How To Start A Subscription Box Business

Congratulations on your decision to start a subscription box! You’re about to enter a thriving industry that many people regard as one of the finest ways to shop.

When someone starts enjoying their monthly purchase, they often wonder how to start a subscription box for a specialty they’re interested in. While it may appear that launching a subscription box is simple, it requires careful planning and knowledge of the eCommerce subscription platform.

What is a subscription box?

A subscription box is a monthly delivery of niche products. They’re utilized in subscription-based e-commerce, a $10 billion market.

Each subscription box firm focuses on a certain market—from beauty to dog toys to fresh vegetables. Every month, customers receive these tailored subscription boxes, including related products. Moreover, customers can frequently customize their membership. While consumers do not choose the specific products they receive, the mystery adds to the allure.

Types of products in subscription boxes

Well, subscription boxes can target any specialty you can imagine. Among the most popular categories are:

Clothing and fashion
Pet toys and food
Snacks and sweets
Meats and condiments
Beer and wine
Games and puzzles
Flowers and herbs
Vitamins and supplements
Men’s products
Makeup and beauty
Hiking and camping
Fruits and vegetables
Books and art
Baby products
Spiritual and religious
Fitness and health
Feminine products

You get the idea, but we guarantee you that the list could continue on and on.

Step-by-step guide on starting a subscription box business

Starting a subscription box is pretty simple, and it doesn’t matter if you own an established company that wants to expand or a startup firm. It’s straightforward compared to launching a new product or service, but it’s hardly a two-step procedure.

Subscription startups, like any other business, require planning and logistics. The good news is that once you’ve developed your subscription box business strategy and launched your website, your workload will begin to decrease. Until you’re fulfilling hundreds of orders, but that’s hardly a reason to be upset.

The nicest part about selling subscription boxes is that everything is done through a virtual terminal, which first removes the need for a physical POS. Of course, this does not negate the need for invoice software or a dependable credit card processing system, but it does lessen the amount of upfront effort required.

Pick a Niche

The first step in this list is simple, but it can be more complex than you think. Although you may already have a rough idea of what your subscription box will feature, how well have you researched your niche?

How Your Subscription Box can Operate in a Saturated Market

Starting a subscription box begins with how your idea will fit a void in an extremely saturated marketplace. Your subscription box must stand out, and what are your plans to make that work?

If feasible, your subscription box should offer products not available in competitor boxes. However, this doesn’t mean there won’t be any overlap or competition in your space. All you need is a strategy to stand out and create a fresh & unique fashion.

Do a Competitor Research

In this section, we are talking about discovering a niche that is not too saturated, where you can fill a void or make products unique from that of your competitors. Nevertheless, the only way to know if your box meets these conditions is by conducting a thorough competitor analysis.

Be Exceptional by Offering Greater Value

Truth be told, it’s improbable that you’ll be going into the market with an absolutely new product. However, if you happen to be one of the privileged few who can introduce something completely new to the market, you deserve several rounds of applause. You may also have a smooth journey ahead of you.

Otherwise, you have to work on several ways to enhance existing concepts in the market. The best way to be unique is by providing better products and services than your competition and effectively marketing your progress.

Find Enthusiastic Suppliers

You will need to choose product suppliers because not all product manufacturers will want to work with you. Some will be ready to negotiate ridiculous prices for a new subscription box.

Fortunately, your competitors are conducting tons of analyses, saving you lots of time. Reaching out to brands in competitors’ boxes and related niches will permit you to enjoy the same benefits as your competition without negotiation.

As mentioned, the best thing is to deliver an improved & unique product, so don’t depend solely on products your competitors have already used. Instead, use them as a basis from which you can develop.

Research for a Product Supplier

When most people reflect on how to start a subscription box, they tend to be more excited about the kind of products they will be shipping into their boxes. Before deciding on the supplier for your products, you’ll have to put in the extra effort beforehand to vet their trustworthiness and decide whether their cost/product fits your budget.

Reliability

If you plan to ship thousands or hundreds of boxes monthly, you must ensure that each supplier in your boxes can deliver as fast as possible.

You don’t want their internal issues to affect your operations as they won’t be the ones getting complaints from your clients about a missing product or your box being late.

Cost

While doing supplier research, you should also look out for the best prices per product. Luckily, brands may offer their products to you for free, as your subscription box will serve as a new medium for exposure.

Furthermore, you may be stuck trying to make the best decision to pay wholesale & retail costs for every product you ship. This is where your negotiating skill is required. The fact that you’re a startup doesn’t imply that you have no leverage. Reach out to several brands with similar products and try to get the best deal from them.

Carry Out a Packaging Size & Supplier Research

The subscription box itself is usually overlooked whenever people think of starting a subscription box business. Most times, they are more focused on the products and shipments.

