1.5 is Alive!

One of our favorite things about working on the IgnitionDeck product line is that, with the help of our customers, we get to actively take part in the evolution of a new market that is continually re-defining itself.

We believe that these new releases, IgnitionDeck Crowdfunding (IDCF) 1.5  and IgnitionDeck Commerce (IDC) 1.5, are the best examples of that to date.

Inside their respective version notes you’ll find a mix of the standard feature updates and bug fixes that we normally ship with new updates, but you’ll also find a list of brand new features that were built with the intent of making our customers’ lives easier, based on hundreds, if not thousands of support tickets and feature requests.

Lets walk through the new features and updates one by one:

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Post-Purchase Lightbox with Printable Receipt

Works with ID+M, IDE

The lightbox has had an interesting tenure within IgnitionDeck. First we used it, then we pulled it out, and now it’s back – so what gives? The answer is twofold:

1. We’ve finally found a stable and lightweight lightbox that we could depend upon (Magnific)

2. The introduction of the IgnitionDeck Framework allows us to manage frameworks from a single place rather than require the introduction of redundant code and libraries.

In addition, many customers have requested that we re-introduce the post-purchase thank you page so that they can offer additional context and options to the purchase process. We happened to agree with that need, but felt that the thank you page setup process could be simplified. The result is a simple popup that reveals after a user has purchased and been redirected to the dashboard.

The beauty of this approach is that it allows a user to view and even print the receipt immediately after purchase, while also encouraging them to share their purchase with friends in their social networks.

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Order List with Receipt Link

Works with ID+M, IDE

Another great reason for using the popup instead of the thank you page is that the popup can be revisited at any time, such as when viewing an order from the new orders screen.

This screen arose from the oft-received request of being able to view and manage backer history on the front-end. This is just the first step towards a full-fledged marketplace solution, with backer history being a small portion of that experience. Imagine being able to view, edit, and even cancel pledges, orders, and pre-orders from the same place. That future starts with the addition of this simple menu that allows your users to view order history and receipts at any time, all from their front-end dashboard.

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Front-End Order Export

Works with IDE

Another complaint we received from site owners was that exporting orders from the admin was laborious and would not scale. As a result of that perfectly valid complaint, we’ve decided to add an order export to the ‘My Projects’ screen that allows project creators to export customer data at any time they  need to. This prevents the admin from having to babysit, and gives project creators the data they need to deliver rewards and manage campaigns.

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Front-End Mailchimp Settings

Works with IDE

While it’s nice for an admin to be able to build a customer email list, we felt it to be equally important that a project creator get the same opportunity. This new front-end Mailchimp settings field does just that, allowing creators to build their own customer list without having to import a CSV into their Mailchimp account.

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Advanced Creator Permissions

Works with IDE

Many people complained that our opt-in creator setting was too complicated and confusing, so we rewrote it to make the opt-in optional while also adding even more control over who can and cannot create projects.

The new setting allows you to enable creator on a global, admin only, and even membership level basis, which makes it possible to require payment prior to the enabling of project submissions.

Want more reason to be excited? This feature was written by our very own Andrew J, who many of you will recognize from the forums.

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Terms & Conditions on Checkout

Works with ID+M, IDE

Yet another feature that was frequently requested by our user base, this option allows admins to set a terms and conditions page and privacy policy to be confirmed prior to purchase.

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Global Crowdfunding Display Currency

Works with ID+M, IDE

We thought it was confusing to manage currencies from multiple places and menus, so we’ve begun the process of simplifying it by introducing a new global display currency inside of the IDC->Crowdfunding menu. This will not affect the manner in which transactions are processed, but will effect the way they are displayed. The big change here is that we’ve also enabled the display of virtual currency, also called credits. This will allow you to open up your platform to a whole new level of transaction types.

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Checkout with Credits

Works with ID+M, IDE

The credits system has long been introduced as part of instant checkout, but very few people were using it, so we’ve decided to introduce it to our standard checkout form to make it even easier to introduce and use. This uses the standard IDC credits system, and will automatically display if and when a user has credits and views the purchase form for a product that has a credit value.

Remove “Activate for Membership” and “Enable Crowdfunding” Requirements

Works with ID+M, IDE

Enabling crowdfunding on ID+M and IDE powered sites was too complicated, so we’ve decided to simplify it by removing the enable crowfdunding checkbox and the activate for membership radio button. Instead, crowdfunding will be enabled and activated on any IDCF powered site that also has IDC selected as the commerce platform in their IDF settings.

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If you can’t tell by now, this is an absolutely massive release, and the features listed here are just a small part of the overall improvements that 1.5 brings to the platform. We believe that regardless of whether you’re using it to power a single campaign, or a massive platform, IgnitionDeck can and will serve a place in your business.