Product Updates will be getting a new formatting look to better serve Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdfunding creators with BackerKit product information on Launch, Performance Marketing (Ads and Newsletter), and Pledge Manager, as well as global BackerKit account changes.

— WHAT’S NEW —

Global

• Choose which services to use when adding a new project: After signing up a new project in BackerKit, creators will no longer be automatically directed to the Pledge Manager. Instead, you will have the option to select which services (Launch, Ads, Newsletter, or Pledge Manager) make the most sense for you at that time.
• Smoother BackerKit onboarding: New splash screens signal the end of all product onboardings to clarify when onboarding is finished.

Launch

• Link directly to your Kickstarter campaign: Members no longer have to navigate to a landing page to get to your Kickstarter campaign. You can now put your Kickstarter URL directly in your Launch email, while still being able to track performance
• New email template: Use the Before Launch (w/ Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page) template to drum up excitement about your project and get your existing audience to follow your Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page. 
• Kickstarter Ref codes added to every Launch email: Want take a deeper look into how your Launch emails are performing? Kickstarter Ref codes not only make it possible to track Launch performance directly on your Kickstarter dashboards, but also enable you to do a closer analysis of your results. In BackerKit, you can track members who received an email but didn’t pledge during that session. In Kickstarter, you can track members who pledged in the same session, which is useful if you have a large number of members who haven’t backed one of your previous campaigns.
• Improved filtering: Setting an email to filter out “members who already pledged” now also filters out customers who pre-ordered the project on BackerKit

Performance Marketing Ads & Newsletter

• Ads and Newsletter dashboards: When viewing the dashboards, it’s now clear which services you are using. 
• Newsletter preview: When applying for the newsletter, creators can now see a preview of what the newsletter feature will potentially look like.

Pledge Manager

• Charge cards directly after backers complete the survey. If you’ve already fulfilled and are dealing with late backers, you no longer have to continually lock down and charge on a one off basis if you don’t want to
• Set a pledge level to “not be taxable”: Many creators don’t have to collect tax on donation pledge tiers or, in some cases, digital only tiers. If you are charging taxes on pledge levels, this update allows creators to select pledge levels that shouldn’t have their fee be taxed.
• Warning message to ensure add-ons are set up correctly: Before submitting your project for review, you will be shown a warning message if add-ons contain words like “upgrade” or “custom,” since it’s sometimes better to set up these add-ons in a different way. 
• Locking addresses: You can now “Lock addresses with Notice” on a segment of backers instead of all backers that are eligible.
• Enhanced Expected Revenue report:
  • You can see a timestamp of when an order was completed so you can better understand what your potential revenue may be. 
  • The new “Balance” field allows you to see any backers that have not used all of their allotted funds.
• Search for backers by package ID: If the only information you have about a backer is their package ID, you can now use that ID to find them using the project search bar.
• Get ready for your next project: We now ask creators to tell us about any upcoming projects when they finish their previous project, so we can make sure to help as their launch date approaches
• Bug fixes:
  • Potential pre-order store customers who started the checkout process but didn’t finish before the creator closed down the store will no longer receive an “abandoned cart” email.
  • Backers who aren’t getting anything shipped will no longer see a message telling them that creators are preparing their order for shipment. 

Product Updates will be getting a new formatting look to better serve Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdfunding creators with BackerKit product information on Launch, Performance Marketing (Ads and Newsletter), and Pledge Manager, as well as global BackerKit account changes.

— WHAT’S NEW —

Global

• See all BackerKit product offerings: In addition to being able to select a BackerKit product (Launch, Ads, Newsletter, Pledge Manager) from your BackerKit projects index page, you are also now able to see all the BackerKit services within each project.
• Easily switch between products: You can now switch between tools for a given project in the dropdown located in the top left corner of your admin dashboard.

Launch

• Email sending status visibility: You are now able to see the status of an email campaign you are currently sending.
• Members name visibility: Exporting member data from Launch now includes the member’s name with their email address.

