How can e-tailers Survive & Thrive in the Age of Subscription Box Services

With a myriad of product options, customers have felt the pain of trying to sift through them all to find pieces they'll love. Subscription box services have helped ease this pain by creating personalized boxes. Customers are loving their boxes and are relying on them for product selections -- how do you survive this loss in customer interest?

The simple approach, but effective would be to take the best components of a subscription box service and incorporate those elements into your business. Here are a few elements you can develop for your business needs, as mentioned by Forbes.

Personalized Shopping

Many subscription box services have their customers complete a survey to help personalize their box. Some companies even allow their customers to return some items and solely pay for the items they do keep. Other companies expect the customer to keep everything, but if the customer is not content with the items, they may just cancel their subscription.

You too can personalize the shopping experience for your customer. Use your in-store sales associate to make personalized shopping recommendations. A sales associate can offer their expertise and create an instant connection with the customer. Something that is lacking in subscription boxes. They can instantly understand the customer’s interest and concerns, and in return make trustworthy recommendations, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and lower product returns.

Convenience

Subscription boxes make it convenient for customers to receive their items in the mail. They don’t have to leave their house to receive their items and they don’t even have to select the items in their box.

Most customers view subscription box services on mobile. You should also focus on creating a pleasant mobile experience for your customers. This will encourage your customers to stay connected and visit your store more often.

Develop Customer Loyalty

Box Subscribers are loyal members because they usually sign up for recurring boxes. Many subscription box services stay connected with their customers through social media. They encourage subscribers to share their boxes and often tease new items on social media, making it even more difficult for customers to cancel because they don’t want to miss out on next month’s box.

To stay connected, develop a relation with your customers in-store, online and on mobile. Make it convenient and easy for your customer to reach out and keep the connection going by updating them with the latest items. Share customer’s items on social media and address your customer’s questions and concerns openly on social media.

The future of e-tail will not just be e-com or brick and mortar or subscriptions, rather a hybrid version of all 3 existing harmoniously. Think of successful e-tailers like Amazon, who have now segwayed into traditional retail by building a physical presence and have always acknowledged the power of subscription e-com and its forecastable revenue.