What is Design Dose? Design Dose is Surface’s new shoppable platform that highlights unique, covetable, and must-have pieces of design. For the first time in Surface’s 27-year-history, we are introducing a product–focused digital discovery platform where each featured product has been curated/hand-selected by the Surface Editorial team to showcase new or exclusive work. Design Dose product features will delve into the meticulous details, innovative thinking, and visionary creators that turn ordinary products into objects of desire, giving consumers a comprehensive look that ventures far beyond the typical e-commerce experience. Think of it as our official stamp of approval on your next need-to-have item.
How often are new products featured?
Currently, new products are featured about 3x/week. Beginning in early 2021, new products will be released daily.
What benefits do Design Dose partners receive?
– A personal consultation with the Surface editorial team to hand-select the products we believe will perform best
– Content driven e-commerce that showcases your product in an elevated way
– Amplified visibility, awareness, and demand for your product through a 360 promotional content plan
– Custom visual assets to use across your marketing channels
– Access to a qualified design-discerning audience
How do I get my products featured on Design Dose?
Contact partnerships@surfacemedia.com or apply through the portal form here, and one of our sales representatives will get back to you within 24 hours.
What kind of product should I feature on Design Dose?
Your featured product should be something with a strong design narrative that would resonate with our audience –– something with a strong design aesthetic. The Surface reader is highly discerning of craftsmanship, materiality, and authenticity. As a partner, our editorial team will work closely alongside you from the beginning to advise on which product(s) will work best for this platform, and will resonate with our audience. Preferably, some examples include:
– An item not yet launched (Surface would maintain a 24hr exclusivity period to announce)
– Exclusive design or colorway of an item (pending production time or availability)
– The most unique or special edition item in your collection
– A rare or archival piece
– Made to order pieces
– Custom collaboration items (pending bandwidth and lead time)
Who else is a part of Design Dose? What other artists, designers or creatives are you working with?
Our Design Dose partners run the gamut from up-and-coming designers to well known international brands. Some partners include: Issey Miyake, Joseph Algieri, J.T. Pfeiffer, Verdi, and more.
I’m in active conversation with the Surface team about becoming a partner of Design Dose, what happens next and what can I expect from the onboarding process?
After expressing interest in working with Surface on Design Dose, one of our sales representatives will introduce you to our editorial team, who will then work directly with your team to hand-select the item(s) from your collection we feel will perform best on the platform. At this stage, our editors may also suggest working together on a custom collaboration, or featuring an exclusive, new or rare product. Upon deciding which item(s) will be featured on Design Dose, our sales team will send over a final partnership agreement (including the promotional plan and payment terms), and our account management will then work with your team to get all assets secured and/or developed to create the content. Once content is created on our end, we will route to you for review and sign off, and launch on a mutually agreed upon date.
CONTENT AND PROMOTION
How long will my product be featured on the Design Dose site?
Ahead of the product launching on Design Dose, new products are teased as “Upcoming” for 2-3 days ahead of their release. On its designated launch day, the item will be promoted as “Today’s Dose” (the product of the day) for 24 hours across all Surface channels (Dose homepage, IG, FB and Twitter). After the initial 24 hour period, the product will remain in the featured spot on the Dose homepage up until the next product is dropped (currently, new products launch every 2-3 days). At that point, your product will appear on the Dose homepage as “ICYMI” for 2 days, and thereafter in the ICYMI archive in perpetuity.
How long is the exclusivity period if my product does not sell the day it is featured?
Design Dose products will be featured for 24 hours, but the content and its product page will live on the site indefinitely via the ICYMI archive. The product will also be available to shop in perpetuity, pending it does not sell out and/or inventory availability.
Can I feature more than one product on Design Dose?
Yes! During your initial consultation with the Surface editorial team within the onboarding process, this is something we would be happy to discuss and determine how best to execute (for example: in the form of a 1-week brand takeover with multiple product launches, or spread out over a series of weeks/months timed to your other brand initiatives, etc.) Additionally, we offer discounted rates on bundled packages for partners who choose to feature more than 1 product.
How will my product be promoted?
