What do you think of this crowdfunding-style e-commerce site? Seeking opinions and partners [#1] | Overview of "FUNC!", a platform for freely designing, pre-ordering, supervising, manufacturing, selling, and shipping fan merchandise

Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Showme.

I started this Note to gather partners and feedback because I want to create "FUNC!," a crowdfunding-style e-commerce site where you can freely design fan merchandise featuring your favorite artists or characters, and it handles pre-orders, manufacturing, and shipping for you. I am just a humble salaryman and management consultant working at a foreign-owned company, so I am aiming for a small startup by building things up step-by-step alongside my day job.

Background

I came up with this idea around June 2024. Since then, I have been presenting it to everyone I can reach, including a few close friends in the music industry who work with famous artists, a former colleague who is now an executive at a major character company, over 50 exhibitors at Licensing Japan EXPO, and advisors at startup support organizations. Through this, I have identified both big opportunities and challenges. Based on these, I am convinced that I can create a mechanism that surprises artists and delights fans with a business model that does not yet exist anywhere in the world. However, I am overwhelmingly lacking in partners and further feedback.

What I would like to ask of you after reading - Call to Action

I would be happy if you could leave a comment with specific feedback, expressions of interest, or offers to become a partner. If you think, "I would definitely use this site!", please follow and like this post! It would be a great encouragement. Like in an RPG, I will increase my allies and make improvements. I will also update the progress on this Note.

Main concept of the e-commerce site

"Artists are surprised, and fans are even happier" - a crowdfunding-style e-commerce site for fan merchandise. This is the main concept. As far as I have researched, such a service or business model does not exist anywhere in the world, so it is inevitable that readers may not be able to visualize it at first glance. I will explain it in detail in this blog.

The trigger

• Do you all have favorite artists, characters, or works that you are passionate about? I love KREVA and Motohiro Hata, and I go to their concerts whenever I have the chance. When a concert ends, I can't suppress my excitement, so I always stop by the merchandise booth to commemorate the experience. That is when I am brought back to reality: "Hmm, there's nothing I really want here." I am forced to make a cruel decision, weighing my desire to support them against my budget (or my practical needs).

• Have you ever felt like, "I would have bought this if they sold this product with this logo!" or "I don't need a long-sleeve shirt or hoodie that I'll never wear, but I would have wanted a bandana or cap with the same design!"? (If you have ever felt this way, please leave a comment.)

• I have had experiences like the above many times. Honestly, I feel the same way at gift corners when I go to the movie theater with my children, and when I go to variety shops, I often think, "I wish they would collaborate with [Artist/Character Name] and design this product!" Also, I love capsule toys and frequently visit specialty gacha-gacha shops. I find incredibly cute miniature keychains and small digital toys that actually work, all for just a few hundred yen. Every time, I think, "Use the same technology and manufacturing resources to make a miniature machine toy of KREVA's NPC! I'd pay 3,000 yen for that!"

• "FUNC!" is here to bridge this mismatch between supply and demand.

• I once had a casual chat with a producer for a super-famous music artist, who is one of my few friends, about "why this mismatch happens." The logic is very simple: artists lack the know-how for product planning and the resources for market research, so they end up coming up with novelties and merchandise on the fly. That is a waste.

Functional image and service image

• The main operational process of FUNC! is as follows.

  1. FUNC! officially receives image data from artists or copyright holders.

  2. Fans choose a product on FUNC! (e.g., parasols, folding fans, Imabari towels, etc.) and design the product on screen.

  3. Fans enter their desired purchase price into FUNC! to complete the proposal.

  4. The desired supplier purchase price is set so that a gross margin of approximately 60% is included in the desired purchase price.

  5. Suppliers (OEM manufacturers of parasols, folding fans, etc.) respond with the minimum manufacturing lot required for OEM production and delivery at the desired purchase price.

  6. The manufacturing lot size becomes the crowdfunding target quantity, and the product design and crowdfunding page are published.

  7. Pre-orders are solicited in a crowdfunding format.

  8. Once the goal is reached, a request for product supervision is sent to the artist or copyright holder, who will make corrections as necessary and approve it.

  9. The products are manufactured and shipped, and delivered to the proposer and pre-order customers.

  10. 70% of the gross margin is remitted to the artist or copyright holder. The remainder covers shipping costs and the 5-10% FUNC! fee.

• Can you picture it? Let's explain it using the pattern of my favorite artist, KREVA ↓

Examples of things I want to make using FUNC!: In the case of KREVA merchandise

• I use a parasol every summer. Just blocking the sunlight makes a huge difference in the heat! A highly light-shielding one like this ↓, which is bright on the outside and pitch black on the inside, is cool, but this pitch-black space on the inside is somehow uninspiring...

• I often see them in town, but there are umbrellas with patterns or photos printed on the inside. ↓

If an umbrella like the one above can be made, I think it would be great to have a parasol ↓ with KREVA's live photos printed on the inside. If I listen to music while holding the umbrella, it would feel like my own private concert, and it would lift my spirits on rainy or hot days.

Looking at how a product is realized on FUNC! from a fan's perspective

1. Access FUNC! and search for parasol products.

2. Choose your favorite from the KREVA images provided in advance on FUNC! and apply it to the parasol to design it.

3. Enter your desired purchase price to complete the proposal.

4. Receive a response from the manufacturer regarding feasibility. If it cannot be accepted, the feasible price for manufacturing 50, 100, or 1000 units will be provided; if it can be accepted, the target quantity will be included. (In this case, let's assume they replied that it can be produced with a minimum lot of 100 units at a desired price of 4500 yen.)

5. Set a target quantity that is at least the minimum lot size and publish the crowdfunding page.

6. Share the funding page with your acquaintances and on social media to gather buyers.

7. A deadline of 1 to 2 months is set, and success or failure is determined. (If it fails, the funding page will be taken down in a few weeks. It is also possible to improve the conditions and re-propose.)

8. Once the goal is reached, KREVA's supervision will be carried out, and you will receive notification of the final design share and the start of manufacturing.

9. The product arrives in your hands.

To organize this, I have created a sequence diagram below.

What kind of "inconvenience or dissatisfaction" is this a solution for?

• As shown below, it provides unprecedented value to both artists and fans.

■ That's all for this article.

Thank you for reading my delusions until the end.

Next time: Market Analysis Edition

Next time, titled "Market Analysis Edition," I will post a summary of information I have researched and heard about the fan goods market.I will update it at a pace of about once a week. Stay tuned!

A repeated request

As I have mentioned repeatedly, I am still lacking partners and concrete feedback. If you know anyone who is an artist, involved in the character business, works for a general goods or toy manufacturer, is a passionate fan of something, or above all, is strong in launching a crowdfunding business, I would appreciate it if you could share this note with them. It would be the greatest support. Let's create "wanting to support" together! See you later 🤚

■ About the author

A 35-year-old male foreign-affiliated company employee with an independent mindset, who loves manga (ONE PIECE, HUNTER×HUNTER, Dr. Stone, etc.), music (KREVA, Motohiro Hata), and capsule toys. A father of two. I want to create a business that makes the world better and can be passed on to the next generation. Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant, IT Strategist.

■ Contact:

Please comment on the article or contact me on LinkedIn saying "I saw your note":
https://www.linkedin.com/in/showme-oiwake

■ Status as of October 2024

• Participating members

  • Project Leader: Showme

  • Web Engineer: Acquaintance O

  • Product Design System: Recruiting

  • Finance Expert: Recruiting

  • General Sales: Showme

  • Other roles: To be added as decided

• Requirements

  • Corporate Establishment: Not yet

  • Other minimum requirements: To be added as decided