For $10 a month you can get designer make-up sent right to your door. This seems like a dream come true to me, and I have found a way to accomplish this, thanks to Birchbox.
A monthly subscription service that was founded in New York City by two Harvard graduates, Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna, in 2010. The company started trying to get funding and investors and managed to get over $1.4 million from venture groups that helped the business go from an idea to a multi-million dollar company. With over a million subscribers and over 800 partners the business has become a new way people think about buying make-up. Instead of having to go spend over a hundred dollars at a cosmetics store, we’re able to get samples of the make-up we like sent to us. Then they introduced the feature of being able to customize your box. This means that if you really like a product you are able to get products like it, or by the same brand.
The goal of the subscription sample boxes are to get people to buy the full size product from the retailer, and 50% of Birchbox users did go on to do so. Another feature that customizes the product to the consumer is Birchbox Points. Every time a customer purchases the full size product, refers a friend, or purchasing a box as a gift for a friend, would earn them points which they could put towards their boxes and buying products.
Birchbox also partnered with Instagram and Soldsie to open an Instagram shop. This means that customers who were interested in Birchbox products could comment with a hashtag (#birchboxcart) and it would automatically be entered into their cart on Birchbox.
This company has capitalized on both the social and business side of their idea and it has clearly paid off for them.
There are so many unique assets of Birchbox that I can see would really draw customers and suppliers in. They connect brands with customers, which provides value for both sides – it helps brands with marketing, and allows customers to check out different brands without leaving their homes (and what more could we want than to shop around in our pjs?). Their move with Instagram is also genius, making buying something easier and easier.
This truly is an incredibly unique business idea. Allowing people to sample make-up is a great idea. I personally would utilize this service, as it is often difficult for me to pick out make-up.
This is a great idea since it brings a new perspective to buying a product. Being able to customize and sample makeup is something that a lot of people would be interested in. I like how this allows people to save money and get the quality product they are looking for.
It’s cool to see the kinds of subscription services people come up with. It’s such a popular concept, but the market will never really get over-saturated because of the endless possibilities. BirchBox was one of the first subscription services i heard of, and its been fun to see what other ones have popped up to serve other interest groups!