Performance Marketing Ads & Newsletter

• Ads and newsletter dashboards: Performance Marketing products now have their own dashboards separate from other BackerKit products.
• Improved BackerKit Team tools: We have continued to build out robust backend tools for our Performance Marketing team so that they can better analyze and perform changes to our ads.

Pledge Manager

• 1 email sent for “No Reward” backers: Most creators want to give backers who have pledged to the “No Reward” pledge level of their campaign one last chance to change their pledge when they send out the BackerKit survey. For backers that do not want to change their reward level even after being asked a second time, we’ve improved the backer experience by now only sending “No Reward” pledge level backers 1 “last chance” email when creators send their project survey.
• “No Reward” backers can disable surveys: Backers with a BackerKit Backer Account can now disable receiving surveys for projects that they back at the “No Reward” pledge level.
• VAT/Taxes amounts in Pack List: VAT/Taxes amounts now appear in the funding section on each package in the Pack List export.
• Sortable add-on and pre-order item categories: While creators sort individual items for item add-on or pre-order items, they will also be able to sort the item categories.
• Backer Account credit card bug fixed: Backers can now change the card on any individual order, even after they have updated their card in their Backer Account to be applied to all orders.
• Platform-switching bug fix: Invalid/errored credentials are no longer displayed when switching platform credentials on a project.

Product Updates will be getting a new formatting look to better serve all your BackerKit product information on Launch, Performance Marketing (Ads and Newsletter), and Pledge Manager, as well as global BackerKit account changes.

— WHAT’S NEW —

Global

• One account to rule them all: BackerKit now allows creators to have one BackerKit account to manage multiple Kickstarter and/or Indiegogo accounts. This helps creators who are consulting, or have completely separate brands or products in different categories. 
• Onboarding for all BackerKit products: They have just gotten easier within your existing account. If you are new to BackerKit, you can enter BackerKit by signing up for one of our products: Launch, Performance Marketing (Ads and Newsletter), and Pledge Manager. 
• Bug fixes: When adding a new draft project to your BackerKit account, the draft project will now appear at the top of your project list.

Launch

• Bug fixes: In a rare case, when a member clicks on an email link, it will direct them to the updated landing page instead of an older landing page.
• Haven’t checked out Launch yet? Experience our new BackerKit Launch onboarding here.

Performance Marketing Ads & Newsletter

• Welcome to BackerKit: BackerKit now sends creators a new welcome email when signing up for Performance Marketing to confirm that they have completed sign up.
• Haven’t checked out Performance Marketing by BackerKit yet? Experience our new BackerKit Ads onboarding here and BackerKit Newsletter onboarding here.

Pledge Manager

• Add VAT: BackerKit now gives creators the ability to add VAT ID and VAT address to their project. This information will appear on a backer’s confirmation page, confirmation email, and their packlist.
• Indiegogo add-on variations: When a backer selects an add-on with variation options on Indiegogo, that specific selection will be reflected in their BackerKit cart. No need to survey backers multiple times if they received multiple rewards on Indiegogo anymore.
• New funding reports: There are now new funding reports that will show how funds in BackerKit works. These exports in combination with our advanced segmenting tool, can help creators get specific data they need for accounting, taxes, and general funding info. This information was previously found across multiple reports, but is now simplified into two reports:
  • Expected Revenue Report – Shows the current state of where backers are and what they may owe later. 
  • Collected Revenue Report – Includes info about money raised on BackerKit and the original crowdfunding platform, so you can use this for taxes/getting an idea for the total amount this project has raised.
• Creators can create a segment for: 
  • Backers receiving a certain amount of complimentary credit.
  • Backers who have not used all of their allotted funds.
• Indiegogo sync notification: BackerKit now notifies Indiegogo creators when BackerKit attempts to pull in new Indiegogo Indemand backers and the sync fails.
• Bug fixes:
  • Creators are no longer prevented from duplicating an add-on from the pre-order items page. 
  • Add-ons are now hidden when the availability of all of the variants reaches zero. 
  • Creators will not be ejected from onboarding if they did not correctly fill out the “important dates” page.

