Subscription box

<h2 id="history-and-appeal">History and appeal</h2>
<p>Various subscription commerce companies are growing rapidly. <a href="/facts/BarkBox/geuQbQ5e">BarkBox</a>’s subscribers grew from 1,500 to 55,000 between 2012 and 2013.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> According to <i><a href="/facts/Forbes/lyULpGhW">Forbes</a></i>, <a href="/facts/Birchbox/4prqrTan">Birchbox</a>, which is arguably the most recognizable service and valued at a reported $485 million in April, 2014,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> led the subscription box trend with its 2010 launch. Birchbox's model of providing customers with samples of personal care products in order to upsell customers into buying the standard sizes of the sample products they enjoyed has proven to be a successful marketing tool. Birchbox has reached nearly 400,000 monthly subscribers and has inspired many other companies to start utilizing subscription boxes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>
</p><p>Part of the appeal of subscription boxes is that consumers discover products they might not have otherwise. This allows customers to try products and brands risk-free. The increased exposure to new products helps customers discover optimal products for their preferences and needs. While only some subscription boxes have return options, there are places online to exchange unwanted items.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The subscription box industry came into the limelight when <a href="/facts/Unilever/9dnFaVFR">Unilever</a> acquired <a href="/facts/Dollar_Shave_Club/YsetPpDw">Dollar Shave Club</a>, another well-known entity in this space.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a>
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<h2 id="business-costs">Business costs</h2>
<p>Shipping costs and the need to constantly innovate present challenges to retailers offering the subscription service.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a>
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Meal_kit/NRBRojhN">Meal kit</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Meals_on_wheels/2HpTz6df">Meals on wheels</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Vegetable_box_scheme/DHmoQ7T9">Vegetable box scheme</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Wine_club/4pAUb4kh">Wine club</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Jayakumar, A. (2014, April 7). Little-box retailing: Subscription services offer new possibilities to consumers, major outlets. Retrieved November 30, 2014, from "Little-box retailing: Subscription services offer new possibilities to consumers, major outlets - the Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-07-15. Retrieved 2017-09-15. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/tktktktk/2014/04/07/f68135b6-a92b-11e3-8d62-419db477a0e6_story.html" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/tktktktk/2014/04/07/f68135b6-a92b-11e3-8d62-419db477a0e6_story.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Hutt, K. (2014, April 8). Subscription Boxes Can Feel Like Christmas, But Are They Worth It? Retrieved November 30, 2014, from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2014-11-30.{{cite web}}:  CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150124004354/http://www.bbb.org/blog/2014/04/subscription-boxes-can-feel-like-christmas-but-are-they-worth-it/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150124004354/http://www.bbb.org/blog/2014/04/subscription-boxes-can-feel-like-christmas-but-are-they-worth-it/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Vaamonde, A. (2013, July 9). The send-a-box boom. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from "The send-a-box boom - Fortune". Archived from the original on 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2014-12-19. <a href="http://fortune.com/2013/07/09/the-send-a-box-boom/" target="_blank">http://fortune.com/2013/07/09/the-send-a-box-boom/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"Birchbox Raises $60 Million". TechCrunch. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 2019-08-20. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2014/04/21/birchbox-raises-60-million/" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/2014/04/21/birchbox-raises-60-million/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Cutler, K.-M. (2013, 08 15). Birchbox Says Its Subscription Model is Working. Retrieved from TechCrunch: "Birchbox Says Its Subscription Model is Working, with 25% of Revenues Coming from E-Commerce Store | TechCrunch". 15 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2017-09-15. <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/15/birchbox/" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/15/birchbox/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>Fussell, J. (2014, September 22). From Birchbox to Bulu Box: Customers love the thrill of monthly surprises. Retrieved November 17, 2014, from "From Birchbox to Bulu Box: Customers love the thrill of monthly surprises | the Kansas City Star". Archived from the original on 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2014-11-18. <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/living/article2203432.html" target="_blank">http://www.kansascity.com/living/article2203432.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>"Unilever buys Dollar Shave Club". <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/07/19/unilever-buys-dollar-shave-club-for-1-billion/" target="_blank">http://fortune.com/2016/07/19/unilever-buys-dollar-shave-club-for-1-billion/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:8"><p>Vaamonde, A. (2013, July 9). The send-a-box boom. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from "The send-a-box boom - Fortune". Archived from the original on 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2014-12-19. <a href="http://fortune.com/2013/07/09/the-send-a-box-boom/" target="_blank">http://fortune.com/2013/07/09/the-send-a-box-boom/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Subscription box open-in-new

Subscription box