TORONTO – Entrepreneurs Chris Porteous, Jordan Whelan and Geoff Christou encountered serious hurdles driving sales and awareness for their Cardboard design firm, Our Paper Life. After setting up their e-commerce store they faced monthly fees, pay per click costs, and low web traffic.
“The problem with launching an E-commerce site, besides the fees, is getting the word out to potential buyers,” said Jordan Whelan, Co-Founder. “What we realized is that each person has a circle of fans and friends which could also become brand ambassadors for products,”
Over a year ago, they came up with the idea for Framestr.com, which allows users to earn a cash commission by sending a product link to a friend through email, social media or by embedding a mini store on a blog. Vendors on the site can set a percentage commission on each product and the amount is displayed by clicking the Framestr logo.
A user can view their balance at any time and withdraw the money or transfer it to a friend.
“Many e-commerce platforms treat affiliate marketing as a sort of afterthought or an add-on which runs contrary to the statistics out there,” said Whelan. “54% of purchase decisions are driven by word of mouth, so why not create a website predicated on that fact?”
Since launching September 1st, the company has added over 10,000 products including companies featured in Vogue and The New York Times.
Many have made the switch from E-commerce giants such as Etsy and Shopify. The site boasts no listing, selling or sign up fees and welcomes Vendors internationally.
For additional information about Framestr, images or interview requests please contact Jordan Whelan, Jordan@Framestr.com
