Beauty boxes: pioneers of the genre
It is they who have launched the trend of boxes by subscription. As usual, it was in the United States that the phenomenon was born: on the famous American campus of Harvard, two students had the idea to sell their miniatures of perfumes on the internet. Pretty and girly, their Birchbox to order wins a great success and quickly makes small. Glossy Box, JolieBox (which has today merged with Birchbox) and Mylittlebox are launching in France with 4 to 8 beauty products, in reduced format. The price of a subscription to these box beauty box: between 12 and 15 € per month.
New, look-for advice, price accessible to all: in 15 months, 300,000 women subscribe, unprecedented, according to experts, since the birth of private sales on the internet!
Food, wine, tea, fashion ... Boxes do you want, here it is
- After the beauty, the food : with Papilles box, Gastronomiz or Foodiscover it is a quality culinary products, cooking recipes and sometimes utensils that arrive every month in our mailboxes.
"And what would a good meal be without a good wine ?" This is the niche of Vineabox and its monthly selection of 3 bottles of wines unearthed by Franck Thomas, Best Sommelier of Europe and France 2000.
- In the same spirit LaTébébox sends every month at home a nice box with 24 tastings of tea and infusions and a few mignardises. Perfect for organizing tea time between friends.
- With the subscription boxes, one can even look after his look and fill his dressing room. Boxomodo facilitates shopping with three fashion worlds built according to the needs of modern women: "boss", "buller" or "move". Result: every month 1 to 2 clothes and 2 to 3 accessories that arrive by mail. The site goes beyond the simple box concept and offers a personal shopper option.
- No jealous, even our friends the beasts are entitled to their boxes . Doggy box, Kitty Box, Meow and Wouf Box deliver every month box animals filled with accessories and advice from breeders. Cats and dogs will meow and bark with pleasure.
Boxes: happiness bundled?
E-commerce by monthly subscription works on the principle of surprise . For Marie Paule Dousset, author of Savoir economiser (eds Marabout): "It is jubilant and a little regressive. In addition, the impression of receiving a gift is appreciable in times of crisis. "Far from satisfying only urban hipsters, these boxes allow you to discover new brands, even if you live far from the centers. On behalf of companies that provide free of charge, the demand is also strong "To make known its latest creations," explains Charles Dalle, founder of Dandy Box, develop its subscriber file and strengthen links with clients often prescriptive (such as bloggers) represents a new way of selling. "
Boxes or an incentive over to the expense?
On the internet, comments are not always flattering to the box. The most common complaints: non-targeted products (a 20-year anti-wrinkle cream, bof), delay, stock shortage, lack of advice and free samples instead of "real" products.
And if the designers of these boxes ensure that one is necessarily winning because the combined value of the products is higher than the price of the subscription, the good deal is nothing systematic. For Marie Paule Doucet "At 20 euros a month on average, or 240 euros a year, the total cost of a box stays high, especially if you do not use all the products" The debate is then almost philosophical : excessive accumulation or useful pleasure? The answer is probably ... in the box!