Badges 2.0: Graphene X Loyalty Program

Executive summary:

The ensuing article elucidates the origins and operational mechanics of Graphene-X's Badges Loyalty Program. Our ethos as a company revolves around being backer-centric - placing our backers at the heart of everything we do. Herein, we explain why we uphold this principle and how we intend to persistently embody it.

STORY

It's been a few remarkable years since Graphene-X introduced its debut product, a milestone we could scarcely believe when it transformed from concept to tangible reality. Our venture began on Kickstarter, the nerve center of innovation and community support. The journey was shrouded in uncertainty, with only a robust product and an ambitious vision as our guiding beacons. The trajectory that ensued was beyond our wildest dreams.

Kickstarter is a very special place. It’s a place where being part means something. It’s a place where dreams become real thanks to forward-driven backers that understand the concept of community in a while different level.

 Kickstarter, with its unique dynamics, is a community where belonging carries profound meaning. This vibrant hub breathes life into dreams, fueled by forward-thinking backers who fully embrace the concept of community and collective innovation.

As most of our readers are familiar with the operational intricacies of Kickstarter, we'll not delve deep into its mechanics. However, for the context of this loyalty program, it's vital to highlight the distinctive pathways to achieving a dream. The traditional routes are either self-funding your idea or resorting to capital infusion, often involving surrendering shares of your company to third-party investors.

The latter path, while seemingly straightforward, often comes with strings attached. The underlying obligation to report to your funders and the constant negotiation to align your vision with shareholder expectations can be overwhelming. We, however, chose an alternative path - Kickstarter.

Unwavering in our vision and not willing to put it at risk, we didn't have a pool of personal funds to leap into the unknown. With a meticulously developed product prototype in hand, thanks to countless hours of tough (but fun!) work behind the scenes, we took the Kickstarter route. We aimed to communicate our vision and product benefits to a global audience we had never interacted with before.

Our objective over the thirty-day campaign period was dual-pronged: raise the necessary funds for the Alpha Series Jacket production, and ascertain whether our problem-solving approach resonated with many others. The campaign wildly exceeded our expectations, securing more than tenfold our minimum funding goal with the support of nearly two thousand backers across eighty-plus countries.

This allowed us not only to produce the jackets, but also to grow our team and heavily invest in R&D to start working on what was next. This is the “holy sh*t” moment. Something that was very clear in our minds had now the green light to become real and respond to the trust of thousands of backers. Gladly, the whole thing went as smooth as it can get (not going to bore you with the behind the curtains hassles we had to overcome as at the end we managed to resolve all of them - but yes, there’s a bunch of challenges to work on after a campaign is finished).

In a matter of months we had delivered all the jackets and most importantly the feedback was nothing short of spectacular. Graphene-X is really born here.

This remarkable success propelled us into the next phase. We expanded our team, significantly invested in R&D, and began charting the course for future endeavors. We managed to navigate the numerous obstacles that inevitably arise post-campaign, and in just a few months, we delivered all the jackets. The overwhelmingly positive feedback affirmed Graphene-X's true genesis.

We share this journey to elucidate why we view our backers as angel investors and why we believe they deserve royal treatment. You place your faith in us, expecting superior products and exceptional brand experience. We reciprocate by staying laser-focused on our product development and our backers, dramatically improving our odds of realizing our vision. This ethos underscores Graphene-X's identity as a backer-centric brand.

In any venture, early supporters are the lynchpin. They kickstart the snowball effect and bear the greatest "risk" by championing a nascent company. Recognizing this, we introduced the Badges Loyalty Program (BLP), specifically designed to honor and reward our pioneering backers.

The BLP is centered around acknowledging these early backers and making them feel special. Initially, the BLP was limited to the supporters of our first four Kickstarter campaigns, offering a lifelong incremental discount on our website based on the number of campaigns backed.

Two years post our debut campaign, Hoodie-X, our fourth Kickstarter campaign, concluded, shattering all previous records. Almost three thousand backers endorsed this campaign, a feat greatly attributed to the thriving community behind Graphene-X. Given this momentum, we believe the BLP should continue fostering the growing Graphene-X community.

Nevertheless, we believe in transparent, community-based decisions. So, we consulted our original backers about extending the BLP benefits to new brand backers. An overwhelming 90% agreed, though they expressed a desire to be acknowledged for their pioneering role in the Graphene-X journey. And so, we created the Angel Backers Tier, made especially for the very first backers of the brand. 

BADGES 2.0. LOYALTY PROGRAM

The loyalty program is structured into four distinct levels: Tier 3, Tier 2, Tier 1, and the distinguished Angel Backers. Each tier comes with lifelong benefits from Graphene-X, and these can be accessed via various mechanisms (some of which are still under development). In essence, the advantages associated with each tier are as follows:



TIER PROGRESSION MECHANICS

There are multiple avenues to elevate your status within our tier system. Note that these methods can be combined to expedite your ascent.

First Mechanism: Your tier improves with each Kickstarter campaign you back. For instance, backing two campaigns propels you to Tier 2, with the first campaign pushing you to Tier 3 and the subsequent one elevating you to Tier 2. The highest attainable level through this method is Tier 1, achievable by backing three campaigns. An exception exists for early backers of our initial campaigns who can achieve the coveted Angel Backer status, provided they have backed at least two campaigns previous to the Hoodie-X campaign.

Second Mechanism: This is tied to your expenditure on our web store. For every $1,000 spent on our site, you ascend one tier.

Third Mechanism: Missions. Do you think you just achieved something that can be useful for the brand? For instance, you just took a picture of Messi sporting an All Rounder Polo and got him on video sending regards to all Graphene-X backers?

If you're uncertain about your current tier or have misplaced your code, our support team at support@graphene-x.com is always ready to assist. All this information will be available on your customer login page on our site. 

We sincerely hope that you share our excitement about the enhanced version of the Badges Loyalty Program (BLP).

Graphene-X team