All About Subscription Boxes

 For those who are Pinterest-savvy or maybe you see them on Instagram a lot, you’re probably familiar with the concept of subscription boxes. 

Are these really all that lucrative? You’d be amazed at just how good these are for your brand, subscription boxes are becoming more and more popular with a lot of entrepreneurs, especially since business owners ’don’t need to spend a ton of money on rent for a store. This is a new way to do business and offers great profit margins than your traditional brick and mortar business model. 

If you’ve ever wondered what the benefits of subscription boxes are, you’re in luck. It’s more than just retweets, likes and fun little games, but it also comes with a lot of cool other perks, especially for your business. 

What are They? 

These are basically a new way to market and subscription boxes are now more popular than ever. Even physical store locations can employ this, and they’re actually really good for stores that are only online.  These are boxes that get given to customers on the regular, usually as a kind of membership. 

Some of the most popular kinds are: 

Surprise boxes that include gifts your customers don’t expect. The idea of mystery for these boxes is what’s fun. 

Curated different collections of products to make it pleasing aesthetically. 

Savings boxes which include different items that are at a lower price that those who don’t get this

How to Put these Together 

Usually you want these to get put out at certain periods of time, whether they’re weekly, monthly, or biannually, however you decide to do this. You should communicate when they go out though and the last day people can order so customers can take advantage of this, especially if they want to get subscription boxes for certain items. 

You may wonder what you can put in there. Basically, anything pertaining to the business that shows that customers get some great perks, and I also can help you convince customers to try before they buy with certain items.  

You can give out product samples, seasonal items, and even fun themed boxes such as date night boxes.  The contents can vary, and they’re great for those who want to get the name out, but also good if you have people who can’t afford to get something, or if they want to try before they buy. 

The Best ways to Ship This 

Shipping subscription boxes is another challenge. This is because customers don’t come to a physical location, so you’ll want to make sure that you ship it in a way that works. 

You can of course use brown boxes, but they’re limited, and it’s something that can impact the brand experience. Subscription boxes which are branded, with innards such as tissue paper or even confetti within it or even just having a box be used as something else is a great way to do it. 

You should definitely go the custom shipping route, since there are a lot of people who do judge a box by its outside, and it’s something worth looking at too. 

You can make it a fun way for people to keep up with your content. The beauty of a subscription box is that there are a ton of fun, great ways for you to really make sure that the people who follow you get some amazing content out of it, and you’ll also be able to provide them with great branding ways to grow as well, and also for them to save some money on your products. 

What is an Office Supply you ask?

This year I learned that life can be wild.  In 2020 we saw the world move upside down and because of that in 2021, I am now in charge of changing how our work buys our office items. Do you ever really stop to think about how cheap some items can be at a store? I have found so many sad and pathetic items in our work closets that I am sad anyone ever purchased them. I mean, think about a roll of tape. Someplace, somewhere had to create machinery to self-roll yards and yards of adhesive, see-through tape (because let’s be honest, no one rolls that stuff by hand). That takes money. And the material itself? It takes money. Shipping it to stores? Money. So why is it that you can get a roll of tape for under a dollar? If it takes 5 times the amount to use that tape then why not spend a little more and actually save money. After all it takes to get the materials, make it, and ship it to a store (only to be sold for a little bit more than the supplier sold it for, too!), how does it only cost a buck or less?  I have been learning how to save money by buying more expensive items and our budget has been sliced in half. 

So let's not get caught up in what everyone else is doing.  So many people just fail every single day when it comes to buying the correct items that they are not worth listening to or trusting.  Well, I think part of it is how high the demand is for packaging supplies and other general supplies like this. Think about it. Customers in stores like us regular people aren’t the main consumers of tape, cardboard, sharpies, and other packaging supplies. No, businesses are the main consumers and the types of people that these companies target. Why? Because every business can use all sorts of supplies and always have the budget for that sort of stuff.

Now I want to get down to the important parts that may help so, when you take into account just how many people and businesses out there use and need these sorts of supplies, you start to realize it’s just as large or even larger than the population of whatever country you start to think of. So, sure, it may cost less than a dollar for a roll of tape, but if a company can expect a single person to buy 5 rolls of tape per year, that’s almost 5 bucks they got out of a person in a year. Now multiply that by millions and it starts to make sense in the grand scheme of things.  It is a huge system and you don't need to get caught up in that old system.

Make your own mind based on good logic.  This is just one of those things that require some attention paid to the larger picture. Too often we think of stuff and how it affects and relates to our immediate lives and attention span. That simply isn’t how the world works. So, it’s only natural that commerce functions on a larger scale than what we merely see in stores.  Now go save money! 

