Subscription Box Questions

[jaj-io]

I am planning to launch a subscription service this spring. I have spent the last couple of months gathering research. This month I am focused on the logistical and financial sides of things, such as sourcing products and selecting a preferred shipping company.

I have not yet built a website, but plan to use Shopify. I work as a product designer at my day job, so I don't anticipate a struggle on that front, but I am curious as to how far in advance I should launch a website and begin accepting orders or gathering email addresses.

The biggest question I have, though, is around the logistics of shipping out my first couple months of boxes. Let's say I start with enough inventory to sell 25 boxes, but not all of them sell. Should I sell the remaining boxes from the first month to new customers during the second month? Or should I cycle the items back through in future months?

My initial thought is that I should have my first and second months lined up so that I don't run into any snags.

Any thoughts or feedback you have on this would be fantastic.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[becks22]

Welcome John

Along with reading the gold and the notable threads, there are already a few threads about subscription boxes you should also review:
Subscription box business

Succesful Subscription box/E-Commerce business looking for advice on taking it to the next level

As for your questions, it depends. Are your products perishable or have some other feature that could shorten their lifespan? If I were you, I would just have one month set up for sales and then starting month 2, I would take customer feedback and move forward from there

 

[jaj-io]

Welcome John

Along with reading the gold and the notable threads, there are already a few threads about subscription boxes you should also review:
Subscription box business

Succesful Subscription box/E-Commerce business looking for advice on taking it to the next level

As for your questions, it depends. Are your products perishable or have some other feature that could shorten their lifespan? If I were you, I would just have one month set up for sales and then starting month 2, I would take customer feedback and move forward from there

My concern with not having a second month lined up is the amount of time it would take to order and have the items delivered to me. I considered perishable items, but I believe that would be best suited once I have a subscriber base. It's quite likely that I'd end up losing a significant portion of any perishable items if I purchase them for my first two months.