Product Design
Merchpage is a marketplace that allows brands and creators to promote their merch.
My Role
Product Designer
Team
Product Designer
Product Owner
Developer
Deliverables
Logo & Brand
Visual Design System
Interactive prototypes
Concept Design
UX Discovery & Research
Timeframe
October 2021 - March 2022
About
Transformed client's vision into a fully designed product, crafting a solution to address the needs of creators and their fans.
Background
The client approached me with deep knowledge of the target market and a clear vision: to create a product that bridges the gap between creators, influencers, brands, and their fans. The concept, Merchpage, is a platform where creators can showcase their merchandise in a single, cohesive space, even if the items are sold through various external eCommerce platforms. While Merchpage is not an eCommerce platform yet, it centralizes links to existing products, aiming to increase sales for creators.
Problem Statement
Currently, creators sell their merch across a wide range of commerce spaces. They may intentionally do this for SEO, brand distribution, and exposure. However, they often lack a space to showcase ALL of their merch in a single place.
Solution
Merchpage provides creators with a dedicated platform to showcase all of their merchandise in one convenient location, allowing fans to effortlessly browse and shop. This solution serves as the first phase of a broader vision, which will ultimately evolve into a full eCommerce platform, complete with production capabilities for custom merch creation.
Value Proposition
Merchpage offers an affordable, user-friendly solution for creators to increase visibility and sales by centralizing their merchandise. Creators can link their existing merch from external platforms, while the site’s sleek design and ease of use enhance brand exposure. Bonus feature: Creators can opt to be featured on the homepage to further boost their visibility.
Merchpage helps creators by providing:
- A branded, sharable URL to easily promote on social channels.
- An affordable platform that centralizes their merch, driving more sales.
- Increased exposure for creators and brands through streamlined browsing for fans.
Business case
Merchpage generates revenue by:
- Selling subscription-based pages for creators.
- Offering premium homepage placement for brands.
In future phases, large brands can create multiple pages for their sub-brands, further expanding Merchpage’s reach.
Why will customers choose Merchpage?
Merchpage fills a key gap for creators who don’t have their own online store or have merch spread across multiple platforms. It brings all their products into one space, helping to boost sales by making their merchandise more accessible to fans.
Creators must have their products already listed on other eCommerce platforms. Merchpage simply links to those platforms, functioning similarly to Pinterest or Amazon reseller pages.
Challenges
Content at Launch: To ensure Merchpage has compelling content at launch, they will prepopulate the site with top influencers’ merchpages. These influencers will receive "tokens" to claim their pages, along with a promo code to bypass checkout. They'll also enjoy free access for a limited time, helping to generate early buzz.
Goals and Success Criteria
Increase creator sales by centralizing their merch.
Improve SEO and brand visibility within 6 months to 1 year.
Personas
Seller (Creators):
- Device: Primarily desktop.
- Profile: Creators, influencers, or marketing managers working in offices or from home.
- Tasks: Set up a page, add merch links, and promote brands to drive sales.
Consumer (Fans):
- Device: Primarily mobile.
- Profile: Micro-influencers, Gen Z (ages 14-25), Millennials, and fans purchasing for themselves or others.
- Tasks: Browse and purchase merch, often discovering pages through social channels.
Research Outcomes
The research led to the development of a marketplace model that allows creators to consolidate all their merch from various platforms into a single page. Merchpage focuses on promoting creator brands, allowing them to add a profile, brand descriptions, and social media links. Users can subscribe to various subscription plans, which determine how many items they can feature (e.g., 12 items for $20, 24 items for $40, 50 items for $80).
User Journeys
Fan (Consumer): Fans discover Merchpage via social media posts or links shared by their favorite creators. They can browse all available merch from a particular brand or click on a direct product link to make a purchase. Most fan traffic is expected to come from mobile users.
Creator (sellers):Creators will find Merchpage through promotional content, blog posts, ads, and organic searches. Given the setup process, most seller traffic is expected from desktop users.
Competitive Analysis
To ensure Merchpage stands out, we conducted a competitive analysis against platforms like Bonfire, FanJoy, and RedBubble, as well as social-commerce hybrids like Pinterest and Amazon resellers. Merchpage distinguishes itself by offering creators a dedicated space that combines the best features of high-profile platforms like Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.