Indiegogo’s ‘Express Crowdfunding’ Gets Products to You Faster
▼ Summary
– Indiegogo is launching a new “Express Crowdfunding” format that allows creators to ship products while a campaign is still running.
– The new technology was originally developed for Gamefound, a more traditional platform where funding precedes product creation.
– This existing technology assumes a minimum two-week gap between the fundraising campaign and the pledge manager phase for finalizing orders.
– A current example of delay involves Ayaneo’s gaming handheld, which faced shipping postponements due to platform policy requirements on address collection.
– Ayaneo’s campaign illustrates the issue, as policy prevented address collection until a specific date, adding a review period and pushing shipments back.
Indiegogo is introducing a significant change to its platform with a new “Express Crowdfunding” model designed to accelerate product delivery. This approach allows project creators to begin shipping items to backers while their fundraising campaign is still active, rather than making everyone wait until after the campaign concludes. This shift addresses a common point of frustration in traditional crowdfunding, where delays between funding and fulfillment can stretch for months. The move aims to create a smoother, faster experience for backers who are eager to receive innovative products.
The platform’s current technology operates on a more conventional timeline. Originally developed for Gamefound, another crowdfunding service, the system is built around a standard sequence of events. It assumes creators are raising capital to manufacture a product from scratch. A built-in gap of at least two weeks is expected between the end of the active fundraising period and the opening of the “pledge manager.” This subsequent phase is when backers finalize their orders, add any extras, and submit their shipping details.
The limitations of this existing process were recently highlighted by a campaign for the Ayaneo Pocket AIR Mini, a retro-style gaming handheld. As reported by Android Authority, the company faced an unexpected delay due to platform policies. Ayaneo had initially targeted shipping units by the end of November. However, they explained that platform policy requirements prevented them from collecting shipping addresses earlier. The rules stipulated they could not even request to advance their campaign to the pledge manager phase until December 2nd. After submitting that request, they faced an approximate three-day review period. Consequently, the company now states shipments will only begin around December 10th, pushing delivery back by about ten days.
Indiegogo’s Express Crowdfunding seeks to eliminate such procedural bottlenecks. By enabling shipping to occur concurrently with fundraising, it reduces the administrative lag that can postpone backers from receiving their rewards. This model is particularly well-suited for creators who have already progressed in production or who have inventory ready to ship. For supporters, it means the wait for a coveted new gadget or innovation could be dramatically shortened, transforming the crowdfunding timeline into something that feels more like a direct pre-order system.
(Source: The Verge)
