New Features Enable b.stage to Combine Memberships, Community Building and Global E-Commerce All in One Place

• Updates include e-commerce support for seamless global sales and a Community feature that allows direct communication between creators and fans
• New features offer creators tools to directly monetize their work, paving the way for a more sustainable creator economy

SEOUL, Korea – August 10, 2022 – Global fandom business startup bemyfriends has announced the addition of e-commerce tools and a Community function to its all-in-one bespoke platform builder, b.stage. The solution’s newest features will make it even easier for creators to make their business more sustainable, and help accelerate the expansion of the creator economy.

b.stage combines the tools brands and creators need to express themselves, communicate with fans, and directly monetize their IPs, all in one place. The addition of e-commerce support and a Community feature creates more ways for creators to strengthen their relationships with fans and drive profits.

Now, in addition to selling memberships, sponsorships and digital content, creators can use b.stage to support the global sales, including payments and deliveries, of a wide range of tangible products. b.stage is currently the only solution of its kind to combine e-commerce support with Web3 services and technologies like the Klaytn cryptocurrency, Ethereum-based NFTs, and social token-enabled wallet authentication.

b.stage's e-commerce features empower brands and creators to efficiently manage their platform’s online shop by streamlining everything from product registration to shipping and delivery. In particular, platform owners with global fanbases will be able to use the features to open an online shop, set exchange rates and payment methods, and conveniently ship their products to countries around the world. Owners can customize their shop to suit their platform’s needs, such as by selling products exclusively to members or varying product sales by membership tier. b.stage’s easy-to-read Dashboard provides the data owners need to gain a better understanding of their fans’ interests, behaviors and purchasing habits, and can help strengthen communication with their fans.

E-sports powerhouse T1 has made e-commerce a key component of its b.stage-powered membership platform. The team has been using its platform to communicate and share content with fans from around the world, and utilized its e-commerce features to facilitate the sale of its second round of platform membership vouchers, which include a variety of exclusive merch. 

“The first round of membership sales was so successful, so there are high expectations for the second round,” said Ahn Woong-ki, COO of T1. “It’s nice that T1’s League of Legends team can communicate directly with its many fans through b.stage, and we are planning a variety of exclusive content and MDs just for members.”

b.stage’s new Community feature, meanwhile, creates a channel for creators and fans to actively communicate. The feature makes it easier for creators to spark conversations with fans, and can also help encourage them to participate in platform activities. Members of a creator’s b.stage-powered platform will be able to create their own posts, which creators and other users can comment on to start discussions and build community. Making access to the community membership-based helps ensure that those who join the platform sincerely care about the creator, laying the foundation for sincere and rewarding discussions.

Since launching its b.stage-powered platform, global TV phenomenon “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” has quickly established a global community of adoring fans. Soon, fans of the TV show will be able to use b.stage’s Community feature to share their thoughts about the show and its unforgettable characters. 

Discussing the importance of building such communities, a representative of Astory, the production studio behind the hit TV show, said: “When we saw global fans of TV dramas gather and communicate in the space that is the fandom community, we could feel the value of our IP increasing. We look forward to enhancing fans' participation even further and growing Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s popularity through this community.”

In addition, beginning on August 10, members of Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s fan community will be able to purchase exclusive merch – including whale t-shirts – inspired by the show.

By facilitating active communication with fans and global e-commerce, b.stage will help make creators’ businesses, as well as IP/content ecosystems, more sustainable by placing various direct monetization methods at their fingertips and unlocking new levels of creative ownership.

“A creator’s sustainability ultimately depends on the success or failure of their business,” said Brice Lee, co-CEO of bemyfriends. “bemyfriends provides business and fandom management solutions that allow creators to work comfortably with their own IPs. In addition to rolling out new features like e-commerce and communities, we plan to offer creators even more kinds of support to help realize the true power of the creator economy in Web3.”

Ordinarily, in order to integrate global e-commerce into their b.stage-powered platform, brands and creators would need to subscribe to b.stage’s Standard or Plus plans. However, to commemorate the feature’s official launch, for a limited time only, b.stage owners will be able to use the platform builder’s e-commerce services free of charge regardless of their plan. In the future, bemyfriends will actively seek out ways to reduce global e-commerce costs to help creators maximize their monetization. More information on plans and fees can be found by visiting b.stage’s website (bstage.in). 

In addition to “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” brands and creators including K-pop group KARD and pro soccer team FC Seoul recently launched b.stage-powered platforms to communicate with fans that have received positive responses.