available to all creators right now.

Categories
Digital Insights

Your go-to guide for the holidays

Some creators sell more during the holiday season than the entire year combined. Make this holiday season your most successful yet. 

It may seem a little overwhelming at first—but we’ve got you. Below, we’ve laid out key dates you can follow to put yourself in the best position possible. Here’s how.

1) Create a holiday product collection

We’ve found certain products sell especially well during the holidays. Here’s what’s been proven to sell the best (based on current trends and recent years):

  • Hoodies (and matching kids hoodies)
  • Premium Tees
  • Mugs
  • Stickers
  • All-Over Print Sweatshirts
  • Leggings
  • All-Over Print Unisex Joggers
  • Stainless Tumblers
  • Tote Bags 
  • Long Sleeve Tees
  • Bucket hats

Design your holiday collection

Spring’s Instagram grid is packed with design inspo, so head over to check it out. Also, don’t forget about all the free design resources available to you.

Aim to create your holiday product collection by October 1st. This will give you enough time to order samples, prepare your content schedule, and maximize sales over the next 3 months. Take note of the Christmas delivery cutoff dates for fans too, so no one misses out. Add new products to your collection just in time for the holidays, and add limited edition holiday designs.  

2) Order samples and x3 your sales 

Once you’ve finished creating, it’s time to promote. Best way: Ordering product samples. Creators who do so sell 3x more than those who don’t. 

That said, we’d recommend ordering your product samples by October 10. This gives you enough time for shipping, then for you to create your promo content. Flick through the samples guide to find out the best ways to use samples to promote your products.

Tag us (@springforcreators)in social content featuring your samples, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #createshareearn for the chance to be featured in our 2021 holiday campaign on Instagram and get more eyes on your brand ✨

Order samples

3) Prepare for Black Friday weekend

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest online shopping days of the year. Creators who offer discounts during this weekend can double their sales. We suggest running sales during those days—creators who’ve done so in the past have doubled their sales. In that, you’ll want to schedule your sales by November 1st, so you’re ready to switch your promotions on in your dashboard when the time comes.

Ready to get started? Check out these tried and true tips for the Cyber weekend. Plus, check out our guide to running a successful sale.   

Prepare promo codes

4) Prepare your store for peak seasonal selling

We’ve got three quick ways to optimize your store for the season: 

  • Feature products in your store: these can get 20% more views on average.
  • Add your branding to your store: stores with custom branding see 35% increase in conversion rates. 
  • Customize your domain: creators with custom domains can sell up to 5x more on average than those who don’t. Also, when you set up a domain with us, you’ll automatically receive an SSL certification, making your store more search friendlier as well as more secure or fans.

We recommend doing all of this by November 1. If you need a good example, see @ashleyooacevedo’s top tips. 

Browse custom domains

5) Keep profits rolling until Christmas with digital products

Okay, we just threw a bunch of dates at you. One thing with a bit of flexibility is digital products. Since these don’t have to actually ship anywhere (fans download immediately), you have up until the holiday itself to sell these products. Ensure your digital products are added to your store ASAP, so you can start promoting right away. Go extra hard on promotions after Cyber Weekend.

Get fans excited with special promotions on holiday themed digital products. Include bonus products (e.g. a free wallpaper background) with their digital product purchase—this is a great way to boost your sales even more.

Find inspo for digital products to create for the holidays, and don’t forget, we’ve got free digital product templates you can download and customize here. 

Create holiday digital products
Categories
Digital

Why your post shipping cut-off game plan should be digital

That time of year has come around already. US fans are now past the standard delivery shipping cut-off dates, and have until December 18th for rush shipping or 21st for super rush shipping if they’d like to get their orders in time for the Christmas Holiday period. From now onwards is the perfect time to really push your hustle with digital products. 

create digital products for the festive period

Make your digital products unmissable for fans right up to Christmas

The benefits of digital products are boundless, but the opportunity to promote your digital products right up to the Christmas holiday (and during it) is second to none. With instant delivery and no shipping or logistics to worry about, there’s every reason to continue dropping new digital products and promoting on social platforms. Here’s a few ideas.

@teespring

Digital products like audio files & photo filters are delivered to fans instantly, meaning you can continue your holiday hustle right up until Xmas ✨

♬ Double Rainbow – Clutch

  • This is your chance to sell your content in the form of an e-book. Release your own exclusive zine like Lovette Artistry or create christmas check-lists and holiday themed recipes (because this season is for eating).
  • Push your latest e-comic for followers to enjoy over the break like Lindo Yes.
  • Consider fans who are late to the game buying Christmas gifts—this year,  home improvements and decor is huge (since we’re spending so much time indoors). Upload your coolest images to the Digital Launcher so fans can download and start using them as printable posters.
  • Entertainment and activity themed creative digital products are booming this year. Check out Studio Knit’s knitting guides and patterns or uh.meg’s ingenious idea of selling her own custom brushes for fans to download and start using on Procreate.
  • Audio files such as ringtones, music singles, podcasts and audiobooks 
  • Digital calendars and planners fans can use to set goals and keep organized in the New Year 

Celebrate festivities virtually with your community 

Fans will love celebrating the festive season with you by purchasing your digital home decor, crafts, activities, and entertainment. The variety of products to drop up until Christmas are endless. For example, why not encourage your community to shop sustainably and consciously by providing a set of digital e-cards for them to forward to family and friends.

With instant delivery, no carbon footprint, and less paper waste, fans can spread festivities virtually, without any waiting time or shipping costs to consider. Another extremely simple digital product to create and sell to fans are holiday themed Lightroom photo filters and presets. Bonnie Rzm has the ball rolling already, releasing several classic holiday photo aesthetics for fans to apply to their images such as Snowfall and Chilli.

Holiday themed digital wallpapers for fans devices are popular—Caroline Manning has nailed it with her Drippy holiday wallpaper bundle. Also, consider taking it up a notch and creating a holiday themed iOS design pack of widgets and wallpapers. Entertain fans in the next few weeks by releasing products such as digital how-to guides, craft tutorials, photo filters and downloadable coloring books. Deliberately Creative and Printables Lane have both dropped Christmas themed printable coloring books. 

Ready to start creating and sharing brand new digital products with your community? Head to the Digital Launcher below to begin.

start uploading digital content