What really matters on Kickstarter is how you handle things 'after the project ends'
When taking on the challenge of Kickstarter, one of the world's largest crowdfunding platforms, 'after-sales support after the project ends' is extremely important.
Of course, pre-launch promotion, pricing, and reward design are also very important.
However, to continue achieving results on Kickstarter in the long term, customer support after the project ends is essential.
Through this after-care,
'I want to support them again next time'
'I can trust this brand'
'I want to support them because their service is polite'
This trust accumulates, leading to the success of your second, third, and fourth projects.
Kickstarter is for real 'after it's over'
Unlike general e-commerce sites, Kickstarter often involves cases where sales proceeds are transferred to the manufacturer after the project ends, and production begins thereafter.
Therefore, it is not uncommon for it to take about half a year for the product to reach the backer's hands.
During this long waiting period, many inquiries occur.
The most common inquiries can be broadly divided into the following three types:
1. Inquiries about shipping status and tracking numbers
The most common inquiries are regarding delivery status.
From backers,
'When will the product arrive?'
'What is the current status?'
'Please tell me the tracking number'
Such messages arrive frequently.
Especially with international shipping, there are many cases where tracking numbers for Japan Post or courier services (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) are requested.
Unlike typical e-commerce sites, Kickstarter has a long lead time until delivery, which makes backers prone to anxiety.
That is precisely why
regular progress updates
notifying them of the scheduled shipping date
promptly sharing tracking numbers
and other forms of attentive communication become extremely important.
2. Inquiries regarding forgotten or overdue shipping information responses
The second most common type of inquiry concerns forgotten input of shipping information.
On Kickstarter, after a project ends, you need to collect shipping information such as:
name
address
postal code
phone number
and so on.
Usually, you set a response deadline and have them enter the information within that period.
However, a certain number of backers will
miss the email
forget about it
put it off
and end up contacting you after the deadline has passed.
For example,
I forgot to reply. Can you ship it now if I send my address?
is a type of inquiry we receive.
In some cases, it is stated that 'we will not ship if the deadline has passed'.
However, since we have already received payment for the product, we believe we should accommodate them as much as possible.
Of course, responding takes time and effort.
Even so,
they responded politely
they didn't abandon me
I felt safe backing this
experiences like these lead to future support and trust in the brand.
We also tell Japanese manufacturers that 'it is important to take care of your backers as much as possible'.
3. Inquiries regarding re-shipment due to long-term absence or moving
The third most common type of inquiry is regarding re-shipment.
On Kickstarter, because there is a long period between the end of the project and shipping,
they moved
they were on a long trip
they were away for a long time
cases occur where the product cannot be received for reasons such as these.
As a result, the product may be stored locally and then returned to the warehouse in Japan.
In that case, reshipment will be necessary.
Regarding shipping costs for reshipment
Additional shipping costs will be incurred for reshipment.
Basically,
a delivery notice was left
there was an opportunity to receive it
it was not received for a long period of time
For these reasons, we handle reshipment costs as the buyer's responsibility.
It is important to clearly state this rule on your project page.
We also advise our clients to include this in their guidelines in advance.
The most important thing on Kickstarter is 'building trust'
Of course, these are not the only types of inquiries.
However, in reality,
delivery
absence
incorrect address
tracking number
reshipment
and other inquiries related to 'getting the product delivered' account for the vast majority.
To continue using Kickstarter in the medium to long term, it is not just about selling products, but also
How carefully you communicate with your backers
is extremely important.
Through this accumulation,
backers become fans
trust in the brand is built
the number of repeaters increases
the initial momentum of the next project becomes stronger
a virtuous cycle is created.
Even if it's a hassle, careful handling leads to the future
To be honest, customer support is very difficult.
Responding to inquiries is detailed and time-consuming.
It is by no means a 'hands-off job'.
Even so, we believe that this accumulation is extremely important.
At our company, native staff members handle each and every inquiry with care.
It may be steady work, but we believe that such sincere handling is the most important thing for consistently achieving results on Kickstarter.