• Haven’t checked out BackerKit’s Pledge Manger yet? Explore more here.

— WHAT’S NEW —

VAT Invoice Customization

Creators with EU-friendly campaigns can now customize invoices for their backers. You can add a VAT number and VAT address on the “tax rules” page. The information will appear on the pack list, and backers can see it on their confirmation page and in their confirmation email.

Add-on Stretch Goals

This feature is finally out of beta! Didn’t hit a stretch goal item in your original campaign? Create a stretch goal item in BackerKit that will only be available if enough backers pledge to purchase it. This feature is available for creators who are not using PayPal.

Indiegogo Improvements

We now pull in FAQs from Indiegogo into FAQs into BackerKit, which saves creators time and makes sure their content is consistent. For creators who extend the length of their Indiegogo campaign, BackerKit now imports backers after the new end date.

— POLISHES & BUG FIXES —

• Copy FAQs between projects: For creators with multiple projects, but have similar project FAQs, we have made it easier to copy FAQs from one project to another in BackerKit. Creators can now save time and make sure they keep their backers accurately informed.
• Duplicating segment filters: When you create a new segment, it is now easier to copy the filter parameters of an existing segment over. You are also able to modify those filters in the new segment. 
• Fixed “canceled pre-order” bug: The “canceled pre-order” email that is sent to a backer now sends them to a specific project’s pre-order store instead of the public website page with all pre-order stores on BackerKit.
• Launch updates:
  • You can now press an “update” button to fetch the most up-to-date data from your project on Kickstarter to Launch. Our system already automatically syncs data daily, but this feature allows you to pull data at that moment.
  • When adding projects to Launch, it is now easier to identify which projects are not live in Kickstarter yet. 
  • Creators can add a “Permission Reminder” to each import of new members. This will remind your recipients why they are on your list. Adding a reminder is important because it will help cut down on confusion on why they are receiving this email, and will reduce members from accidentally marking your email as spam. Members will see this message at the bottom of the email.
  • Creators can now remove a project that they accidentally imported to their Launch account.
• SKU availability count: Creators can now see the SKU availability count on the SKU-Item Counts export.

— WHAT’S NEW —

New Pre-order Widget Analytics

We now have better analytics tracking when using the BackerKit Pre-order Widget. We’ve made a few improvements to make sure that this tracking data gets passed correctly, and if you need to have complex referral tracking, you can now track where your orders are coming from!

Performance Marketing Referral Tracking

We made some visual improvements on the referral tracking page for performance marketing clients. It is now easier to see the impact that we are driving, and highlighted the “funds raised” vs. the “billable” amount.

Onboarding Automations

Creators who use our Pledge Manager are now able to authorize with Kickstarter or Indiegogo. This allows our system to automatically detect created projects even if they are not live yet, which allows creators to start using Launch for their pre-live projects. Authorizing also makes it easier for the BackerKit Pledge Manager to automatically fetch up-to-date backer data after the campaign is over.

— POLISHES & BUG FIXES —

• United Kingdom update: Removed the UK from places in BackerKit that reference the EU including shipping fees and added a check in our automated setup review to make sure creators know about that update.
• Pre-order lockdown: Fixed a bug that allowed some pre-order backers to cancel their order after being locked-down. 
• Launch updates: 
  • Creators can now remove admins from their Launch account.
  • Made it easier for creators to distinguish between live projects and upcoming projects in Launch. Fixed a bug that was not showing the project title correctly if the project signed up before it was live on Kickstarter. 
• Taxes: Tax information is now included in the “Backer Funding” export.
• Exports: The “Pack List” export is now available when using the split shipping feature.

