Countless Groupon imitators have sprun up after that company's proven success with the group-buying model. But they're not the only game in Chicago that's getting copied.
New greeting card start-up Chirply, which opened for retail business on Friday, shows that Threadless' crowdsourcing M.O. is still viable.
Where Threadless asks its community of creative types to submit designs for T-shirts that are then voted on by the publich, for Chirply substitues stationary to be printed on greeting cards. Same concept, different product.
But Chirply isn't just skating by with the familiar crowdsourcing model. The company is offering a financial incentive to users who submit designs: Designers who collect the most votes are awarded a $300 prize and can also collect 10 cents in royalties on everything sold with their submission. Not even Hallmark offers that. Threadless contributors can win prizes and store credit.
(Find out more information on Chirply at its online store.)
