Gone are the days when ‘subscriptions’ were only meant for magazines, newspapers, and gym memberships. Today, subscription programs have become increasingly popular as companies, irrespective of their size or industry, have begun to offer subscriptions of different types. So whether it’s food, toys, clothing, home essentials, cosmetics, baby products, and personal hygiene—you’ll find a subscription for everything.
Adults and children can benefit from these programs as they provide optimum utility and convenience, delivered to the doorstep. Companies also have a lot to gain from offering these programs as they generate revenue, increase customer lifetime value, and are easy to implement. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved!
Here’s an in-depth look at what’s available!
Food Subscription Boxes and Meal Kits
Each day, close to a million meal kits are delivered to patrons across Canada. They’re time and cost-saving as now, you can skin the effort of making a grocery run, avoid the hassle of pre-planning meals, and picking out ingredients. Every ingredient included in the kit is pre-measured based on servings specified by you. This also ensures that no food is leftover or wasted and is thus extremely sustainable.
The following are some of the most popular existing meal subscription box companies in Canada:
- Chefs Plate – A reasonably priced program that provides 16 well-packaged recipes a week and includes promotional offers.
- Hello Fresh – They offer nationwide delivery and are amongst the most environmentally conscious programs available.
- Fresh Prep – With produce sourced from the Vancouver area, they have an independent delivery system and superior cooler bag packaging.
- Sweet Reads Box – A unique service that delivers a decadent dessert and curated items pertaining to your novel, so you get to enjoy a delicious read.
- Oatbox – This breakfast meal kit offers a variety of healthy, 100% natural products that are shipped every month.
Lifestyle and Household Subscription Boxes
Chores can be exhausting enough without the added effort of having to run to the grocery store to restock on necessities. Subscription boxes help circumvent this by providing everything you need to make your home function smoothly and unwind after a long day, conveniently delivered to your doorstep.
From sanitary pads, pet food, and books to household items such as soaps, room fresheners, scented candles, cleaning supplies, and even certain home decor pieces—you’ll find everything you need.
Need direction or a starting point? Here’s a list of companies you can explore:
- Loti Wellness Box – A recurring subscription that provides practical activities and all kinds of products that improve mind, body, and spirit wellness.
- Nature’s Wellness Box – A monthly box for aromatherapy and lifestyle that contains non-toxic, vegan, natural, cruelty-free household products, including skincare.
- Splurg’d Studio – Home accessories and gadgets of all types are included in this monthly box.
- The Craft and Tea Box – They deliver a bag of loose tea and a lovely DIY craft kit each month to encourage creativity and relaxation.
- Woof Pack – Each month, this subscription delivers fun toys, Canadian-made all-natural treats, and unique chewy toys for dogs.
Health and Beauty
Cosmetic subscription boxes are all the rage. Whether you’re a fashion enthusiast, a fitness freak, a budding makeup artist, or simply conscious of having an effective skincare routine – there’s a subscription to match your needs.
These subscription boxes include makeup, clothing, exercise equipment, and all types of skincare products—you don’t have to go out hunting for the perfect color, fit, or style.
Here’s our list of the top-ranked health and beauty subscriptions:
- Fabletics Canada – They provide premium quality athletic wear and accessories in a line co-founded by Kate Hudson.
- Simply Beautiful Box – A seasonal subscription box filled with all kinds of beauty and fashion products.
- Let’s Go Eco – A natural, sustainable, plastic-free subscription box with the newest eco-conscious brands that include home, fashion, health, and wellness products specially curated for those who live a low waste, environmentally friendly lifestyle.
- The Gift Refinery – A seasonal subscription box that offers 7-10 products from Canadian artisans and businesses, including accessories, fashion, home decor, jewelry, makeup, beauty, and fashion.
- Frock Box – They offer clothing sizes from XS – 3XL to provide a unique, convenient shopping experience.
Education and Entertainment for Kids
The children’s market is huge, especially since subscription boxes offer immense convenience to parents and retailers alike. There’s a box for every purpose—whether you need general educational games, toys, books, and arts and craft materials or want toys and games that promote specific areas of your child’s development.
Interested in exploring options? Look no further!
- Lillypost – A monthly book subscription that delivers curated books, stickers, and a note to help your child discover the love of reading.
- The Spark Box – A quarterly service for parents and children, including age-appropriate developmental games for babies and toddlers.
- Kidspire Crate – This subscription provides premium boxes full of fun activities and a book that helps teach children about ‘girl power,’ thus promoting an equalitarian outlook in the early stages of development.
- Kids Art Box – They offer curated boxes to enhance the child’s creativity, imagination, and curiosity through art, craft, and science experiments.
- Ruby Crate – This subscription is tailored for tweens and teenagers, full of all kinds of beauty, style, and self-expression treasures.
Basic Types Of Subscription Programs
Auto-ship
These provide maximum convenience as customers can curate the products they would like to receive (pet food, vitamins, coffee, spices, etc.) and pick a delivery frequency. Orders are then generated automatically.
Curated Box
These subscriptions are the most fun—you let the company decide what to send to you. Everything in the box will be a surprise, the latest skincare products or ‘wine of the month’ for instance. You also get unique things that may not be available in conventional department stores.
Access
A less common but equally important subscription where merchants can send recurring bills to customers in exchange for their services. Amazon offers free shipping and entertainment for a yearly subscription to their Prime membership, for instance.
Final Thoughts:
The subscription box trend is here to stay.
Retailers benefit as it decreases overheads and promotes a B2C market structure that is extremely sustainable—perfect for small businesses that may not have a physical store presence.
Customers love subscription boxes as the whole process is extremely fun. After all, who doesn’t enjoy getting a package in the mail?
Overall, it’s an incredible eCommerce model and a win-win situation for everyone involved.