Local Pickup

• Creators can now choose to enable a local pickup option to appear for backers.
  • Creators can apply a specific shipping fee just for local pickup.

Add-on region hiding

• Creators can now hide add-ons from appearing to backers from a specific region.
  • When backers from the region are on the add-on page, they will not see the add-on.

Lock Orders with Final Notice

• Creators can now choose to Lock Orders with Final Notice.
  • Backers will be notified that it is their last chance to make any changes to their order. This includes a last chance to add any add-ons. After 48 hours, all orders will automatically be locked.

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• Upgraded our payment services to handle Strong Customer Authentication as outlined in the Revised Directive on Payment Services (PSD2).
• Fixed a bug that was incorrectly importing backers from select Indiegogo perks if the perk contained an add-on on Indiegogo.
• Clarified our FAQ page to make it easier for backers to get answers to common issues.
• Backers can now see all of their tracking numbers on their confirmation page if they have multiple orders.
• Fixed a bug that allowed creators to mark multiple add-ons as featured, which would accidentally hide add-ons.

Tax Rules

• Creators can now create Tax Rules which will charge backers an additional “Tax” amount based on their country and/or state.
  • Backers will see this as a separate line item on their confirmation
  • Creators can see more tax breakdowns in the Accounting export

Shopify Integration (Beta)

• Creators can now push completed orders over to their Shopify store.
  • This will allow creators to use any fulfillment methods they have set up on Shopify.

Upcoming projects

• Launching a new crowdfunding project soon? You can tell us by clicking “Launching new campaign?” on the left navigation.
  • By providing a few details, you’ll be first to know about any upcoming BackerKit features and offers that can make your upcoming project a success

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• Fixed a bug that caused add-ons to have incorrect SKU associations in rare cases

Backer Account Recommended Projects Email

• Backer Account holders who have opted in will get a weekly email of their “Trending for you” project list. This feature is slowly rolling out over the coming weeks.
  

  “Recommended for You” email

Project Copier

• Creators can now easily copy add-ons, pledge questions, and/or shipping profiles from one project to another. This makes it easy if you are setting up a Kickstarter and/or Indiegogo InDemand project, or if you want to copy add-ons from an older project into your new one.
  • Creators can access this by navigating to www.backerkit.com/admin/tools

Global Backer Search

• Via the All Projects Page, you can now search for backers and view all the projects they’ve backed.
• If a backer writes in with a question, you can easily see which projects they have backed without having to search each of your projects individually.
  • Creators can access this at the top of www.backerkit.com/projects

Pre-Order Abandoned Cart Conversions

• Creators can now see how many reminder emails were sent and how effective it was at reminding potential pre-order purchasers that they did not finish their checkout process.

Abandoned Cart conversion rate

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• “Your password has been reset” emails no longer send when creating a Backer Account the first time.
• Pledge items now appear in alphabetical order when a backer is on the add-on page in a survey.
• Stretch Goal add-ons now correctly show information before clicking into the add-on.
• Easyship Export has been updated to better integrate with Easyship.
• Creators can no longer hide all variants for an add-on as this was causing issues when backers ordered the add-on.
• Creators can no longer change their currency as this was causing problems when switching from the currency of their original platform.

New Backer Accounts

Recommendations tab on the new Backer Account

Introducing the all new Backer Account. Read our blog for a more in-depth look.

• Backer Account backers can now explore our most recent BackerKit Staff Favorites.
• Backer Account backers can edit the interest categories for their recommendations.
• Backer Account backers experience a new onboarding on how a Backer Account works.
• Backer Account backers can view their confirmation page for their active projects.
• Backer Account backers see a “Welcome Back!” banner when getting new surveys.
• Backer Account backers see a redesigned Settings page for their account to make it easier to add payment methods and update shipping address.
• Backers can now navigate to their Backer Account directly from a survey.
• Backer Account backers can now remove payment information.
• Backer Account backers who do not confirm their account will receive a reminder email.

