2015 | CONFIDENTIAL
Bloof
All the geek you need. All in one place.
Business Plan
Prepared January 2015
Contact Information
Adam McArthur
[email protected]
800-262-7582
http://www.bloof.co
11225 North 28th Drive, Suite A103
Phoenix, Arizona 85029, United States
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Executive Summary
Who We Are
Be a one-stop shop seeking to offer the largest and most sought after collection of
Comic, Fantasy and Sci-fi memorabilia and collectibles for purchase. Whether you want
to buy it now, or want the thrill of an auction, we have you covered, all with a 100% no
questions asked authenticity guarantee.
We do this through our multiple high-level domains including ComiconAuction.com,
ComicsMemorabilia.com and StarWarsMemorabilia.com.
We seek to expand our current business by bringing in more inventory, expanding our
marketing and hiring new employees.
What We Sell
For the convenience of our customers, we offer the largest and most diverse collection
of Comic, Fantasy and Sci-fi memorabilia and collectibles in one place.
Who We Sell To
Bloof will focus on men ages 18 - 44 who currently make up over 90% of our customer
base. We are targeting those who are already collecting something we offer on our site
and are connected to other fan outlets via Facebook, pod casts and other marketing
channels.
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Company
Company Overview
Bloof was formed in 2013, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. It was formed by Adam
McArthur and Chris Cotty. Adam is the CEO and handles the business operations.
Chris is the CTO and handles the online infrastructure of websites. Other owners
include Bob Regnerus who handles all marketing and Dylan Gaston who handles
purchasing and the listing of items. McArthur and Cotty built the company from the
start and both own 33% a piece; Regnerus owns 19% and Gaston owns 15%.
Bloof offers all of our pop culture memorabilia and collectibles currently through
ComicsMemorabilia.com, which is our online store, and ComiconAuction.com, which is
our online auction. Comics Memorabilia is the first online store that combined comics,
signed memorabilia, collectibles, art and statues all on one website. This opened first,
and then we followed it by Comicon Auction. It lists many of the same items as the
store, but in auction format. We have auctions that end daily with currently 50+ items a
day. Bot are geared towards the Con going crowd.
Management Team
Bloof is directed by Adam McArthur CEO. Second-in-command is Chris Cotty, CTO.
McArthur heads daily operations, strategic partnerships and strategy for the business.
Cotty manages the operations of the websites and finances.
Marketing is directed and executed by Bob Regnerus. Regnerus handles the creation of
new marketing channels and the execution of marketing strategies across social,
podcast and print mediums.
Purchasing and Listing is directed by Dylan Gaston. Gaston handles the purchasing of
new items to sell across multiple sites and also directs how items are portrayed across
our sites to maximize sales and create security.
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Products and Services
Products and Services
Bloof wants to set itself apart from other companies offering pop culture memorabilia
and collectibles that may offer only one or two specific segments of items. Through our
years of personal collecting and talking to several outside collectors, we have come to
realize most desire to have one company they trust they can go to find these items and
know items will be authentic, as listed and handled properly so items arrive safely.
Most are frustrated because they must go to several different stores, comic book shops
and Cons to find what they are looking for, and are often frustrated by lack of
inventory, lack of diversity, poor shipping and items not arriving how they were listed.
The focus of Bloof is to run the only store and daily auction sites entirely dedicated to
offering the largest and most diverse collection of Comic, Fantasy, and Sci-fi
memorabilia and collectibles in one place. And we will do this using internet marketing,
design, layout and overall customer experience above what any of our competitors are
doing.
Competitors
When measuring head-to-head, direct competitors, we have found that there are none
online that do specifically what we do. ComicsMemorabilia.com and
ComiconAuction.com will be the first all-in-one store and auction for Comic, Fantasy,
and Sci-fi memorabilia and collectibles. However, there is still significant competition
from large auction sites and more focused online and local companies.
eBay: Ebay is the national leader for comic and collectible memorabilia. Doing a
keyword search for 8 of the most searched for terms on our site shows results for
7,246,013 items. They currently have the market share for auctions and "buy it now"
options.
Bloof believes we have a significant competitive advantage over eBay because of the
following benefits:
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
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Trust of a company you can talk to
Actual customer service from fellow collectors
100% authenticity guarantee - no questions asked
Best of the best items in one spot - no having to dig
Shipping standards
Local Comic Book Shops:
Another competitor for Bloof is the established locally owned comic book shop. Bloof
knows the quality and pride that the local comic book shop has in the product
purchased by their customers. Any local comic book store owner has a customer base
that is dedicated and highly educated.
The competitive edge Bloof has on the local comic book shops is based on the attributes
of:
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Shopping from home
Thrill of the auction
Broadened inventory
Higher quantities
24 hour access
Online Specialty Shops:
MyComicShop.com, ComicConnect.com, BigBadToyStore.com,
HeritageAuctions.com/comics are a few of Bloof's competitors that have high traffic
rates and customer trust. They each sell in a specific genre and are established with a
large following.
