Chances are, if you’re in the beauty industry, you’ve heard of Birchbox, a monthly service that gives you 4-5 deluxe samples of beauty products from skincare to cult beauty tools. If subscribers are into the samples, then there is an option to purchase directly from Birchbox and also earn loyalty points by filling surveys and referring friends. The site also offers an online magazine with tips and advice and video tutorials as well. We reviewed them initially here.
We caught up with the founders Katia and Hayley and asked them some questions in a Q&A.
Q. Why are your customers so eager to pay for samples? What is your “hook”?
A. Our customers are looking to discover the newest and best in beauty. They pay for samples because they know we’ll send them an edited selection from great brands and that we are going to tell them the story about why we sent it and how to use.
Q: What kind of brands do you choose to highlight?
We work with brands across all beauty categories including makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance. We carry well known names like Nars and Benefit as well as niche favorites like Tatcha and Jouer. We love the mix because we are passionate about both working with established brands that have a solid reputation and are well known to our customers and working with small brands to help them build that reputation and start their path.
Q: What’s next on your horizon? What can customers look forward to receiving?
A: Every month brings a new theme and a great selection of products. We’re also excited about discovering other fun ‘extras’ for the box that are outside of the beauty category.
Q: Name one of the brands you’ve included in the box that you’re proud of and why.
A: We can’t name just one! We are so proud that NARS has been a partner since Birchbox was just an idea and we are equally excited about brands like Blow and Jouer where we know that for over 90% of our subscribers, Birchbox provided their first interaction with those brands.
Q: Would you ever supersize your product? Why or why not?
A: We are all about editing and cutting down the clutter, giving customers a fun but focused way to engage with these brands and products. Maybe someday, customers will have the chance to get two boxes a month!
Q: Could you expand to clothing or accessories?
Sure, one shoe in the box and then you have to buy the other! Okay, not really that, but we are thinking about what products in those categories do make sense. Stay tuned!
Birchbox is giving away THREE month subscriptions to FOUR lucky winners. To win a three-month subscription (guess what the magic number is here), simply leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts on beauty’s latest Bento Box (winners will be announced on Friday, June 3rd).
– Charu Suri
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