With over 65 million monthly listeners on Spotify, J Balvin is one of the most influential artists on the planet. Known for pushing boundaries in both music and fashion, he has released music with everyone from Beyoncé to Ed Sheeran, and released products with everyone from Air Jordan to Cheetos. He’s also a prolific entrepreneur in his own right, with hundreds of thoughtfully designed products on his Shopify store.
Pushing the boundaries of fan engagement
J Balvin's team set out to revolutionize fan engagement on his recent 27-stop North American tour and the goal was clear: create memorable, exclusive moments that deepen connections in a fresh and dynamic way — wherever his fans might be.
Part One: A show-stopping surprise in LA
On May 9, 2025, at the iconic Kia Forum in Los Angeles, J Balvin stunned 13,000 fans with a surprise merchandise drop. As the concert reached its peak, the venue screens lit up with a massive QR code. He announced that he had a special gift — not just for one lucky concert-goer, but for everyone in attendance. This instantly turned the show into an interactive and geo-gated experience, one that would continue to surprise and delight his fans weeks later when their special gifts arrived.
Concert-goers who scanned the code were transported to a secret product drop in the Shop app, where they could claim their exclusive gift with a single tap. The entire process was seamless and secure — no lineups, no hassle, just instant access to exclusive products. Plus, for fans who already used Shop Pay, it took just seconds for them to confirm their shipping address and get back to the concert.
Part Two: Connecting with fans through a sold out drop on Instagram
At the end of the tour, J Balvin surprised his 50 million Instagram followers with a limited and simultaneously geo-gated drop for all 27 cities on the tour. By putting out a Story and Reel, and linking to the Shop app, he created a fan experience that was both exclusive and scalable.
Between the in-concert activation and the Instagram drop, J Balvin pulled off one of the largest merchandise drops of all time — creating special memories for thousands of fans in just a few taps.
How Shopify made it possible
These weren’t just merchandise drops — these were masterclasses in harnessing the power of mobile to connect with fans:
- Geo-gated exclusivity: Custom geo-gates gave J Balvin’s team full control over who could participate in the drops — whether they were concert-goers inside the Kia Forum, or fans located in the cities he had toured. This ensured the experience was truly exclusive, and reached the exact communities that he wanted to connect with.
- Frictionless checkout with Shop Pay: With Shop Pay, shipping details were already saved, allowing fans to claim their gift in seconds. Shop Pay is the best-converting checkout on the internet, and it’s used by many of today’s top artists to offer their fans a seamless checkout experience.
- Shopify’s scalable infrastructure: J Balvin's team successfully tapped into the Shop app’s global user base and native features, allowing them to set up the drops without writing a single line of code.
Blending together the online and offline experiences was about more than just merchandise — it was a glimpse into the future of fan engagement. Since Shopify allows merchants to own their customer data, drops like these help artists grow their mailing lists and attract new followers for their Shop store.
Discover how the Shop app can empower you to connect with your community like never before.