After conducting supplier research, you will have a clear idea of the kind of products you will be shipping monthly. Therefore, you will need to create a template for the sizes and number of each of your products to know the required size of the packaging you’ll use to contain them.

Size & Weight

The weight and size of boxes can be a major problem for subscription box enterprises. You must consider the shipping cost of different weights and sizes while selecting your products and the size of the box you will use to package them

These little modifications in size can powerfully influence your shipping cost and the earnings you receive from each box. Slight reductions in earnings can significantly impact the funds you can spend to obtain each new customer. Additionally, a tiny decrease in your marketing budget causes a negative effect on results.

Don’t ignore the small matters that can evolve to harm your business operations.

Packaging Suppliers

For your subscription box to experience long-term success, you must carefully consider every part of your business. The firm that delivers your packaging is among the essential considerations you have to make.

It will be best to ship a cost-effective box and also choose a box that offers a lot of experience and fun monthly when your customers receive and unbox products. Numerous companies can produce your packaging, so you have to locate one that will provide the ideal balance of economy and quality.

Create a Compelling Brand

Creating a compelling brand is one of the best ways to attract people’s attention as a startup subscription box. Your customers will also help spread the news to their friends and families within a short period of exposure, which is a win-win for you.

Name

A catchy, sweet, and memorable business name is important for effective branding. A good brand name conveys your business values and products your customers can expect from your subscription box. Nonetheless, if you’re having trouble coming up with a distinctive name, our business name generator can assist you. Its purpose is to make the greatest content available to assist users in business naming and creation.

Logo

You need to see your logo as a business name you can recognize without reading. People will easily recognize the shape of your subscription box logo even if the logo is a script that shows your box name.

Furthermore, your logo should not be too complex. Attempting to be creative for the sake of creativity can result in problems, as it may be hard for people to understand what your brand stands for. Instead, endeavor to be unique and make sure your logo is simple. People can easily identify with your brand if they can understand it at first glance.

Slogan

Several brands are popular for their slogan, which is one of the perks of doing business with them. Although this is not a compulsory branding requirement, coming up with a captivating slogan is an ideal way to stay in the minds of your existing and potential customers.

Establish a Website for Your Business

Having a business website is a common way for subscription boxes to function. It enables users to view the various package options available to them and have a closer look at what is included in each subscription box. By making this information easily accessible, you assist clients in making a purchasing decision.

It’s also fairly simple to create a website that provides all the information buyers require in a clear, succinct manner. Furthermore, allowing them to order right there readily ensures increased sales. Sites such as Squarespace and Wix can help you create a professional-looking website.

Establishing a website isn’t as difficult as it may appear. In reality, several hosting organizations have specialized in providing their services to small enterprises that may not be technologically competent. We recommend BlueHost for website hosting because they have an easy one-click WordPress installation tool and offer 60% off hosting and a free domain name.

One thing to keep in mind is that you want to develop a distinct brand on the internet. As a result, be sure that your site name and domain name are unique and the same. Additionally, establishing a blog on your website is also an excellent strategy to attract organic visitors and grow your business.

Retain Your Existing Customers

The subject of customer retention is important when aiming to run a successful subscription box business. Several subscription brands with recurring revenue are usually too focused on new customer acquisition than investing resources into maintaining their existing customers. The reality is that the cost of acquiring new customers is far higher than keeping existing customers. Nevertheless, several subscription brands still fail to acknowledge the potential in their present customers.

Top-notch Customer Service Is Compulsory

There are many competitors in the subscription box industry, giving your customers many options. Your goal as an entrepreneur is to give your customers no reason to go for others.

Exceptional customer service is one of the approaches to keeping your subscribers happy. Problems are inevitable, especially for startups. However, the way you handle these problems is what will define your success.

Rather than sweeping problems under the rug, invest in resources and systems that can fix them quickly. Afterward, try to over-deliver and create a positive customer service experience for your customers regardless of what the problem may be. This could imply sending them a complimentary box, a gift, a refund for their existing subscription, or just ensuring that their demands are met as fast as possible.

Your customers tend to become loyal when they observe that you over-deliver and always ensure that their needs are quickly met. Additionally, your business will get more referrals from long-term customers.

Conclusion

Many entrepreneurs have been drawn to the potential offered by the subscription box sector. However, we believe you now understand how to start a subscription box business. It would be best if you now worked towards building your subscription box business from a solid foundation that will enable you to produce predictable growth and long-term success.

It’s up to you to turn what you’ve learned here into a full-fledged business plan. Take the motivation that drew you to this article and continue to take the steps required to develop a great business. You’re on the right track!

How To Start A Subscription Box