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• Creators can now include the “Raised in BackerKit” amounts on their pre-order store
• Fixed a bug that incorrectly removed files that backers uploaded to add-on questions when returning to a survey.
• Fixed a bug that made the input field appear incorrect when editing shipping regions.
• Fixed a bug that was causing issues with scrolling on iOS on a pre-order store.
• Fixed a bug that made sorting on a pre-order widget not appear correct.
• Creators can see the project name when switching pledges on a backer profile.
• Fixed the segment filter for “Backers with shippable SKUs”

New Pre-order store

• Engineered to tell your story
  • We simplified the store layout by making the items and cart easier to manage.
  • We introduced the ability to switch to a “wide” layout that highlights your images instead of your title and description.
  • You can now customize your project title, description, brand logo, colors and call-to-action button text specifically for the pre-order store.
  • You can host a simple widget of our pre-order on your own site for even more customization.
• Promote Your Store
  • Now you can add a promotional banner along with a countdown timer to drive urgency to your store.
  • Be able to see what sources are driving the most pre-order store conversions with referral tracking.
  • Integrate with Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel to get detailed stats on your conversion rates.
  • Easily connect your Kickstarter Spotlight to drive all people who stumble upon your Kickstarter page directly to your pre-order store.
• Keep your Crowdfunding project in mind
  • Show or hide your crowdfunding stats from your original campaign.
  • You can now feature an item and give it an expanded view with one-click add to cart button.
  • You can also sort your items in any order as well as assign categories. This is great to highlight bundles and limited items

Add-on Stretch Goals

• Didn’t hit a stretch goal item in your original campaign? Create a stretch goal item in BackerKit that will only be available if enough backers pledge to purchase it. (Note: this feature is in beta, so please contact us if you’re interested in trying it!

Backer Account improvements

• Backers who have a Backer Account can now visit their profile to see a customized list of current crowdfunding projects based on their interests.
• Backers with a Backer Account will now have first priority in survey smoke tests.
• Backers with a Backer Account will now be prompted to log in to their account before starting their survey.
• New redesigned profile that easily highlights surveys that are not completed first.
• Backers with Backer accounts can now see the most recent estimated shipping date for each project.

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• Fixed an issue that was displaying the incorrect “What’s next” section on the dashboard.
• Order confirmation emails now correctly show Whole Order shipping fees.
• Fixed a bug that was not returning add-ons when searching the exact add-on name in the search bar.
• Added an export for Gamesquest fulfillment services.
• Fixed a bug that was incorrectly showing the same package group multiple time in rare circumstances.
• Creators can now set the exact time for the pre-order countdown timer.

Pre-order promo banner

• Creators now have the ability to add a promo banner at the top of the pre-order page. This can be used for highlighting why someone should pre-order (eg: discounted prices, limited time offers, early shipping).

Pre-order promo banner

Abandoned Cart reminders

• We now send a reminder email to pre-order backers who have added items to their cart but have not finished the checkout process.

Dashboard Improvements

• Creators can now see a breakdown of funds when they start charging.
• Creators now see a Fulfillment section that shows the progress of how many backers have been marked as shipped.

Charge Details on the Dashboard

Fulfillment Details on the Dashboard

Auto Fulfilling backers not getting items

• After locking orders, BackerKit can now detect any backers who are not receiving any SKUs and allows creators to easily mark them as Fulfilled.
  

  Fulfill backers not receiving SKUs

Bug Fixes/Improvements

• Creators can now change the sort order for how FAQs are displayed to backers
• Added clarification for what a Direct pre-order conversion means.
• Survey completion percentage on the dashboard no longer includes pre-order backers.
• Added a check in the setup review to check for shipping profiles that do not include an “Everywhere else” region.
• Creators can no longer add variants to add-ons that were purchased without a variant.