John James appeared on the political scene in July 2017. A 37-year old father of two, political outsider, military combat veteran and successful businessman, James had a unique profile that most first-time candidates could only dream of. But as an outsider, he didn’t have access to massive warchests like many major statewide candidates. Instead, his Senate bid was powered by a youthful grassroots energy that relied heavily on small-dollar online fundraising.
IMGE supported John James with digital strategy and infrastructure as he built his campaign following and raised enough money to wage a serious 2018 midterm challenge to the strongly-established Senator Debbie Stabenow. We used every trick in the book to help him build a movement – including online merchandise.
How we did it
We knew that our email subscribers already felt like they were part of a movement. It only made sense to offer them gear as well. So we set up a variety of eye-catching products in the store: lawn signs, stickers, mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and more. Alerts about the store went out across every channel. Some store items were offered as premiums on higher-dollar donations.
Our email subscribers were already familiar with the streamlined donation experience of Revv. For users with established Revv accounts, shopping at the store took little more effort than selecting a product and confirming their address.
WE GOT RESULTS
The online store opened up a new stream of revenue for the campaign, netting nearly $100,000.
What we learned
Setting up a no-risk, no-investment, zero-touch fulfillment store is a hard bet to lose. Great merchandise can turn an email subscriber into a real-world brand advocate.
Fine print, for the nerds:
We used Revv’s store functionality to build out this store. Seamlessly integrated into the campaign’s existing payment platform, the store had no upfront investment, no financial risk, and a zero-touch fulfillment process.
Gone are the days of purchasing in bulk and taking a risk on products that may not sell. Revv gives you the ability to sell on-demand merchandise with no upfront investment. This means products are made one at a time upon order. Here’s how it works:
- Upload logos
- Pick your line of products
- Promote your store and items
- Revv’s fulfillment partners create and ship the products
- Your customers enjoy their new purchase
Your online store is your opportunity to make a profit on merchandise that you don’t have to pay for upfront.