Summary
UncleDude (aka LoraxDude on Discord) is self-nominating to develop, deploy, and maintain the official ShapeShift Merchandise Store. Merchandise inventory will be curated and managed with regards to the needs/wants of the ShapeShift Community with the intention to drive brand awareness and loyalty of brand ambassadors.
Abstract
This entails that the store would be set up for the community by an LLC owned and operated by UncleDude as the proprietor with a max $8,500 initial fund by the DAO to cover costs.
The site will be setup with all the basics of a responsive premium e-commerce store (customer support, email marketing, analytics, seo, etc.)
After initial setup and the site is live, collaborations will be open between the DAO and LLC to empower and compensate community members/artists for their efforts in designing merch, with fair compensation made accordingly.
Motivation
Motivation stems from a lack of brand awareness through merch and growing demand for Shapeshift DAO members to be empowered as an ambassador of the DAO via merch.
@jonisjon has also mentioned “in the early days of ShapeShift, people have loved the brand and wanted to rep gear.”
Personal motivation in building websites for communities and quality products that I truly believe people will appreciate and emit a sense of gratitude when repping the merch.
Specification
• Any leftover funds from the initial deposit of FOX to cover initial costs, if not used, will be returned to the ShapeShift DAO.
• All profits after costs will be split between the LLC and the DAO 50-50. Distributed on a monthly basis. 30 days from the initial day the store goes officially live.
• Will hold an initial meeting within a week of funds being passed and then monthly meetings thereafter on discord (on the 2nd Wednesday at 2:30 pm pacific time - dates will be shared and listed) to gather feedback from the community on what products/designs/colors they would like to see on the store.
• Site will be planned to go live at the end of 3 months from the first meeting held on discord for community feedback on products/designs preferences.
• All brand/products logo in their highest quality files will be needed.
• Initial merch will be composed of the following:
o t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, socks, mugs, sunglasses, pins, stickers
• Quality will be of the highest kind, given the price sensitivity of the community, to ensure products last for memories to come.
• If possible, the site will be under a subdomain such as store.shapeshift.com or shop.shapeshift.com
• Incorporate payment in crypto for FOX
• Given the concern with privacy, if it is preferred by the community that analytics not be used, that is an option the Proprietor can accommodate.
• Fair compensation will be expensed accordingly as royalties to member artists that created a design for a product. Sales for that specific product will be distributed on the monthly basis as mentioned previously. The artist will receive 40% profits after costs, split 3 ways with the DAO receiving 50%, and Proprietor receiving 10% for the given product.
• Provide ShapeShift Starter Pack active contributors with t-shirts, a keepkey, stickers, and potentially printed DAO resources and/or a nice card with our values printed out (we used to have these at the office).
o Will coordinate with @danielle for KeepKeys sold on the Merch store and included in a ShapeShift Starter Pack
o Coordinate with @LPX and @graymachine on Info & Globalization workstream with help in determining what info (if any) to include. @meesh for any/all of ShapeShift’s onboarding docs for value card.
• Funds over 3 months will be allocated accordingly:
o 16% development of site (my time and trusted full stack if needed) $1,360
o 84% to merchandise (what is not spent from this category will be returned to the DAO) $7,140
• The intent for the funds would be for hosting, time put into the site and curating which products over 3 months, manufactures and fulfillment providers for high quality products such as the ones listed above (not all mainly shirt and hoodies) if the profit margins are better than what we can get on printful or alike services. Potentially a trusted full stack contractor to support with incorporating FOX crypto payments if needed. Funds will also be allocated for starter pack packaging, printed resources, and fulfillment.
• My approach was to utilize connections with manufactures and fulfillment I have to curate a collection of high-quality merch (at the right price of course) for the shapeshift community. My intent is to setup the store for success by ensuring profit is being maximized and not being eaten away by easy high subscription costs, high payment processing fees, plug and play options with high cost per item for products that are frequently being purchased by the community.
• I do also want to highlight that the full $8,500 in FOX isn’t intended to be fully spent. As I state in the proposal that funds not used will be returned to the DAO to reduce sell pressure on the token, not all tokens will be sold off immediately only on an as need basis.
• If need be, being assigned under a product workstream leader to ensure there is a check and balances as to how funds are being allocated over the next 3 months would definitely be appropriate.
Benefits
• New revenue stream for the DAO.
• Increase Brand Awareness.
• Increase DAO engagement through merch collaborations with the community.
• Provide economic opportunities for contributing artists to be fairly compensated through the DAO Merch Store.
Drawbacks
• Clarifying expectations, the DAO collectively might have on how designs/products are appropriate to the community.
• What transparency is required by the DAO for development, deployment, and Maintenance.
• What involvement would the DAO like to have in the design of the site?
o If nothing is determined, the Proprietor will have creative control to begin with but will be happy to gather feedback after the site goes live to revamp accordingly to that feedback.
• How might we need to consider splitting the profits from an LLC own and operated store to the DAO? Would a limited partnership be required or would be it considered a donation to the DAO or royalties or licensing expense for use of the Shapeshift brand?
• Will the Proprietor be considered under a bounty or workstream leader?
• How will the DAO and proprietor decide on approving artist work?
