Toronto-based ShopLocket was launched earlier this year to provide an ultra-simple way for users to sell goods online. Now it’s providing a way for merchants who use its system to combine both digital and physical goods in bundles.
ShopLocket allows anyone to quickly sell goods online, with not much more than a Facebook login necessary. It allows users to forgo paying for e-commerce platforms like Shopify just to sell a few items. Instead, they can upload pictures, enter a little bit of information about their products, and the platform spits out a virtual “display case” which can be embedded anywhere. It also includes links for sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Users pay just
a one-time, $2 publishing fee, and a 2.5 percent transaction fee for purchases that take place through the platform.
Now digital goods can be uploaded and sold through the platform, allowing ShopLocket vendors to upload digital music, e-books, and other files for purchase. More importantly, the new feature will allow users to bundle digital and physical goods, providing new ways for merchants to incentivize purchases. A musician, for instance, could sell a digital album through the platform but provide a t-shirt or other piece of merch along with it as a bonus. Or a writer could sell a physical copy of her book, but provide a digital version of the first chapter that a buyer can read while waiting for it to ship.
ShopLocket was part of the Toronto-based startup incubator Extreme Startups earlier this spring. The company has raised $1 million in seed funding from Valar Ventures, Rho Canada Ventures, and others.