Obviously we think subscriptions make the best gifts – they’re thoughtful, curated, high quality and they last longer than Christmas cookies. With that in mind, this upcoming holiday season will be a crucial point in the year for many of you, our sellers. We wanted to share a few tips to ensure you’re doing all the right things come Cyber Monday, everyone’s favorite shopping event. (We might be biased, but we think it’s way more fun than Black Friday.) Of course, your goal this holiday season should be to 1) delight your current customers and 2) bring in additional subscribers to delight. We’re here to support you in both endeavors and we think that some of these suggestions could make all the difference over the holidays.
Ramp Up Your Marketing Campaign: More than any other time of the year, the holidays are your moment to make potential customers aware of your service. Use social media to your advantage. Interact with your followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any other social platform you might be on. Start a hashtag campaign or participate in a Twitter party, like Birchbox with #AskModelCo, to reach beyond your already established followers. Maybe even go the extra mile and make a clever YouTube video to advertise your box. We don’t quite expect you to go the lengths of say Dollar Shave Club, but a quirky and funny creation could be a way of stepping outside the box (pun intended) as you try to reach out to your customer base in a different manner. Make a statement about your subscription and why it would make the perfect gift.
Offer Discounts: There is nothing that people love more around this time of year than discounts. Whether it’s a lower pre-paid cost for multiple months of shipments, a lower shipping cost or a specific Cyber Monday deal, customers will notice and they’ll take it into account when deciding to purchase your subscription box. We’d suggest offering up a referral discount for any current customer who is able to recruit a new subscriber, or offering a “buy two gift subscriptions, get a third free” promotion. Whatever the deal or discount, make sure to take an extra moment this month to email your subscribers, thank them for their commitment and give them a reason to spread the word with gifts.
Give a Little Something Extra: One of the most fantastic aspects of running a subscription business is that there’s no need to stress about your inventory because whether you have one subscriber or 1,000 subscribers, you know exactly how many items you need to make your holiday season a successful one. In turn, this gives you much more time to concentrate solely on your product and enhancing it to be as joyful, aesthetically pleasing, and practical as possible. Perhaps add some extra inventory this month and throw in some extra items that don’t typically come in your box. For all you know, it could be the difference between a person deciding to subscribe for one month or for years in the future. Those are the little things that consumers notice and can greatly benefit your business.
If you master these three areas, we think you’ll be surprised at how much it can make a difference in enhancing your holiday season. What are other things that you’re doing to make your box innovative and unique? Let us know in the comments below!
