Once again, I must tip my hat to our community. A twitter message fluttered into our account over the weekend

SOAP shop software for the rest of the world http://spreadshop.cute-monstr.de

Second nature and curiosity about what Bejamin Vetter had in store preceded the click and the result was very satisfying. Benjamin claims to have been able to really make your Spreadshirt shop all yours – the template:

• does not need iFrames
• is completely customisable for your website
• is based on the programming language Ruby
• can be expanded upon and
• is offered for free under the GNU General Public License.

We think this is fantastic and are planning to ask Benjamin a few questions about his work. So if you have any questions you would like to ask him, post them here by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Some of you might then be wondering about our new API and this year’s eventual switch from SOAP to REST. I don’t have any updates for you, but can definitely recommend signing up for the newsletter at developer.spreadshirt.net. But don’t let that keep you from trying out this new software - Benjamin has already mentioned that an update would be provided when this change occurs.

So for those who would like to give the software a try, go to spreadshop.cute-monster.de and download the source package. Enjoy and props to Benjamin!

P.S. Please be fair and acknowledge Benjamin if you end up using the template for your shop.

If you look to the left you’ll see a screen shot of the official Spreadshirt shop for T-Shirt Day 2009. It looks great, but is still quite a bit empty. We have to change this. Fast.

Calling all Shop Partners and Marketplace Designers! Either tag your favourite shirt designs with “tshirtday09” or upload a new favourite design with the tag “tshirtday09”.

We’ll grab those designs a put them in the shop, and to top that we’ll be sending some of them out in newsletters and slapping them on banners. So, tag on!

P.S. This is just a friendly reminder that you still have time (until Thursday) to submit designs for the “Social Media” T-Shirt Design Contest with laFraise and Spreadshirt. You can find details about the contest here.

If you are looking for some inspiration, check out the video “Cosmopolitan Tribalism” which our blog-savvy Tobias found in Markus Reuter’s blog. Think zeitgeist, mainstream, trends and global youth. Video after the click. continue reading ‘T-Shirt Day 09 - We Need Your Favourite Designs’

And we’re off! Spreadshirt’s 1-2-3 Rally is up and running.

Let’s start those engines refresh those memories: for every 3 new customers who buy from your shop within the next two weeks, you will receive 1 £15 voucher.

Every Shop Partner can win up to 5 vouchers and we will also be raffling off an extra five vouchers for a free 6-month premium membership.

The best part is that you don’t even have to register – every Shop Partner is automatically entered for 1-2-3 Rally and will be sent their voucher(s) once the promotion is finished.

So put the pedal to the marketing metal and attract some new customers to your shop. For a few tips on how to market your shop, our Spreaducation marketing area would be a great place to start.

“Yeah it’s great, but how can you make money with it?” In the last few weeks and months, the folks at Twitter have probably been asked that question more often than people behind any other online service. So, while we are all waiting for the 140-character giant’s big business move, our partner Twitshirt has jumped to the starting line and is at least showing twitterers how to gather micro-cash with micro-blogging.

Twitshirt in a nutshell
Here’s how it works: register at twitshirt.com with your twitter and PayPal account, and every time someone buys a shirt with one of your tweets - kerching! - you earn $1.00. Twitshirt also offers blog readers or other followers a few tools to help promote your tweetshirts. It might take a while before the first Twitshirt millionaire is made, but it is certainly enough to cover an ice cream cone or two this summer.

Spreadu-what? Spreaducation is a new area on our site where we have gathered information for shop partners about setting up shop, creating products and marketing your shop. Some of you might recognise parts of the texts from our marketing special last December, but we’ve refined, revamped, renovated and relocated it all.

Where might I find this fantastic stuff? It has moved out of the user area and can be found under the tab “Sell”, open to all. You will also find our new edition “Shop Partner Stories” with testimonials from some of our shop partners.

What’s in it for me? We think there is something for everyone in these pages. Beginners can find tips on how to set-up your shop and find your target group. Those who already have a shop and some ideas but are stuck at the designing phase can pick up some info on creating products. Experienced users can take a look at our marketing tips or see what other partners have done by reading the Shop Partner Stories.

Enjoy and happy learning!

