Punchdrunk Panda funkifies the world in collaboration with like-minded creatives through functional graphic-designed products.
Our Mission 1. To give Filipino designers and illustrators an unconventional canvas on which to showcase their work and create conversation starters.
To create proudly Philippine-made products that show off Filipino creativity and capability.
To give you unique, functional and frikkin' awesome looking products to express your personality and support for Filipino products and designers.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
We actually started with Multiply.com selling graphic designed laptop sleeves, it was before the likes of Facebook emerged. Back in Asia, it was huge! We then complemented online sales with offline sales in bazaars and/or other events.
We were then surprised by the amount of following we received and decided that it was time to create an official website - www.punchdrunkpanda.com. It was probably before Shopify started cause we used Joomla in the beginning. We launched our website end of 2008.
It was 'ok' in the beginning but Joomla was so user/admin unfriendly. Having no coding background, I had to heavily rely on my web developer, who wasn't always available. We also received a lot of customer complaints on web glitches.
Then I stumbled upon Shopify. I started with the trial first and was amazed by how idiot proof/user friendly it is. The support team was friendly and there were so many integrations that I was happy about. It's been 2 years since Punchdrunk Panda started with Shopify and I only have praises to give about their back-end support.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
Payments:
In the Philippines, I use 2checkout, Paypal, and direct bank deposit.
In US, I use Shopify payments and Paypal. Shopify would then directly deposit to my bank account.
Email Marketing/CRM
I use Mailchimp for both US/PH sites.
Fulfillment
We manually ship in the Philippines (i.e. I have a staff that packs and ships). We decided to have a flat shipping rate within the Philippines.
We fulfill via Shipwire in the US. Probably one of the best business decisions I've made ever. I don't have to worry about inventory status in the WH since Shopify syncs with my Shipwire account. Also, Shopify would automatically calculate shipping fee.
Online Advertising
I use Google, Facebook Ad, and AdRoll for remarking
Web Performance
I use Shopify dashboard and Google Analytics
Coupons
I use Shopify coupons and bulk discount app
Referral Program
I use Referral Candy. Still unsure if this works but it's $15/month. No harm in sending a nudge to refer a friend right?
Customer Reviews
I used to use Yotpo, which admittedly is more effective than Shopify Reviews since it syncs to our FB page and requests for customers to write. But I like to keep the app section as clean as possible. So I ended up switching to Shopify Reviews.
Social Media
I installed Shopify FB store. We really don't get sales through this channel but it's a nice to have. It's free anyway!
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
There are no rooms for excuses. I say this cause I've been running Punchdrunk Panda business since I've graduated from university (2007). In the past 7 years, I've moved out of the Philippines (to Canada), did my MBA, found a full time job, and yet, I've managed to still keep the operations going.
Some people ask why I still keep on doing this cause to be honest, my current job probably sustains my lifestyle. My answer: I believe in Punchdrunk Panda and our mission. This is my passion project and I am proud of the products we make, the artists we support, and the interesting conversations we spark because of our designs. There are times when I would have to work on weekends or sleep very late (given the 12-hr time difference) but I believe it's all worth it. I could come up with many excuses to not keep this going but with tools nowadays, there are really not limits to what I can do Punchdrunk Panda, wherever I am.