Launching a Subscription Box Company

In our previous article ‘A Growing Love for Subscription Boxes‘, we covered target customers, appeal and profitability.  Continuing on the theme, this article looks at:

• Planning Subscription Box Contents
• Marketing Subscription Boxes
• Customer Service

Planning Subscription Box Contents

With a clearer idea of what will appeal to your target customer, as well as cost, weight and size limitations, you can begin to plan the contents of subscription boxes. A 6-month or year plan can help you manage the process as orders start coming in. This should be the fun part!

What will go in the boxes and where can you source these from? Are you focused on local suppliers or looking further afield? If importing goods, planning and ordering in advance is essential to ensure the stock arrives on time.

Marketing Subscription Boxes

You might offer the most desirable of subscription boxes, but no one will buy them if they don’t know about them. Marketing is likely to take up a lot of your time, however, it is easier if you have pinpointed your target customer and get your promotional materials under their nose. What social sites, publications and events do they attend? What or who influences their purchasing decisions? What are they searching for online?

You will need professional-quality photos of the boxes and monthly contents so these can be added to your website, social pages and other marketing materials. Don’t skimp on this by taking snapshots on your phone. The visual images have to showcase your boxes in the best possible light, making them irresistible!

Have a sign-up option on your website for those who are interested, but not necessarily ready to commit. To encourage sign up, you might run a competition to win a free box. This is a good way to build a list for email marketing (but to comply with GDPR, you will need to include a tick box to say they are happy to receive marketing emails from you).

Consider partnerships and collaborations with other enterprises that target the same customer. How can you expand each other’s reach?

Don’t forget that the postal boxes provide a great opportunity to market your product! Printed boxes can enhance engagement and increase the chance of customer social shares. Including personalised messages, competitions and tips on or in your packaging also elevated the consumer experience.

Customer Service

Buyers like to know that they can get in touch if there is an issue. Therefore, having a contact email, phone number or chatbox on your website is important.

Any subscription company will need clear terms and conditions. This must comply with consumer rights for online purchases and include a returns policy. Give thought to how you will handle returns to maximise customer satisfaction and minimise waste. Business insurance is strongly advised in case an issue should escalate.

It is a great idea to set up a system to capture the details of all subscribers so you can maintain regular communication. Monthly emails with a little taster of what’s to come in the next box is a good touch. You might include printed information or use emails to share news about suppliers, themes, instructions or ideas when the boxes are delivered.

Think about your communication as a way of building a community, rather than promotion or selling. What connects you to your customers and how can you build on that? The greater the rapport, the more likely they are to keep subscribing.

UK Supplier of Printed Subscription Boxes

We hope that our articles have given you food for thought and aid the launch of your subscription box service. Remember, Aylesbury Box Company are a UK supplier of printed subscription postal boxes and we are happy to provide information and advice to help you source quality packaging without blowing the budget. Get in touch with our team on 01296 436888 or enquiries@abcbox.co.uk.