Your Office should be stocked with these

I know that 2020 was a terrible year, but I learned a ton about how to make my own life better.  I had to work from home and with that I had to make my own office at home and also supply it.  Now I could spend some company money on it, but I still had to do it all on my own and keep up with supplies as well.  The questions came up a few times about why does it sometimes feel like your office at work is a bit empty, lacking, or just downright dull? Well, oftentimes this can be attributed to bare walls, an empty desktop, or lack of furniture in your office (especially in an office that’s sizeable enough to house wall decor and bigger or additional furniture).  It is because it is simply a different feel and look than other rooms and you want it to be different than home.  But other times, it’s your lack of available supplies. Maybe you’re in need of a specific item, yet you seem to have forgotten to include that on your list of things to get the last time you made your way to the local office supplies store. No matter the case, here are a few desk essentials you should really think about stocking your desk with. These are a must if you want to enjoy the pandemic and live at home and work there too.

We all have to have and to use tape.  It is a must and it comes in handy more than you might think if it is available.  Of all the packaging supplies that you should probably have available at work, tape is at the top. Tape fixes tears. Tape can pin important notes to your desk or wall. Tape mends and tape bends. Tape does it all, whether you’re going for masking tape, packaging tape, or regular see-through desk tape. So don't forget to add this to your shopping or Amazon list. 

 It is not a move issue you really do need a stapeler.  While this is typically something that should rest on your office desk, a lot of people have mini staplers within their desk drawer (as they don’t look the best just sitting on their sides up on your desk’s surface). Still, most bigger staplers don’t have to be huge, and they’ll likely still fit within your desk if that’s what you’re going for. Also, rubber bands are cheap. They’re versatile. They’re inconspicuous and can be placed in a small corner of your desk drawer. They close chip bags. They bind multiple envelopes or pens. Heck, these iconic packaging supplies can even be stress relieving to just pull on sometimes. (And god forbid they can be used to shoot at your fellow employees across the hall.)

 You may be shipping items or simply making marks, but you have to have different kinds of sharpies.  The usefulness of sharpies cannot be overestimated. Black sharpies are perfect for writing on manilla envelopes, highlighting important documents, or writing makeshift signs to hang on your office door when you’re out of the office temporarily. Even if you don’t happen to need it on a daily, there should always be “The Sharpie Guy” in any given office in case the coworkers need access to one. Now go out and make your desk a better one and enjoy.

Things To Know About Corrugated Boxes

It is highly unlikely that you haven’t seen corrugated boxes in your life. These boxes present the best packaging option for companies and brands that have to ship their products to stores and doorsteps. In this article, we will discuss a few things about corrugated boxes.

Corrugated vs. cardboard boxes

A cardboard box uses thick paper stock or heavy paper-pulp. You can use this material for the packaging of several products, including non-rigid products like notepads and loose products like clothes.

If you are an online retailer, you can ship your products in boxes made of cardboard. However, these boxes are not quite protective for most of the products. You may have to use some extra packaging materials, such as bubble wrap, to ensure the proper safety of your product during transit.

Corrugated boxes, on the other hand, are constructed using a few layers of cardboard instead of one layer. A typical corrugated box consists of sheets that have three layers: two cardboard sheets sandwiching a fluted layer of cardboard. While corrugated is a lightweight material, it is more resilient than you think. It can help you secure most of the items that you ship to your customers.

The best thing about corrugated boxes is that they remain intact even when they are exposed to shocks, temperature changes, and moisture. While these are not invincible boxes, they lessen the chances of product damage significantly. With the help of these boxes, you can ensure the safety of your products from the warehouse to their destinations in most cases.

Making of corrugated

Before discussing the benefits of corrugated boxes, let’s first discuss how they are made. The source material of corrugated boxes comes from trees, and the good thing about it is that it is a renewable source. Due to being one of the most recovered packaging materials on the planet, corrugated cardboard doesn’t have a significant impact on the environment. According to research based on the study of the recoverability of cardboard for 10 years, 90% of corrugated boxes end up being recycled, contributing to the production of new boxes.

People at recycling units use some other materials to make sure that the recycled cardboard is as durable and effective as new corrugated boxes.

Benefits of corrugated packaging

• The first and foremost benefit of corrugated boxes is that they are customizable. You can customize these boxes according to the shape and size of your products. Not only will it allow you to reduce shipping costs, but you will also be able to impress your customers with your customized packaging.
• Corrugated boxes allow you to enhance the unboxing experience of your customers. You can use packaging inserts and other materials without increasing the size of the outer packaging. The internal packaging materials will keep reminding your customers of your brand.
• The best thing about corrugated boxes is that they are not harmful to the environment. Since most corrugated boxes head to recycling units, there is always a lesser need to cut new trees for the production of new boxes. Even if these boxes end up in landfills, they biodegrade easily. Another way these boxes can be helpful to the environment is that you can use them for composting.
• The cost-efficiency is of these boxes allows you to increase your revenue. Since you will be purchasing corrugated boxes made of recycled materials most of the time, you won’t have to pay a lot. The customizability of this packaging option is another cost saver.

If you want to use corrugated boxes to increase your revenue and play a role in the safety of this environment, you may need to discuss these factors with a packaging supplier.

 

Why People are Dropping More Scarcity Marketing Strategies

When choosing a marketing strategy, you might want to consider a scarcity marketing strategy.  What does that mean though, and why should people do this? Well, you’re about to find out. 

