Stan Store is a new company in the field of monetizing for content creators. It offers services for shopping digital products and courses that are seamlessly integrated with platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. With a price starting from $29 per month without any commission fees, it’s no surprise that Stan Stores is being used by some of the most influential people. Here are the detailed information about what Stan Store is, who can use it, and my experience setting it up.
WHAT IS STAN STORE AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Stan Store is an e-commerce shop that allows creators to sell their digital products, organize and sell online courses as well as memberships, register email lists, and schedule meetings. Creators add Stan Store to their profile links and when visitors click through, the store looks like a part of the platform they just used, whether it’s Instagram or TikTok.
Stan Store has a minimalist interface, so the options to purchase, schedule appointments, or register for an email list are clear. In fact, it’s a Swiss Army knife for content creators to make money.
STAN STORE PRICE: HOW MUCH IS STAN STORE?
You can try Stan Store with a 14-day trial, after which the cost is $29 at the Creator level or $99 per month for Creator Pro. (Exact price as of January 2024). Both options include a mobile-optimized store, scheduling, courses, subscriptions, and email signups. Creator Pro also has email marketing, channels, discount codes and upsells, payment plans, affiliate commissions, and pixel tracking.
So, if you want to sell digital products, invite people to join your email list, schedule 1:1 meetings, or offer courses/memberships, the $29 Creator option will do all that for you. You also have the option to save on monthly fees by paying $300 for an annual package. The annual package of the Creator Plan is $948 per year.
One of the big advantages of Stan Store is that the monthly fee is the only cost. It doesn’t charge transaction fees like Stripe or Paypal. Typically, Stripe charges about 3% transaction fee and a 30 cent fee for each transaction, depending on your location and Paypal charges a similar percentage transaction rate. With Stan Store, you keep 100% of what you sell; the only cost is the monthly fee.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SET UP A STAN STORE?
I set up my Stan Store in less than 17 minutes, including:
adding my email address + profile picture writing my biography adding my social media profile adding brand color setting up my Stripe payment system; And creating my first product. I call that not a miracle, compared to spending DAYS setting up WooC Commerce on my WordPress website and the Stripe part in that could take an hour or more steps. Even setting up an Etsy shop takes a lot of time and you have to pay a fee every time you post a new product. The Stan team definitely made the store setup experience easier than I thought and I was very impressed.
STAN STORE VS ETSY
Before Stan Store, many creators used Etsy to sell their digital products. As a creative marketplace, Etsy works well for selling both physical and digital products, but it has a major drawback: the moment you send someone to your Etsy store, you’re immediately introducing them to competitors. You’re giving potential buyers access to similar products from others, which isn’t good for your sales.
Cost-wise, both have different approaches. Etsy charges a 20c listing fee each time you create a new product or renew a product listing and 6.5% of total sales. Stan Store doesn’t charge listing or transaction fees – it only charges a monthly fee of $29 or $99, depending on the level you choose.
While Etsy has its own traffic, ranking for popular products is very competitive and requires a lot of effort in terms of titles, descriptions, and product images for your product to be found in Etsy’s search. Stan Store is designed for the traffic you’ve created on your social channels.
The only time I could see Etsy being a better choice than Stan Store is if you offer a large number of products, which could make Stan Store’s minimalist design too simplistic. And even then, if you have significant traffic from one or more social platforms, you might want to move away from Etsy to your own store on things like Shopify or WooC Commerce.
HOW DOES STAN STORE COMPARE TO WOOCOMMERCE?
I have a WooC Commerce e-commerce store built on my WordPress website and chose to add Stan Store to use with Instagram and TikTok because of how well it integrates with them. It feels like I’m using a native app when visiting the store. Conversely, clicking on a link to a WooC Commerce product on my website opens in a separate window and requires more clicks to get to the checkout page than Stan Store. It’s just more cumbersome and less likely to convert click-throughs into sales due to the extra steps.
WHO USES STAN STORE?
Anyone making money from their social platform with digital products, 1:1 appointments, or running courses or memberships would be a good fit for Stan Store. It could also work well for those with a large following wanting to sign up for email, as the integration with social platforms is so seamless that it’s likely to yield better signup rates than other options, such as regular website forms. You can also use it for external links like your website if you want.
CAN YOU BUILD COURSES ON STAN STORE?
Your Stan Store can host courses with multiple modules, text, videos, and downloads such as workbooks and PDF checklists. Each course has its own landing page with images, course description, reviews, and pricing to help convert viewers into buyers. The intuitive interface makes creating learning modules simple and quick.
I’ve built courses on several platforms including WordPress (using LifterLMS), Zenler, Teachable, and Thinkific, and Stan Store is by far the easiest platform I’ve ever used. It’s the only place where I didn’t have to step away from my laptop to take a break from technology.
IS STAN STORE BETTER THAN LINKTREE?
Linktree has one job: it’s a place to house links that direct visitors to other platforms. On the other hand, Stan Store is a complete e-commerce package that makes visitors feel like they’re still on the platform they started from. Therefore, the function of both is very different, as is the experience of any visitor.
STAN STORE VS ETSY
Before Stan Store, many creators used Etsy to sell their digital products. Etsy, as a creative marketplace, is effective for selling both physical and digital products. However, it has a significant drawback: when you direct someone to your Etsy store, you’re immediately exposing them to competitors. This means potential buyers have access to similar products from others, which isn’t beneficial for your sales.
In terms of cost, both platforms have different approaches. Etsy charges a 20c listing fee each time you create or renew a product listing and takes 6.5% of total sales. On the other hand, Stan Store doesn’t charge listing or transaction fees – it only charges a monthly fee of $29 or $99, depending on the plan you choose.
While Etsy has its own traffic, ranking for popular products is highly competitive and requires significant effort in terms of titles, descriptions, and product images for your product to be found in Etsy’s search. Stan Store, however, is designed for the traffic you’ve generated on your social channels.
The only time Etsy might be a better choice than Stan Store is if you offer a large number of products, which could make Stan Store’s minimalist design too simplistic. Even then, if you have significant traffic from one or more social platforms, you might want to transition from Etsy to your own store on platforms like Shopify or WooC Commerce.
To earn money with Stan Store in 2024, you can follow these steps:
- Sell Digital Products: You can sell digital items like ebooks or music on Stan Store.
- Offer Bookings: You can provide booking services for consultations, coaching sessions, or any other services that need scheduling.
- Create and Sell Online Courses: Stan Store lets you host courses with multiple modules, text, videos, and downloadable materials like workbooks and PDF checklists. Each course has its own page with images, a course description, reviews, and pricing to help turn viewers into buyers.
- Email Capture: You can collect email addresses directly on the platform, which can be a valuable asset for marketing your products or services.
- Analytics: Use Stan Store’s analytics tools to keep track of your store’s performance. This can help you make decisions based on data to improve your sales.
- Pricing: Stan Store offers two plans: Creator Level at $29 per month and Creator Pro at $99 per month. Both options include a mobile-optimized store, calendar bookings, courses, subscriptions, and email sign-up. The Creator Pro level also includes email marketing, funnels, discount codes, upsells, payment plans, affiliate commissions, and pixel tracking.
Remember, with Stan Store, the only cost you have is the monthly fee plus the Stripe and PayPal transaction fees. So, you keep 100% of what you sell; the only cost is the monthly fee.
Before you start, it’s a good idea to create a basic business plan that outlines your goals, strategies, and finances. Identify what sets you apart from others in the market and look for popular products and pricing strategies. This will help you navigate your journey as a content creator on Stan Store. Good luck!
