Are you fascinated about how to start a subscription box business? You’re not the only one. There are many business owners and startups who have found such a great opportunity when they start a subscription box. Guess what? This booming industry has taken the ecommerce world by storm.
In recent years, many people have seen the subscription box business as something that offers a unique shopping experience, exclusive access to trendy products, and a practical way to get good deals and savings on certain items. Everyone loves the idea of getting discounted rates on items that they purchase frequently. Beauty, fashion, handicrafts, and goods are examples of physical products that are perfect for the subscription box business.
In this article, we will answer all your questions about how to start a subscription box company. Do you want to know how to create a subscription box? We've made you a list of seven easy steps on how to start a subscription box business. But before we dive into the whole process, let us understand what a subscription box is.
What is a subscription box?
Subscription boxes are one of the best ideas to shop. In an article from Easyship, they define subscription boxes as recurring and physical deliveries of products which are packaged with the aim of offering consumers additional value and unique shopping experience. We should keep in mind that the word recurring is associated with subscription. People subscribe to something that they find valuable and the things that they need more often like pet grooming products, cosmetics, clothing, groceries, baby diapers or milk formula, and lots of stuff. These products are delivered on a weekly or monthly basis depending on the consumer’s preference. A subscription box also gives consumers the luxury of trying out new products while enjoying the ease of receiving a package right at the doorstep. By now, you probably understand why there are more people trying to learn how to start a subscription box business. It is because the pandemic restrictions have opened such a huge opportunity to ecommerce business.
Image taken from Dr. Chai Tea website
How to start a subscription box business?
Just like what we’ve promised, we will keep it short and simple to guide you on how to start a subscription business.
1. Begin with the best subscription box idea
If you’re thinking about how to start a subscription box business, begin with a unique idea. Conduct proper market research, your target customers, and learn about the competition in your chosen niche. Remember the word recurring when you’re in this phase so that you can create a subscription box company that will surely have stable and profitable income.
2. Set a price to start a subscription box
Pricing your subscription box too high can drive away potential customers who are trying to find good deals. Try to examine the budget for your subscription box business so that you can attract more customers when they find reasonable value on the subscription box. Take note that most consumers are looking for big savings.
Image taken from Habit House website
3. Prepare for a pre-launch via prototype box
Okay, this phase is very important if you want to provide a long-lasting and unique shopping experience to your consumers. You can have a prototype subscription box to find out what your customers feel once they receive it. This way you can come up with the right size, materials, and products to put inside the box. You can learn more about how to start a subscription box once you’ve got feedback about the prototype box.
4. Set up your own website
Another very important step is creating your own website. This is usually what comes to the mind of a real entrepreneur who wants to explore the world of ecommerce business. As you can see, when you learn how to start a subscription box business, it will open up great opportunities with ecommerce. Having your own ecommerce website is the center of all your effort in setting up a subscription box business. This will allow you to discover affiliates, suppliers, fulfillment services, and most importantly, it will help you get customers.
Image taken from Namesake Coffee website
Strikingly ensures that our users get the best features to run their business online. Getting into our paid subscriptions will also give you exclusive services that will take your business to the next level. Truly, you can create a site with us for free, but if you’re serious about running your own business online, consider adding extra value, quality, and features on it. This will make your customers feel more secure and you’re also giving your site the confidence to reach a wider audience. Our exclusive paid subscription feature allows your site visitors to become a member and access the members-only content.
Image taken from Strikingly website editor
5. Get ready to start taking orders
We’re almost done! Once your ecommerce website is up and running, make sure to test your site to ensure seamless handling of orders. This will save future problems in terms of site errors and malfunction that might disappoint your customers. Taking orders and fulfilling them to your consumers can be a hard task if you’re running your business alone. For a startup business owner, make sure that the fulfillment process is properly organized. You can also outsource a partner who can manage the fulfillment process while your site takes orders from your customers.
6. Promote your subscription box
You can reach out to social media influencers, bloggers, and even customers who are willing to give your subscription box a shout out on their site or social media accounts. Collaboration is one way to promote your product. This is the most exciting part on how to start a subscription box business because you get to know more people and connections that will help your business grow.
7. Get the hang of subscription box operations
Once you get the hang of subscription box operations, your success is within reach. Your business doesn’t end once you launch your subscription box business. It doesn’t end once you learn how to start a subscription box business, but it goes on like a never-ending process. Get the hang of it. Don’t stop running a test on your website every now and then. Also, check on your customers’ feedback to ensure they’re getting what they need.
Image taken from Live Lite website
How to market subscription box business?
The success of an ecommerce business unless you’ve figured out how to properly apply marketing strategies and techniques. To properly understand how to start a subscription box company, you need to know how to market your business. You can consider the following strategies to market your subscription box business.
• Join social media communities
A way to grow your audience is by joining social media pages and groups with the same or related interest to your products. Just keep in mind that some private groups set house rules that each member should strictly follow otherwise they will be kicked out of the group. There are specific groups you can join online that aim to help entrepreneurs or business owners in promoting their products. You should read the guidelines carefully and start connecting with other members.
• Reach out to bloggers
Bloggers and influencers can help you market your subscription box business. A unique and cost-effective way to get your brand before a larger audience. Make sure you target a blogger or influencer with a great number of following. You may also want to consider those who have a small number of audiences with active engagement. Sometimes, it’s not about the quantity but the quality of the target audience that makes sense in terms of business.
• Affiliate marketing program
This means you will work with affiliates who can be your existing customers. For every referral they give, you pay them in cash or in kind. Another best way to increase your number of audience and subscription is working with affiliates who have their own platform or website where they can promote a unique link to your business. Strikingly, for instance, has an affiliate program for existing users. Affiliates get a unique link that they can share to their website content, social media pages, and other platforms. They get a certain number of points that are converted into cash in exchange for referrals.
Image taken from Strikingly website
Final thoughts
The idea on how to start a subscription box business has caught the eye of many business owners and entrepreneurs all over the world. But the real question here is not about how to create a subscription box but how to start a subscription box company with a strong foundation to overcome competition and challenges in terms of product sourcing and fulfillment. As an entrepreneur, you want to make sure that the subscription box business you will run will be able to cope up with the trends and changes online. Having a strong online store presence, a unique brand, quality products, and exclusive value-added on the service you provide to your customers will help your business stand out. You don’t have to worry about the competition if you have ensured that you have done your part. Doing it right is far better than just doing it from the start. Just like when you create a website for your subscription box business, doing it right is a must. Strikingly is a website builder that you can rely on when it comes to the best services to back you up. What are you waiting for? Sign up now.