All Design Dose partners receive promotion across Surface’s channels in the following ways:
– 1x featured placement on Design Dose
– 1x featured placement in SurfaceMag.com’s homepage carousel
– 1x featured placement in Design Dose newsletter
– 1x featured placement in Design Dispatch newsletter
– 1x organic in-feed carousel post on Instagram, including link in bio to product page
– 1x organic story on Instagram (multiple slides with swipe up to product page)
– 1x organic post on Facebook with link to product page
– 1x organic post on Twitter with link to product page
– 1x organic post on Pinterest with link to product page
At an additional cost, partners are also able to expand their promotional package to include: IGTV takeovers/studio visits, custom photography and/or video assets, Designer Q&A’s, additional placements across Surface’s social channels, boosted social promotion, and more.
What assets do I need to supply to Surface for my product feature?
If you’ve selected the supplied photos/video assets package for Design Dose, we will require you to submit the following materials:
– Responses to the partner in-take form, which including questions such as: the creative process behind the design of the object, – what makes it special from anything else on the market, and quick quantitative facts
– PR/press materials about the product
– Images for the site and social including:
Photo: 1200 PX or above. 2-3 images on a white background and 2-3 lifestyle images
Video: :60 seconds max length, editorial approval required
When do I need to deliver assets to Surface for my product feature?
Upon completion of the partnership agreement and depending on the launch date of your product, partners will generally have about 1-2 weeks to supply their assets to Surface. As this may be a case by case scenario, our account management team will communicate with you frequently to determine a final deadline.
I don’t have any white backdrop imagery, and I don’t think my imagery fits the Surface aesthetic, what can we do about this?
We would be happy to share our style guide and our general aesthetic specifications for reference upon completion of the partnership agreement, giving your team time to develop these assets. Alternatively, for a hard cost, our team can shoot the photo/video assets on your behalf.
Who owns the creative assets that were created to promote my product?
Any custom assets that Surface creates to promote your product will also be shared with your team for full ownership and use across your channels.
I want to launch a new product with you in a collaborative capacity – are you open to an initiative like this?
Yes! Upon reaching out to our partnerships team to discuss working together, please let us know you’d like to work together on a custom collaboration and we can loop in our editorial team to set up a consultation.
How do you determine which products are featured on which dates? Do I get to decide on the date of my product’s launch?
We maintain a product calendar internally of which our editorial team determines the best dates to launch each new product. Upon your initial consultation with our editorial team in discussing which item(s) will be featured, we’d be happy to discuss some initial dates that might work best on both ends; we are happy to take the timing of any of your company initiatives into consideration when choosing a date, and will do our best to accommodate based on availability.
I want Surface to shoot my product (photo/video), how much will it cost for Surface to do that?
Surface is a full service media company that can offer a wide range of content production capabilities. This includes, but is not limited to:
– Custom photography (12-15 static images): starting at $15,000
– Custom video (1-2 minute custom-shot video & 30 sec cuts for social): starting at $25,000
– Additional capabilities priced upon request
I want to do a longer form story surrounding the product – I’d love for your audience to learn more about our brand/studio/gallery. How can we do more?
Absolutely. Some of our longer form content offerings for Design Dose include Designer Q&As and Studio Visits, which are available at an incremental cost. Depending on what you’re looking for, our partnerships team can provide you with the rate card to Surface Studios, our in-house content studio, which outlines various options and pricing.
Will your editors write my social posts for me? Will you pass off pre-made assets for me to use on our social channels?
Yes, absolutely. Every Design Dose partner receives custom assets we develop for posting on their social channels, and we’d be happy to provide suggested copy for captions as well.
I don’t want to share this program on my social channels, can we still work together?
We kindly request that all partners of Design Dose promote the program/product feature on their social channels. We can discuss what options/channels make the most sense for your brand depending on your online presence.
What happens if/when my product sells out?
If a product sells out on the day of its launch, our team will immediately post an update on our social channels that the item is no longer available. Additionally, the product page will be updated to reflect that it is sold out. If a product sells out after it is no longer the featured “Today’s Dose” product, our team will simply update the product page on Design Dose, so that is it no longer available to purchase via the ICYMI archive. However, the product page itself will remain live on the site in perpetuity. For example: Joseph Algieri’s Sun Spots sold out within 5 hours of launching, see the existing product page here.
Can I choose which other items my product will be placed beside on the Design Dose site? I want to make sure my product sits beside something that fits my brand and aesthetic.
No, this is up to the discretion of the Surface editorial team and will be dependent on our internal, predetermined product release calendar.
Do you plan on using my product or listing for any type of advertising?
