At Showcased, we take customer feedback seriously. When we first launched the trading card phone case in 2023, we knew we had introduced something special and completely novel to the trading card community. We knew collectors like ourselves would love the ability to showcase and protect their cards. But we also understood that there was room for improvement. In product development, it is important to create an "MVP", or minimum viable product, and then continue to iterate and improve it based on assessing priorities and weighing customer feedback. We launched with a handful of select iPhone models to start our business and have since expanded into many more models across Apple, Samsung, and Google and iterated as we grew. During the initial launch phase, we started to identify a few key trends in what customers were asking for. Thanks to this invaluable input from our community, we made significant upgrades for Showcased Gen 2. Here’s how we addressed the most common pain points from our first launch and made Showcased better than ever.

What We Kept from Gen 1

While we made many upgrades, we also ensured that we retained the features our customers loved from the original design. Here are the key aspects of Gen 1 that we carried forward into Gen 2:

• Superior Protection – Our case continues to provide top-tier protection for both your trading card and phone. The combination of a sleeve, side/top loader, and sandwiching design ensures your card remains protected. We have even heard of customers dropping their phone in the toilet (accidentally!) without the card even getting wet. We have also heard customers cards grade PSA 10 after being in our case for several months.

• Perfect Fit for Side Loaders & Sleeves – The display window still accommodates side loaders and sleeves seamlessly, making it easy to showcase your favorite cards. We have two different size side/top loaders to make showcasing a perfect fit -- no matter what trading card you collect or what size they are (ie Pokemon cards are a little bigger than Yugioh cards, and we have two sizes to accommodate that) 

• Matte Finish – We kept the beloved matte-like texture from Gen 1 but upgraded it to a more premium, textured matte finish for an even better feel.

• Easy Card Swapping – The case remains simple to take on and off, allowing for effortless switching of trading cards.

• Slim & Natural Feel – Our non-bulky card display design remains intact, ensuring the phone case feels comfortable and natural in hand while still making your card the star of the show(case).

What We Improved Upon in Gen 2

1. Universal Screen Protector Compatibility

The Issue:

Many customers found that their screen protectors didn’t fit properly with the Gen 1 case, leading to peeling or lifting at the edges.

The Solution:

With Gen 2, we refined the case’s design to ensure a seamless fit with all standard screen protectors. Now, you can protect your phone’s display without worrying about compatibility issues.

Screen protectors: Gen 2 works universally with all screen protectors; Gen 1 was hit or miss based on the screen protector brand and installation precision. Gen 2 example below, showing plenty of room between screen protector and phone case edge:

2. Improved Button & Mute Switch Accessibility

The Issue:

The buttons on the original case were stiff, and the mute switch was difficult to access.

The Solution:

We re-engineered the button cutouts for Gen 2, making them much more responsive and easier to press. The mute switch area has also been redesigned for effortless access, giving you a smoother user experience.

 

Buttons: Gen 2 features much more accessible buttons with improved click feedback

3. Reduced Yellowing & Stains in the Card Display Window

The Issue:

Over time, the transparent window material of the Gen 1 case would stain and develop a yellowish tint, which took away from the sleek look of the product.

The Solution:

For Gen 2, we upgraded from clear plastic material to an advanced anti-stain and crystal clear acrylic material that stays clear for much longer. Your card will showcase and maintain a fresh, transparent look without discoloration. This acrylic is also stronger than the plastic which will help protect the card even further.

Display window: Gen 1 has a slight blue-ish tint and is from a plastic material, whereas Gen 2 is a crystal clear, premium Acrylic that will last longer while keeping free of stain and yellowing.

 

 

4. Unobstructed Card Viewing

The Issue:

The SC logo placement on Gen 1 partially blocked the view of the trading card, taking away from the showcase effect.

The Solution:

We listened and moved the SC logo to a more subtle, non-intrusive location on the side of the case. Now, your card takes center stage—exactly as it should.

 

5. Sleeker, More Precise Fit

The Issue:

Some customers felt that Gen 1 was slightly bulky and didn’t have a perfect fit for their phone model around the edges of the phone case.

The Solution:

We streamlined the design of Gen 2, making it slimmer while maintaining strong protection. We re-engineered the inner bridges of the phone case to allow for a more snug fit. The fit has been fine-tuned for each phone model to ensure a snug, seamless feel in your hand.

Re-engineered inner bridge shows a more precise, snug fit on Gen 2 that will also reduce bulkiness

 

Transparency is Key

One thing that frustrates me about e-commerce is that brands have so much control over their perceived reputation by hiding or obscuring customer reviews and/or also manufacturing positive reviews with AI, bots, and their networks. It leads to customers being deceived and tricked into purchasing products in many scenarios and leads to an imbalance in the competitive playing field. Building a business on good ethics, trust, and honesty is critical to success. At Showcased, we are 100% transparent with our reviews and areas for improvement -- hence this article and openness about some of the flaws in our first product. This allows us to build trust with our customers and ensures to them that we have their interests in mind and are a collector-first brand.

By being transparent, you also get to actually tangibly monitor and validate your product improvements, which is super rewarding as an Entrepreneur. Our Gen 1 product had 15 1-star reviews but overall a really good average review rating of 4.62. Gen 2 on the other hand has 0 reviews less than 3 stars and an impressive average of 4.88 stars. This trend is really exciting to see and we hope it continues! 🚀

 

Some early, positive feedback from Gen 2 customers (including some who upgraded from Gen 1!):

Coming Soon to Gen 2

We are working on anti-yellowing across the entire phone case body for Gen 2 cases. This technology is currently in testing. We have 4 customers using the new anti-yellow technology and sharing photos and progress with us. Once we validate the results, we will introduce this technology into all frost clear Gen 2 cases. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on this topic!

 

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback—your input has directly shaped Gen 2 into the best trading card phone case yet. If you haven’t experienced the new and improved Showcased case, now is the perfect time to upgrade!