A business account launched in January 2022. Shopify Balance integrates seamlessly with the Shopify admin allowing over a million merchants to manage their money where they make it. 

PROJECT INFO

A key goal of this project was to position Shopify Balance as the natural decision for any business owner. This goal was backed by success metrics around product adoption and overall Shopify growth metrics. 

HOW I CONTRIBUTED

Shopify Balance was one of the largest projects I worked on. I was the solo designer responsible for alpha, beta and intial launch. 

I led the design for the physical card, packaging, 3 website pages, email communications, social, performance, in-app marketing and PR. The consistency in brand and messaging on social channels led to a 24x increase in engagement and over 70% increase in performance marketing CPC (cost-per-click) compared to a typical Shopify launch.

CREATIVE TEAM

DESIGN LEAD: TARYN NIESENA

CONTECT LEAD: JULIA VALLELUNGA

VIDEO PROUCTION: ADAM AVRASHI

VIDEO DIRECTOR: MARYSIA MAKOWSKA

PRODUCTION: IMPOSTER.TV

DISCIPLINES

CONCEPT / WEB DESIGN / STORYTELLING / ART DIRECTION / PHYSCIAL CARD DESIGN / PACKAGING / PERFORMANCE MARKETING

Kicking off a project with all stakeholders is an important part of the process. I organized a workshop and survey to help bring alignment to the brand values that Shopify Balance wanted to display. 

From the very beginning, it was clear that we wanted to steer away from the conventional financial services products that saturate the market. We were determined to be innovative and genuine, striving to craft a campaign that exudes a passionate call for small businesses to achieve financial independence. We decided to focus on entrepreneurship and our merchants unique stories.

We chose 4 small business owners who were already benefiting from Shopify Balance. We felt it would not only enhance the credibility of our product but also infuse our creative with an authentic touch. 

Through the use of data and desired targeted audiences we chose our 4 merchants. A slime merchant with dreams of performance art they could share all over social media. A plant shop that would grow their business at record speed. An apparel brand with big retail ambitions. And a dog balm company whose passion was unparalleled. 

Working with non-actors was something I was nervous about. Often it can lead to awkward acting or the longevity of the campaign can come into question if one of the selected merchants business discontinues the use of the product. 

I was responsible for the Shopify Balance card. The design is built around the ability for merchants to add their logo to the front of the card. The decision to go with a minimal black card reinforces Shopify's stance on allowing our Merchants brand to shine while giving the feeling of owning your own branded business card. The card was produced using 86% recycled plastics. The highest available in the industry. 

Working with a distributed team across 4 timezones, a production house and multiple internal stakeholders I was no stranger to feedback. How I organized my communication, stakeholder reviews and decision logs were extermely important for a smooth and successful launch. 

I lead the creation of performance marketing assets, a 30 second video with 15 second and 6 second cut downs, GIFs, email marketing, landing pages and in admin marketing.  

Above, I chat with the COO of Shopify and share the work of Balance to over 10,000 Shopify employees at Town Hall. 

In the first week the campaign resulted in some impressive numbers. Almost 1 million Twitter impressions, 75% increase in video views*,  A 73% increase in CPC and 64% increase on CPM on paid performance and influencer marketing*. I am excited about how this campaign broke new ground in the financial world and brought our internal teams to think bigger about how to scale their product marketing vision. 

*This number is based off the average Shopify metrics for Shopify Core launches.