DEMDACO, a lifestyle brand known for uplifting and inspiring gifts, launched the Santa’s Kindness Ornament—a physical ornament that links families to magical digital holiday content. With a vision to create a meaningful and secure interactive experience for families, DEMDACO partnered with UpTop to bring this experience to life and to evolve its digital strategy through continued collaboration.
DEMDACO
Santa’s Kindness: Reinventing the Holiday Experience with Digital Magic
Background
Challenges
The initial launch of SKO presented a digital dilemma: the included QR code was universal, opening the door for unintended sharing and potential viral exposure of premium video content. DEMDACO needed a way to protect content access, ensure meaningful engagement only by verified customers, and comply with privacy and security standards—all while making it seamless and magical for families.
Beyond the technical hurdles, DEMDACO needed to chart a long-term vision for the SKO experience—balancing storytelling, technology, and monetization.
Beyond the technical hurdles, DEMDACO needed to chart a long-term vision for the SKO experience—balancing storytelling, technology, and monetization.
Project Info
client
DEMDACO
Industry
Consumer Goods / Retail / Wholesale Distribution
type
Web Portal + Admin Console
services
UX Research, UX Design, Development, Workshop Facilitation
Project Info
client
DEMDACO
Industry
Consumer Goods / Retail / Wholesale Distribution
type
Web Portal + Admin Console
services
UX Research, UX Design, Development, Workshop Facilitation
Background
DEMDACO, a lifestyle brand known for uplifting and inspiring gifts, launched the Santa’s Kindness Ornament—a physical ornament that links families to magical digital holiday content. With a vision to create a meaningful and secure interactive experience for families, DEMDACO partnered with UpTop to bring this experience to life and to evolve its digital strategy through continued collaboration.
Challenges
The initial launch of SKO presented a digital dilemma: the included QR code was universal, opening the door for unintended sharing and potential viral exposure of premium video content. DEMDACO needed a way to protect content access, ensure meaningful engagement only by verified customers, and comply with privacy and security standards—all while making it seamless and magical for families.
Beyond the technical hurdles, DEMDACO needed to chart a long-term vision for the SKO experience—balancing storytelling, technology, and monetization.
Beyond the technical hurdles, DEMDACO needed to chart a long-term vision for the SKO experience—balancing storytelling, technology, and monetization.
Approach
UpTop began by diving into the registration and access challenges, aligning with DEMDACO on critical user flows and security requirements. With just 14 weeks to deliver a robust, scalable solution, UpTop applied its UX design and RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) testing methods to validate the design early and often with real users.
After delivering the core solution, the partnership expanded. DEMDACO brought UpTop in for a strategic ideation workshop to align on the future of the SKO platform and explore what's next for this unique digital holiday experience.
After delivering the core solution, the partnership expanded. DEMDACO brought UpTop in for a strategic ideation workshop to align on the future of the SKO platform and explore what's next for this unique digital holiday experience.
Solution
UpTop designed and developed a secure, user-friendly registration and content access system. Key features included:
- One-time PIN-based registration tied to each ornament
- Email and phone authentication with built-in privacy compliance
- Multi-product registration under a single account
- Admin tools for managing customer data, security, and content restrictions
- Seamless content access across mobile and tablet browsers
The system leveraged AWS for scalability and used Brightcove for secure video streaming. Usability testing guided design refinements, ensuring accessibility and ease-of-use.
For the strategic workshop, UpTop facilitated a structured visioning session to help DEMDACO define its “true north” for SKO’s next two years, building momentum beyond the initial product launch.
Results & Impact
The SKO registration and customer management platform launched in time for the 2023 holiday season, ensuring secure, magical access for families while protecting DEMDACO’s digital content. Key impacts include:
- 350,000+ ornaments successfully activated via unique PINs
- Reduction in unauthorized content access
- Increased user engagement and future revenue opportunities through freemium/premium models
- Internal alignment and roadmap development for evolving SKO’s future
This collaboration has laid the groundwork for DEMDACO to scale its digital product offerings—and positioned Santa’s Kindness as more than just a seasonal product, but a lasting holiday tradition.
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