Luxury at Your Doorstep!

Subscription boxes are the new gift baskets, providing specially chosen collections of products that are designed to delight the recipient. Forbes reports that more than 2,000 retailers have recently added some type of subscription service to their business model.

What’s the reason for the trend? Most of us like to get gifts in the mail, especially when the gift includes unique selections or surprises we didn’t know we needed. Let’s take a look at some of the newest and trendiest subscription services that will bring luxury to your doorstep.

GLOSSYBOX.com
This brand’s mission is to let every subscriber become a beauty insider. Each month, subscribers receive at least five travel-sized or full-sized products from trending beauty brands along with professional tips for using each product. Past boxes have includes products such as Lancôme Paris sun protection cream and Luseta Beauty coconut milk shampoo. Subscription plans start at $21 per month, with discounts for 3-month, 6-month and 12-month plans.

GlobeIn.com
When you subscribe to this service for $40 per month, with discounts for multiple months, you’ll receive a collection of unique handmade lifestyle products from around the world; they call it “the World in a Box.” Best of all, the company supports thousands of artisans in over 40 countries who might not otherwise have an international market for their handiwork. You can pick a themed box each month or let the team at GlobeIn surprise you; additional products can be added to your monthly box with a member discount. With each box, you’ll also receive information about the artisans who created your products.

Box of Style
Fashion designer and celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe’s Box of Style subscription service is like getting gifts and fashion tips from your stylish best friend. Each box includes a “hero item;” in September it was a laptop sleeve that folds over to double as a cross body bag. More inclusions are high-end clothing, accessories and beauty items. Also included is a booklet with information about why Rachel chose each item and how to style it. For about $100 each season, subscribers receive a box containing at least $400 worth of fashion and beauty finds. Learn more at boxofstyle.thezoereport.com.

StitchFix.com
This is a different online fashion service that’s changing the game for subscription boxes. The StitchFix team call themselves “Your Partner in Personal Style,” reflecting the personal stylist services they provide. After you share your budget and size and style preferences, you’ll receive a curated box with apparel items chosen just for you. Try everything on at home, then keep what you like and return the rest; shipping is free. For each monthly box, you will be charged a $20 styling free that will be deducted from any purchases made from that box.

Bouqs.com
Bouqs is an online flower delivery service that promotes eco-friendly farming by using only sustainably grown flowers delivered within a few hours of cutting. Two different subscription services are offered. The first covers weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deliveries of fresh flowers to yourself or someone else, with the price ranging from $40 for a Class bouquet of 6 to 12 stems to $70 for a Grand with 18 to 36 stems. The second type of service allows you to register important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries and have fresh flowers automatically delivered. For each service, you can choose a themed collection to match your mood or décor.

BonAppetitBox.com
This gourmet food subscription promises to help you experience authentic French dining at home. There are several types of boxes; each contains seven or eight offerings from different culinary traditions and regions of France curated by company founders Zoé and Bertrand. The Snack Box, which is priced at $70 for a 2-month subscription, includes items such as palmier cookies, green olive tapenade and eggplant bruschetta.

Winc.com
Previously known as Club W, this subscription wine service delivers four bottles of wine to your door each month for $39. You can choose your own bottles from among 100 different wines, or let the service use your personal profile, created by answering six taste questions, to choose wines that match your palate. There are no membership fees and you can skip a month if you choose. You can also take advantage of free bottles after a certain number of purchases and other perks of membership.

One of the benefits of luxury subscription boxes is that they let you experiment with sample sizes of beauty or food products that you might not ordinarily buy. But perhaps their greatest benefit is the way they keep on giving. Give someone else a subscription and they’ll think of you every time they open a new box. Buy one for yourself and you’ll get an automatic mood boost on delivery. ■

Sources: forbes.com, cratejoy.com and boxofstyle.thezoereport.com.