Subscription brands are far more likely to lose renewals than they think, but it’s because of packaging. You can see that a box that’s cool in month one is mundane by month four, and customers stop posting unboxing videos and churn starts to occur- but not for any reason that you’ll read about in a product quality review. One thing that a custom subscription box must face that a one-off shipping box doesn’t is the same customer opening the identical brand's package every month without the experience becoming stale. That means packaging that is based on repeat engagement and design refresh cycles for subscription businesses, rather than a great first impression.

What is a Customised Subscription Box?

A subscription packaging box is packaging designed to withstand repeat and recurring use; designed to accommodate seasonal changes and to deliver a retention-focused unboxing experience and brand consistency across dozens of deliveries over the course of a customer’s lifecycle with the company. It is similar to a standard shipping mailer in one important way, the unpacking event is a retention event, not just a protective event.

Benefits for Businesses

If brands are different here than in one-off  monthly subscription boxes, they will be opened by the same subscriber each month, meaning that high-quality print, executed consistently, will help to create recognition every time, rather than once. Product protection is still important, particularly if the subscription box contains several products, a protective structure within the box will prevent them from shifting around and damaging each other. The cost savings are realized through recurring orders at wholesale rates, which enable that pricing to be achieved as opposed to one-off orders that are done reactively based on the specific need of that order. 

Features & Specifications

Branded subscription boxes have a couple of essentials in addition to regular packaging details. Material,corrugated or rigid stock based on product mix and if the box is to be used as a keepsake item. GSM: the GSM is usually 300-450 GSM, with the rigid subscription lines running higher, for a premium unboxing experience. Printing: back and front printing count, as both areas are often the very moment that is shared. Sizes: designed to fit a variety of products that are produced throughout the month, rather than being stuck to the size and length of one product. Finishes: Soft-touch lamination or spot UV are popular options for subscription brands that value a high-end tactile unboxing experience.

There are some industries that use custom subscription boxes.

Subscription packaging is a group of recurring delivery business models. Beauty and cosmetics subscription services employ it to drive top-dollar positioning each month. It has become a staple for food and snack subscription brands as a way to protect and create shareable unboxing content. Curated monthly product ecommerce subscription packaging are used by retail brands to keep a consistent brand identity as products change. Seasonal design refreshes are a strategy for specialty/lifestyle subscription services to keep long-term subscribers engaged. It’s used by ecommerce brands that wrap a subscription service around their existing product lines to differentiate the subscription experience from regular orders; see our custom mailer boxes page for more information on ecommerce mailers for orders that aren’t subscription-based.

Choosing the correct subscription box supplier is essential.

Plan for design refresh cycles before you start your first order, and a subscription box that requires a full retool in order to offer a refresh will cost you more over a year than a design that was created with refresh in mind. Test the “unboxing” process in the real-world, not just the print of the outside; it is the reveal of the inside that is key to the content that subscribers are sharing. The biggest challenge that subscription brands face is investing too heavily in exterior print quality, and then taking a back seat on the interior, and losing that retention moment. Another frequent error is having only one supplier contract with no minimum for new designs for the seasonal collections.

FAQs

Q: Do subscription box designs need to be seasonal? 

A: Yes, we offer design changes in production runs without the need to make a 12-month minimum purchase.

Q: Will there be interior printing for the unboxing reveal? 

A: Yes, it’s a standard option and is used by subscription brands for shareable unboxing content.

Get a No-Cost Estimate

If your package isn’t renewing your subscription business or it’s not getting people to share when they unbox it, call the Custom boxes manufacturer directly for a quote, no brokers, no inflated minimums, custom mailer boxes designed and shipped from the USA.

Call: 713-978-0088 or send us an email: sales@customboxesmanufacturer.com.