Mirela Spasova, the Reddit Senior Engineer for the Collectible Avatars Project, took the stage at the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC) event in Paris to share Reddit's strategy for attracting millions of users to its blockchain-powered digital collectibles. Spasova emphasized that the main goal of running Collectible Avatars on-chain is to give users the freedom to make their own choices, including the option to resell avatars on popular non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces like OpenSea.
By purchasing avatars from creators on Reddit, users can participate in the NFT ecosystem and potentially benefit from the growing market for digital collectibles. In 2022, Reddit launched the Collectible Avatar project featuring NFTs minted on Polygon, with the aim of achieving widespread adoption and supporting creators in monetizing their collections. To achieve this, Reddit prioritized user experience, minimizing friction, marketing the product's virtues, and providing an integrated experience.
To minimize user friction, Reddit made strategic trade-offs, such as developing a non-custodial wallet and a "Reddit Vault" for quick onboarding in just 30 seconds. The platform also introduced fiat purchases for web and iOS users. To enhance the experience, users received a collectible avatar immediately after claiming it, and an asynchronous system was implemented to query minting and transfer status and update collectible metadata after NFTs are minted.
Spasova highlighted how Reddit structured its messaging to engage new users, emphasizing the benefits, value, and overall user experience of the product. The approach resulted in over 8 million users using the wallet, with positive side effects such as promoting organic community engagement between artists and users within the ecosystem. Additionally, users' investment in building various tools enriched the overall community experience, fostering a thriving and vibrant community.