Scarcity Principle 

This is a unique type of marketing known as drop marketing. This is where they don't release everything in one fell swoop.   Brands that do this prefer limited kinds of products with small mini launches or drops. These are done in online or physical stores, and also have specific, fixed deadlines.

This creates hype, creating excitement. It also leads to more queues too for a lot of people to indulge in.

This is a strategy that was used by Supreme, which is a New York brand. They actually launched a branded sort of brick that was just $320 to start with, and because of this, now they’ve grown into a billion dollar company. 

They use the limited editions, only giving out 5-15 different products that they do at one specific time. 

Another type of example is Wheaties. You probably know them as the breakfast of champions. Well, they’ve decided to take their branding to another level. They used a limited edition packaging that’s specifically for Oreo brands, and when they collaborated with supreme, this super limited edition product actually sold for over 50 thousand dollars. 

Scheduled and Limited Editions 

Limited editions are basically a type of progressive release. Similar to how TV series will start with just an episode a week, limited edition products are exclusives for brands, and they don't offer replicas period. It’s something that’s different, as it offers a truly immersive experience for the products within this same branding, and from the other parts of the competition. Innovation is a key part of this, and it plays a huge role. 

Drop Marketing and Drop Packaging 

Drop marketing and packaging is something that does work together. One example of this is Evian water. There was one designed by Chiara Ferragni, which is a product that was considered controversial, especially because of the very exorbitant price. It also was a collection that, despite the high price, sold out just a couple of hours after that.

Another example of this is the pigotta doll that was a reproduction of this same influencer.  IKEA has also done this, and they created a limited edition shopper MARKRAD, which was designed by Virgil Abloh, who was the founder of Off-White, a brand.  This was a brand with the goal of “ennobling the anonymous” which creates a unique object for this.  They made a sculpture that was refined and crafted to look similar to the trademark book bag that IKEA has.  The samples of this disappeared within a moment off their shelves and is still a sought item. 

So, the main strategy behind this is to convince those that do love the brand that they need this, and they need to stay updated. They also encourage people to check social media websites and networks daily. In order to get this product and its exclusivity, they need to be loyal and learn from each of these brands.  This is what encourages the clicking, the purchasing, and the adding of boxes. 

Even fast food can take advantage of this. McDonald’s for example had those limited edition BTS meals that people kept buying, to the point where it was a top level product. There are other food boxes that come with this too.

If you’re someone that is interested in creating limited packaging, this is a great way to do it, as it can offer a lot of amazing benefits to your packaging experience.

Benefits Of Corrugated As A Packaging Option

A corrugated carton is made of thick or heavy paper pulp. You may have seen a cereal box. It is a good example of a cardboard box. Corrugated cartons, on the other hand, are much stronger than simple cardboard cartons. These cartons consist of three layers: a fluted cardboard layer is sandwiched between two cardboard sheets.

In this article, we will discuss some benefits of using corrugated as a packaging option.

Sustainability, reusability, and recyclability

The source of corrugated is wood coming from trees. It is the most recovered material on the planet. According to a survey, the last eight years have seen 90% of corrugated recovered from used corrugated boxes. 2018 has seen 96% of corrugated coming from the disposed of corrugated boxes. The fiber from used corrugated boxes is recovered and recycled to make new boxes and other products. An average cardboard box consists of 50% of recycled content.

While plastic is another popular packaging material, it is recovered only about 15%, compared to an overall all-time 78% for corrugated.

That said, recycling of corrugated has a significant impact on the health of the environment. With recycling units making 90% of corrugated material usable again, there has been an overall decrease in solid waste disposal. Recycled fiber allows production companies to get new corrugated boxes without cutting trees to meet their production requirements. Old corrugated containers, being a valuable resource for both paper mills and manufacturers of new corrugated boxes, are a revenue generator.

Because corrugated is durable, it can be used for a longer duration before heading to recycling units. Consumers can use this material for home organizing and other purposes. So, when you get your next online order, chances are it will be in a corrugated box, which will be in the best condition. You can put it in the storage and put it to use when needed. You can also use it to pack gifts.

Product safety

One of the top concerns for consumers is the safety of the product they receive at their doorstep. With the help of a corrugated box, you can make sure that your product arrives at your customer’s door without getting damaged. This box is durable enough to accommodate additional packaging materials, such as foam, to ensure the safety of your product.

Customization

Most packaging options do not allow you to customize your box uniquely enough to match the shape or size of your product. You can do it with corrugated boxes. You can customize your box right according to the look and feel of your product. Whether you are going with retail or e-commerce packaging, you can use corrugated to showcase your product in the best way possible.

Printing and graphic designing

A graphical representation is an ideal way to get customers’ attention. The good thing is that you can use graphics on your corrugated packaging to achieve desired branding goals. You can use different designs, patterns, and colors to make your product stand out from the competition. You can also use this feature to enhance your brand awareness.

So, if you want to go with the corrugated option to package your products, the first and foremost thing is to contact your packaging supplier. You can discuss design options with the packaging designer to make sure that your product gets the best representation in the retail or e-commerce world.