The thrill of opening a new box of goodies delivered every single month is hard to resist. According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, 15% of online shoppers have signed up for one or more regular subscription box services. If you’re in the industry, opportunities are everywhere. However, subscription boxes come with their own unique set of logistical challenges. You need to get boxes out on time every month without running out of inventory space, paying an arm and a leg for costly labor, or running out of shipping supplies right when you need to ship. Fortunately, there’s a better way. Depending on the box you offer, subscription box fulfillment services can be the perfect answer. Is a fulfillment service right for you, or are you better off with in-house shipping? Read on to find out.
When You Have Large Quantities
Is your subscription box operation only a small part of your business, with a small handful of boxes going out every week or month? If so, you should be able to handle shipping in-house.
However, if subscription boxes are a big part of your business and you’re dealing with large quantities of product and boxes, it can be a huge help to outsource shipping and even packing. Fulfillment companies that also offer co-packing can free up valuable space and time for you, packing and shipping your boxes on time every month.
When Products Are Standardized
Consider these two different types of subscription boxes:
- You’re a shaving company that sends out a specific number of blades and a can of shaving cream to subscribers every month.
- You have a curated collection of makeup and perfumes, which changes every month and is chosen specifically for each subscriber based on their user profile.
In the first scenario, outsourcing your shipping is the ideal solution—the product is standardized, so your shipping partner can keep the items needed on hand and co-pack them quickly without requiring detailed input from you. In the second scenario, outsourcing may not be feasible. Because each box is different and changes every month, fulfillment services may not want to deal with the challenges, and you may want to have a closer handle on what goes into each box.
If your subscription box contains basic items that don’t vary hugely from month to month, a fulfillment service is a great option to outsource stress and free yourself up. However, if you’re carefully curating a delicate collection that’s specified to each subscriber and requires lots of hands-on time, you might be better off keeping your packing and shipping in-house. Not sure if your product is standardized enough for easy outsourcing? Don’t be afraid to ask a trusted fulfillment company whether they could easily handle your boxes.
When You Need to Save Time
How much time is the packing and shipping aspect taking for you? Is shipping day every month a stressful and harried experience? If so, it might be time to call in a fulfillment partner like Kable Product Services that can do the job for you. Saving time is one of the best reasons to outsource your subscription box fulfillment, so if you find that shipping takes time away from the other important tasks you need employees to do, it’s time to find a shipping partner.
When You Want Consistent Shipping Dates
One thing fulfillment services excel at is standardized shipping. If you’re trying to ship out all your boxes so that they arrive at roughly the same time every month, it can be a daunting task if you’re working in-house with limited space and resources. Fulfillment companies deal with large orders every day, and they have more control over when boxes go out and how quickly they reach a customer. Use their expertise to make sure your subscription boxes go out when you want them to, every single month.
If you’re in the subscription box business, shipping is likely a big part of what you do. Depending on what you provide and what services you need, outsourcing packing, shipping, and fulfillment can be the smart choice. Find a fulfillment partner that will work with your unique needs to help create a flawless shipping experience! With the right partner, you can make shipping a breeze.