Subscription-based businesses are not exactly new. As you may know, the subscription model has been adopted by many enterprises for quite some time now, businesses that include cable, satellite, and internet television providers, mobile phone companies, software developers, and many others. The subscription box model, a type of subscription business in which customers pay for the periodic delivery of goods to their doorstep, has also been long popularized by companies like the Dollar Shave Club, Birchbox, and Barkbox. These enterprises sell grooming products, beauty products, and dog-themed products, respectively.
The prospect of starting your own subscription box business can be exciting. If you set it up right and determine the right strategies for product development, pricing, subscription billing, fulfillment, and marketing, there’s no reason for you not to be able to cash in on one of the most promising trends in e-commerce right now. Here are a few business ideas that you may want to explore this 2017.
Flowers
Flower delivery businesses have been around for ages, but a lot of them cater to people who buy on a one-off or per-transaction basis, meaning these folks buy blooms for their loved ones only on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, and so on. However, flowers can also be delivered on a subscription basis. Think of clients like hotels, resorts, restaurants, spas, churches, and columbaries—business establishments that need a consistent supply of flowers.You can cater to their needs by setting up a flower subscription business.
Coffee
Whether your target clients are coffee connoisseurs, specialty cafés, or your day-to-day coffee lovers, a coffee subscription business will involve delivering fresh beans to customers on a periodic basis. You can experiment providing different varieties of coffee beans, from exotic, single origin variants to fair trade and sustainable products that add an element of humanitarian and environmental awareness to your brand identity.
Locavore Food
Speaking of sustainability, you’re probably now aware of the growing popularity of the local food movement, whose goal is to bridge the gap between local food producers and food consumers within the same locality. By being locavores, people contribute to their local economies, reduce their environmental impact, and create more resilient food systems in their communities. You can join this movement by establishing a locavore subscription business. You can partner up with local food producers and deliver fresh grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and other produce directly from the farms to your customers.
Stationery
Despite the many benefits of digitization, the appeal of paper products never really went away. These days, it is still the material of choice for crafters, journal makers, and people who just love writing notes and jotting down schedules in general. As such, a stationery subscription box business might just be your ticket to success. When it comes to stationeries, there’s a wondrous variety of items you can offer, from the usual notepads, notebooks, pens, and pencils to specialized stickers, greeting cards, page flags, and sticky notes. Throw in beautiful desktop accessory and an art print every month, and you’re good to go!
Dog and Cat Treats
Pet care is a $63 billion dollar industry in the United States. On pet food alone, Americans spent more than $24 billion in 2016. If you want to take advantage of this ever-growing and lucrative industry, setting up a subscription box service for dog and cat treats may be the answer. Aside from buying regular food for their pets, dog and cat owners also purchase treats frequently, which make them great products to sell if you want to bring in a regular stream of revenue.As an added value, consider including pet toys and accessories in every delivery.
Knowing the right products to sell for your subscription box business is key to finding success in the subscription economy. Of course, your business will have a better chance of thriving if you study your market well and develop the right strategies for selling and promoting your products. Consider the ideas above, but don’t hesitate to explore other promising growth industries as well.
About Carson Derrow