Surface reserves the right to potentially use supplied assets that have been given the Design Dose treatment for marketing materials (follow us, read us, subscribe to us, etc.)
STATS/IMPRESSIONS
How many inquiries/impressions per product do you expect to receive from the time a product is launched on Design Dose, until it lives in perpetuity?
We do not guarantee any inquiries or a set number of impressions to your product page via Design Dose. Design Dose was created to showcase exclusive and must-have pieces of design through an elevated content treatment unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, that speaks to the modern consumer. For an additional cost, partners can upgrade their package to include social boosting or a target goal for impressions.
What are the chances of my products selling out?
We do not guarantee any product sales via Design Dose, so we’re unable to gauge the chances of a product selling out. Design Dose was created to showcase exclusive and must-have pieces of design through an elevated content treatment unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, that speaks to the modern consumer.
How long will it take for me to sell my product(s) on Design Dose?
We do not guarantee any product sales via Design Dose, so we’re unable to gauge the chances of a product selling out. Design Dose was created to showcase exclusive and must-have pieces of design through an elevated content treatment unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, that speaks to the modern consumer.
PURCHASING & FULFILLMENT
How can consumers purchase items through the Design Dose platform?
Currently, in phase 1 of Design Dose, consumers have the option to purchase products either via a direct link from the Design Dose product page that redirects to your brand’s ecommerce site to check out, or via inquiry. Inquire requests go directly to the Surface team to manage, and from there we will work with your brand to have the orders processed. In phase 2 of Design Dose, launching late 2020, consumers will have the ability to purchase directly through the Design Dose platform. Surface will work with our partners through a tech integration system to fulfill orders from there.
When will consumers have the ability to purchase directly via the Design Dose platform?
Consumers will have the ability to purchase directly through the Design Dose platform beginning in late 2020 – exact release date to come.
How do I decide whether my product should be for purchase or for inquiry?
We’d be happy to discuss this more in depth with you in your preliminary conversations with our partnerships team, but at this stage, we currently require that all products with a value of over $10,000 use the inquiry system.
How are orders currently being fulfilled?
Currently, items for “purchase” are fulfilled directly through the brand’s own ecommerce site. For items that utilize the “inquiry” system, Surface receives those buyer inquiries once the form is completed by the buyer on the Design Dose product page, and we communicate those orders directly to the brand to fulfill. Following a completed order, Surface should receive its mutually agreed upon commission rate within net-30 days.
In phase 2 of Design Dose, when consumers are able to purchase directly via the Design Dose site, we will be using a custom tech integration system that will be synced with your internal fulfillment system, and purchase orders will be processed automatically.
SHIPPING & RETURNS
I want there to be a no return policy on my orders, can we mention that within the details on my Design Dose product page?
Absolutely, we’re happy to add that as a disclaimer to your product page so it is clear to the customer.
I only ship my products within the United States, how can we refrain from receiving any international orders?
We can add a disclaimer to your product page that this item is only available for shipping within the United States. We would also recommend that if you are supplying us the purchase link to process the check out on your end, that you add a disclaimer to your page. Upon Design Dose purchases being able to be fulfilled directly on our site, we will add this disclaimer to our checkout page, as well.
PARTNERSHIP PAYMENTS
What are the partnership payment terms?
Final payment terms will vary depending on the exact package you’ve agreed upon with our team, but from the time of signing all payments must be received within net-30 days. Additionally, the mutually agreed upon commission percentage for Surface should also be received net-30 from the first purchase date. Please contact partnerships@surfacemedia.com with any specific questions.
How does the Surface commission structure work? How is this paid out?
The commission structure varies per product/partner depending on the partnership package that has been agreed upon. Commission should be paid out to Surface within net-30 days of the first purchase. Upon signing the contract, our partnerships team will connect you with our accountant directly to determine the most seamless way for transferring the commission payment. Please contact accounting@surfacemedia.com with any specific questions.
My Design Dose product feature didn’t drive any sales to my site, and I didn’t get a ton of website traffic after all of this went live, can I have a portion of my partnership cost returned?
Design Dose was created to showcase exclusive and must-have pieces of design through an elevated content treatment unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, that speaks to the modern consumer. As it is a content platform first, we see any sales generated as an added bonus, and not the focus. We do not guarantee any product sales via your Design Dose listing, so we do not issue any refunds. Please contact partnerships@surfacemedia.com with any specific questions.
