Matt Zajechowski http://www.shorr.com 3m 715 #subscriptionboxes
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Subscription Box Wants
Consumers have many choices today when selecting subscription box services, with products that range from clothing and makeup to pet supplies and coffee. While many people are willing to give subscription services a try, it can be far more challenging for businesses to retain customers once they’ve subscribed. The average length a consumer keeps a subscription service is only 125 days.
I worked with Shorr Packaging to survey 500 subscription box consumers in the United States to learn more about what fuels these shoppers and also what it takes to hold their interest. We found some really interesting data from our survey and turned that data into an actionable guide for business owners.
Some of the more interesting call out data from the survey:
- Subscription box subscribers are mostly young, female, educated and single.
- The average length someone is part of a subscription service is 125 days.
- The top reason people cancel is because it isn’t worth the money to them with 64% of shoppers canceling for this reason.
- Many consumers admit to letting subscriptions continue after they’ve lost interest. Nearly half have forgotten to cancel a free trial and 55% have forgotten to cancel a subscription for the next month’s shipment.
Check out the infographic below to learn more.
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What Subscription Box Shoppers Want and Don’t Want
Subscription boxes have grown at breakneck speeds over the past five years. What started as a small, niche market now covers everything imaginable. From razors for shaving to dirt for gold mining, there’s now a box for everything.
What fuels these shoppers?
What makes them subscribe and then keep coming back for more?
We surveyed 500 subscription box consumers in the United States to learn what makes them tick.
Who They Are
Age: Young 60% are between the ages of 18 and 33.
Gender: Female 59% of the shoppers are female.
Education: Educated +90% have some level of college education or higher.
Relationship Status: Single 54% are not married.
Average household income: $64,500
Average household spends per month on subscription services: $34
Average number of boxes people subscribe to:
- 58% 1 box
- 28% 2 boxes
- Only 9% of shoppers subscribe to three boxes
- Only 4% of shoppers subscribe to four or more boxes
What They’re Buying (And Not Buying)
- 36% subscribe to Apparel + Style + Entertainment
- 25% Cosmetics + Beauty + Grooming
- 7% Snack Foods
What shoppers DON’T WANT TO BUY:
- 26% don’t want to subscribe to baby/kid products
- 25% don’t want to subscribe to alcohol products
- 13% don’t want to subscribe to prepared food services
- 12% don’t want to subscribe to pet supplies
Shoppers with an annual income of $90,000 – $105,000 are the MOST LIKELY TO SUBSCRIBE to alcohol products.
How Long Before They Go
The average length a consumer keeps a services: 125 days
Women were more likely to keep subscriptions longer than men:
- 132 women
- 118 days men
How long subscribers keep their boxes, by age:
- Least loyal: 18 – 25 101 days
- 26 – 33 140 days
- 34 – 41 123 days
- 42 – 59 154 days
- 50+ 134 days
What Makes Them Cancel?
TOP REASON: “It wasn’t worth the money.”
- 64% of shoppers cancelled for this reason
1 in 5 shoppers cancelled because they simply didn’t like the products they received.
SECOND TOP REASON: “I couldn’t afford it.”
- 34% of the shoppers cancelled because of this reason.
Shoppers RARELY CANCELLED because of:
- 7% Customer service issues
- 5% Receiving products too frequently
Sometimes shoppers actually FORGOT TO CANCEL.
55% say they’ve forgotten to cancel a subscription service before the next month’s shipment.
47% have forgotten to cancel a free trial.
Gone But Not Forgotten
28% of shoppers say they’ve RESUBSCRIBED to a service that they cancelled.
Most likely to resubscribe to a cancelled service:
- Men 33% are likely to resubscribe, versus 24% of women
- Household Income: $75,000 – $90,000 38% are most likely to resubscribe
- Age group: 26 – 33 31% would resubscribe, compared to 30% of those aged 42 – 49
Custom Packaging Makes a Lasting Impression
76% of shoppers said they were very likely or likely to NOTICE CUSTOM PACKAGING versus standard brown-box packaging.
OVER HALF have shown off packaging to friends, family members, and co-workers.
1 in 3 SHOPPERS have shared an image on social media because of a box’s packaging.
Studies show custom packaging impacts how customers feel about subscription services.
- 67% said they feel custom packaging is a key part of their subscription box experience
- About 30% of shoppers said they’re more likely to continue a subscription because of custom packaging design
shorr | packaging corp.
Source: http://www.shorr.com/packaging-news/2016-10/likes-dislikes-subscription-box-shoppers
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