Stan Store 2023 Shareholder Letter

If you blinked, you might have missed it: Stan skyrocketed to $14.7 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) by the end of 2023, marking a jaw-dropping 765% year-over-year increase.

How did they do it?

By reshaping the online creator landscape with their innovative store-in-bio concept, leaving traditional link-in-bio platforms like Linktree in the dust.

You can find the full 2023 letter that John Hu shared with his shareholders here and check our Key Takeaways below.

Key Takeaways from the Stan.Store 2023 Shareholder Letter

Here’s what you need to know:

Store-in-Bio Takes Center Stage

Move over, link-in-bio – store-in-bio is the new sheriff in town.

Stan Store, along with competitors like Beacons.ai, are pioneering mobile-native creator storefronts that allow seamless product sales directly from the bio page.

It’s a game-changer, offering creators the ability to monetize their content without redirecting traffic elsewhere.

Explosive Growth with Affiliate Marketing

Stan’s revenue explosion wasn’t a stroke of luck – it was a strategic move.

By offering affiliates a generous 20% cut of all revenue generated from their links, Stan cultivated an army of TikTok influencers eager to promote their platform. It’s reminiscent of Shopify’s referral program success, proving that incentivized marketing can yield astronomical results.

Storefront for All

Stan.Store can be extremely flexible and support a broad range of creators.

Positioned as a platform for creators of all kinds, it’s become a go-to destination for everything from physical goods to online courses and digital downloads. John share some examples in the Baking, Fitness, Tarot, Dating, Gardening and more.

Unlike competitors like OnlyFans, Stan Store doesn’t take a cut of creators’ earnings, allowing them to keep all their hard-earned revenue.

Show Stan.Store Creators some love!

The Southern Sourdough Co – @thesouthernsourdoughco
Eddie Abbew – @Eddieabbew
Priestess – @hothighpriestess
Lauren Dubisnky –@Floricultgardens
Loved By Creators – @Lovedbycreators

Navigating High Churn and Platform Risks

Despite its meteoric rise, Stan isn’t without challenges and John Hu is very open and upfront about the main one: Churn.

With a monthly gross churn rate of 13% and the looming threat of platform bans – as seen with TikTok’s recent crackdown on Shopify and Amazon links – the road ahead is fraught with uncertainty.