But wait, dear Shop Partners, that’s not all …
There is also a brand new addition to our webinar series – Spreadshirt Vectors 101! If you have participated in our Bootcamp Webinar series, this would be your next logical step towards your doctorate in Spreadshirt.  Vectors 101 will provide you with live and interactive instruction on how to create and use vector designs for a Spreadshirt shop. Sign up for one of the webinars and brush up on your vector skills!

P.S. For all of those English-savvy Europeans out there checking in on the UK blog - don’t worry! Your version of Spreaducation will be coming soon. That shouldn’t stop you from previewing the pages now. See this as a great opportunity to test your English.

We added three new products to our apparel assortment on Friday: a classic pocket t-shirt from American Apparel (in black, white and navy) for men, as well as a summer top with a deep v-neck from Continental Clothing (in white, peacock blue and pink) and a casual racerback tank dress from American Apparel (white, black and red) for women.

Currently these articles are available exclusively for our shop partners – and there are two good reasons for this. First of all, we wanted you to always be able to have the newest apparel available in your shops.  Secondly, we also wanted to give you the chance to create Marketplace products before the new apparel became available for the customers on Spreadshirt.

We’re certainly looking forward to seeing your creativity with these products. So let these new cuts inspire and be sure to post the links to your products with this apparel once you have them in your shop or on the Marketplace.

P.S. Short update – we’ve also added a fourth addition today, namely, the new scoop neck t-shirt from Bella. It’s available in emerald green, dark red and bright blue. See images of this great new addition after the click. continue reading ‘Exclusively for Shop Partners - New Apparel Awaiting Designs’

Spring is here full-bloom, full-throttle, full rpm, and the beautiful t-shirt weather is zooming alongside. These are ideal conditions for the forthcoming Spreadshirt 123 Rally. Just as last year, your shop will be ready at the starting blocks without you having to push a button.

But what’s it all about?

In short - for every 3 new customers within the 2-week period, you will receive 1 £15 voucher.

Ok, so far so good! Let’s delve into the details:

When does it start?
The Rally starts on 18th May and ends on 1st June, which is certainly enough time to spruce up your own shop or even open a new one up. There is even still time to produce your own television advertisement and take out a full-page newspaper ad beat that marketing drum as loud as you can.

How does this all work with new customers? continue reading ‘Shops - Take your Places for the 123 Rally’

(original foto by cayusa)

Tomorrow on 10th of April we are starting up the first spreadshirt twitter parade! And what might that be, you ask?

- Every European Spreadshirt shop which is named more than 10 times by different twitter users between 10th and 20th April will receive a 10% discount for their shop for one week long.

- Every European Spreadshirt shop which is named more than 20 times by different twitter users will receive a 20% discount for their shop for one week long.

- If a European Spreadshirt shop is named more than 100 times by 100 different twitter users, we will do a photoshoot for the partner and print 10,000 flyers which will go out with our regular orders.

- The cherry on top: we give away 20 vouchers worth 20 EUR (18 GBP) to use in the own shop to all shopkeepers who participate and reach the 10 mark.

So, hang on and let’s go through this one more time in detail. Please read carefully if you would like to take part in the parade: continue reading ‘Join our twitter parade and win 10,000 flyers to promote your shop!’

A little shop-narcissism doesn’t hurt! For those of you out there who love their shop so much that they could sit around all day and order from themselves for themselves, tomorrow until Sunday is your dream-come-true. Every purchase made from your user area from 13th to 15th March will be rewarded with a 15% discount. Simply make your purchases through My Spreadshirt, enter the voucher code MYSHOP during checkout and, poof!, there goes the 15% (by purchasing here, you are also improving your Marketplace ranking ;-). Note: this voucher is not valid in your shops and only works when purchasing through your user area. So, stock up on some spring promotional material, surprise someone with one of your favourite shirts, and have fun shopping!

One of the goals we’ve set for this year is to optimise our website and your shops for search engines.
We want to make it easier for the well-known search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN,…) to find your shop. You would then start to get free and first-rate visitors from the search engines who are (hopefully) there to buy your shirts. To make this all work like it should, a little effort also needs to be put in on your side.

Part 1 – Meta Element Changes
Shop meta tags will be the first change which will be undertaken (planned for mid-March, but could also be delayed by a few days).
In the future, we will automatically generate the meta tags (title, description, keywords) for your shop from information which you have provided in the user area.
Here’s how the meta tags will look in the future on a product detail page:

continue reading ‘Search Engine Optimisation for your Shops: Meta Tag Changes’