North Texas Daily

Erica Wieting / Staff Writer

The convenience and personalization of subscription boxes, which come to subscribers’ doorsteps on a monthly basis filled with assorted items, have caused the spark of a new trend among consumers.

According to an article in Forbes Magazine, the monthly anticipation and fulfillment of the expected delivery of the box are part of what is making subscription boxes so popular.

What each individual consumer gets out of his or her subscription box depends on the personality and desires of the individual, according to the article.  For some consumers, the idea of a box being delivered to their door on a monthly basis takes away from the shopping experience—not to mention the fact that they don’t get to choose the specific contents themselves. 

For others, the thrill of receiving a box with hand-picked products each month is unmatched.

Marketing senior and artist Amy Cox said she subscribes to two different companies. Through ArtSnacks, her $115 for a six month subscription includes four to five full-sized, premium art supplies each month.

“There are an insane number of different kinds of supplies,” Cox said.  “This gives me a little taste of the different options.”

She said the products are always high quality and she plans to re-subscribe after the initial six months.

Cox, an avid cat lover, said she also subscribes to KitNip Box.

“It originally started as a Christmas present for my mom,” Cox said.  “I donated the first box to her, but I’ve kept the most recent two for myself to divide among my cats, my mom’s and my sister’s.”

Cox owns two cats, Misu and Grimlyn, who she adopted from the Humane Society in 2012 and 2013 respectively.  Misu is a tortoiseshell Siamese with a white coat and brown and black marbling.  Grimlyn, a Siberian mix, has longer hair and is a darker gray color, she said.

“Misu plays fetch,” Cox said.  “Grimlyn likes anything that jingles or can be waved.”

Cox said each box includes six or more cat toys, treats or supplies. She said she likes the variety because it helps keep her cats from getting bored with the same toys.

The company is also donation-friendly she said, and uses some of its proceeds to support animal shelters and rescue animals. Additionally, it promotes eco- and pet-friendly materials and ingredients.

Additional subscription boxes include Loot Crate and NerdBlock, which contain comic books, t-shirts or figurines, and Bombfell, a clothing box tailored to the subscriber.

Other types of subscription packages come in bags instead of boxes. Through Ipsy Bags, consumers pay a $10 per month subscription and receive a bag that contains between $40 and $50 worth of makeup products.

Amber Cericola-Woods, an environmental science junior, used to subscribe to Ipsy Bags.

“It was a really great deal, especially for trying new products,” Woods said.  “I got to try a lot of new things and that was really cool.”

Apart from being able to try out a variety of products, Ipsy Bag subscribers sample a wide range of brands from mass-market companies like Urban Decay and OPI to more specialized companies like IT Cosmetics.

The company also has a unique feature on its website.  Through an online community, Woods said subscribers can trade items with other members if they aren’t completely happy with everything in their box that month.

Despite her satisfaction with the company, Woods said she quit the subscription after six months because she wanted to tighten her budget.

In fact, the most common reason among college students who don’t subscribe to these monthly boxes seems to be either an unwillingness to spend the money or an inability to find spare room in a very limited budget.

“It costs money,” strategic communications senior Ali Weiss said.  “And school is taking everything I can spare.”

Weiss said one day she wants to try BirchBox, a makeup company whose monthly boxes include samples of beauty, styling and grooming products from various companies.  She said she would probably just subscribe for one year until she found a skin care regimen she liked.

“It just seems like a fun and inexpensive way to discover new makeup,” Weiss said.

Featured Image: A sample of items available through subscription program Loot Crate. The box usually includes figurines, comic books, posters or t-shirts. Photo by Nicholas Friedman – Features Editor