A few years ago, no one had even heard of subscription boxes but now they are everywhere and whether you want recipe kits, cute children’s stationery, hair products or gardening tips the subscription box trend continues to grow. The success of subscription boxes is due in part to the focus on customer experience and the use of technology to enable it to benefit from changing consumer behaviour. People enjoy the experience of products that are tailored to them arriving on the doorstep for them to use and enjoy.
Royal Mail estimates that in the UK the subscription box sector will be worth one billion pounds by 2022 and that 27% of UK consumers currently receive at least one box. The Royal Mail research shows that more than half of young adults subscribe to at least one box service and growth in this service shows no signs of stopping, with the Royal Mail research finding that 40% of UK consumers will join more subscription box schemes in the future.
So, what is behind this growth and popularity? It is in part related to the changing habits of shoppers who no longer browse as frequently on the high street looking for a bargain but when they go online to shop they are faced with a confusing amount of choice. Shoppers are aware they can spend far too long browsing the net before choosing what to buy and so appreciate an expert delivering what they perceive the shopper wants. Many consumers want the convenience of a subscription box, but on the other hand, they also want lovely surprises.
There are two main categories of subscription box on the market currently. The first is the type of service that delivers products that are used and need replenishing such as razors and baby products while some businesses deliver a monthly box of high-quality healthy foods that are not readily available elsewhere which gives the consumer a feeling of surprise and discovery. The trick that some companies manage to pull off is keeping their subscribers for longer than a few months and this is mainly down to good customer relationships and providing high quality products at a reasonable price. On most sites customers are encouraged to write reviews based on their experience of the boxes and the service and responding promptly to these reviews is invaluable when it comes to growth of the business and customer satisfaction.