“This could be the start of the final act for Birchbox, a service that charges subscribers $10 per month for a box of five or six deluxe beauty samples. They've announced plans to limit the offering of store credit for sample reviews and suspended plans to open new brick-and-mortar stores. Venture funding for subscription boxes in general has dried up this year and Birchbox's attempts to secure more funding have come to naught.” Read more at Racked.
Read More“To deliver their colorfully decorated packages, monthly subscription services must defy some of the fundamental rules of e-commerce. They must receive and store batches of entirely new products each month. When it’s time to ship, the products are lined up along conveyor belts so workers can arrange them in the exact same formation tens—or hundreds—of thousands of times during a frenzied week of packing.” Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
Read More“If Amazon revolutionized retail with efficiency and ease, it took some of the joy of discovery out of the picture. Subscription boxes may be the antidote. Inherently personal (most are personalized to your tastes) and with the element of surprise built in (you never know exactly what you’re going to get), subscription boxes bring a bit of playfulness back to shopping.” Read more at Digiday.
Read More“For Eve Kessner, an instructor at SoulCycle studios in Brooklyn Heights and Union Square, getting ready for the gym each morning goes beyond brushing her teeth and pulling on a pair of leggings. Before heading out to classes that often start before 8 a.m., she applies Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara and a face luminizer by RMS Beauty or Josie Maran Cosmetics.” Read more at The New York Times.
Read More“In 2014, Birchbox conducted a comprehensive market segmentation research study to help define its customer base. Cosmetics companies often use this data to identify the top 20% of their consumers, and then tailor the entire experience of their product to entice those people to spend even more money. But Birchbox had noticed some unusual spending habits among its subscribers.” Read more at Fast Company.
Read More“‘We always bit off a lot,’ says Birchbox co-founder and CEO Katia Beauchamp, sitting in a conference room at the startup’s Manhattan headquarters with a fistful of eye and lip pencils spread within arm’s reach. These were the fruits of Birchbox’s latest self-assigned challenge: developing and selling its own color cosmetics. The goods, some of which are live on Birchbox’s site now, are branded under the name Love of Color.” Read more at Fashionista.com.
Read More“This September, Birchbox is 5 years old. And in the last 5 years, it’s grown exponentially: the company has raised over $70 million in funding, operates in six countries, has nearly 300 employees, over 800 brand partners, and nearly a million subscribers. Yet in Birchbox’s initial years, it wasn’t such a straight shot to success. A number of companies (i.e. Ipsy, Glossybox) emerged, offering similar beauty boxes in the mail — all with a similar selection of samples from top brands.” Read more at Forbes.
Read More“The beauty industry has seen success in subscription services that offer trial-sized products for a set monthly price, through the likes of Birchbox and LVMH-owned Sephora’s upcoming version, Play! by Sephora, which all promise to expose consumers to new brands and items they may have been unfamiliar with previously. Although the added exposure is unlikely to harm a beauty brand’s high standing reputation, does the luxury market have space for a high-end experience with a steep discount presented as a trial?” Read more at Luxury Daily.
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