In the established specialty market, Bloof has a competitive edge, even over Heritage
Auctions, due to:
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Everything in one place
Larger price entry points for a broader market
Use of social media for marketing and recognition
Partnerships with more well known B-list comic celebrities
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Comic Conventions:
Comic Cons, Comicons and Wizard Cons are the mainstream comic conventions that
take place globally. We are focusing those taking place in major cities in the United
States and Canada.
The most well known is in San Diego, while the biggest is now in New York City. NYC
Comic Con topped 151,000 attendees. And at the San Diego Comic Con in 2010, there
was $75,000,000 spent with an economical impact of $180,000,000.
Cons definitely have an impact on Bloof. Since Cons come through a city once a year for
four days, the main advantage we have is the ability to market off their success and give
people the ability to find the items they love at a Con the other 361 days out of the year.
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Target Market
Market Overview
Our target market is very defined:
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They are male
They are between the ages of 18-44 years old
They vary in income status, but collecting is a priority purchase for them
They set aside disposable money for collecting and buy weekly
There are two major market segments that we see:
• Current Collectors: Current collectors are defined as those who make regular
purchases of pop-culture memorabilia or collectibles. In 2013, there were an
estimated $870,000,000 in comic book sales alone, up from $635,000,000 in 2012.
• Potential Collectors: Potential collectors are defined as those who make an
occasional purchase, but haven't started collecting regularly. They have crossed
the hurdle of buying and have strong interests in defined segments (i.e. The
Walking Dead, Superman, Spider-Man, Game Of Thrones, etc).
The potential market that is quickly growing is female readers/buyers. In February
2014, the Facebook universe of self-identified comic fans grew to a new high of over 24
million fans in the United States. Of that 24 million, women account for 46.67% of that
population. We have not opened our marketing to this demographic yet.
Market Needs
Our target customers are collectors who have to sort through many different places to
find what they want. Often this means going to a sales channel they don't know or trust
and getting disappointed. They are long-term collectors who need a reliable, diverse,
trusting and convenient place to get their memorabilia and collectibles. There is a
serious need for one-stop convenience.
Page 6
CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
Strategy and Implementation
Marketing Plan
Overview
Bloof will use the following marketing tactics to reach its target market of pop-culture
memorabilia and collectibles with our online sites:
• Facebook marketing using specific targeting of fans of memorabilia and
collectibles pages
• Podcast sponsorship and advertising on the top 30 most listened pop-culture
podcasts
• Sponsorship and booth setup at Comic Cons in the US and Canada
• Endorsements deals with celebrity cosplayers and gaming celebrities
• Email marketing to our growing list from giveaway opt-ins
The marketing message will focus on our mission: Be a one-stop shop seeking to offer
the largest and most sought after collection of Comic, Fantasy and Sci-fi memorabilia
and collectibles for purchase. Whether you want to buy it now, or want the thrill of an
auction, we have you covered, all with a 100% no questions asked authenticity
guarantee.
Positioning
We are a company for collectors who are tired of having to fight through eBay or and
deal with someone they aren't sure if they can trust; someone they can't call on a phone
to get a question answered or an issue resolved.
We are a company for collectors done with poorly packaged items that arrive different
than they were listed. So, the collectors piece they spent their hard earned money on
now has no value damaged or fake.
We are a company for collectors who are love their local Con, but don't want to wait 361
more days before it starts again to browse and purchase the items they love.
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.
Bloof | ComicsMemorabilia.com & ComiconAuction.com
For collectors who want a legitimate one-stop shop.
Pricing
The present pricing structure for ComicsMemorabilia.com is to charge 10% above the
consignors eBay or store price. We also charge the consignor a 15% hammer fee,
allowing us to come out at a 25% profit on an item.
The present pricing structure for ComiconAuction.com is to charge the consignor a 15%
hammer fee and the buyer a 15% buyer's premium to use the auction. This allows for a
30% profit on an item.
Promotion
We will use one giveaway per month on ComicsMemorabilia.com and three giveaways
per month on ComiconAuction.com targeted towards different collecting segments. We
utilize Just Uno to ensure we are acquiring email addresses for future marketing with
each giveaway.
We also will be giving away one item an hour at the Phoenix Comicon and other Comic
Con's we travel to during the year at our booth.
Distribution
All of our items are sold either on ComicsMemorabilia.com or ComiconAuction.com.
Most of our items are owned by consignors and once sold by us are shipped from them.
All other items are shipped out of our office in Phoenix, Arizona.
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CONFIDENTIAL - DO NOT DISSEMINATE. This business plan contains confidential, trade-secret
information and is shared only with the understanding that you will not share its contents or ideas with
third parties without the express written consent of the plan author.