Survey reveals most popular subscription box service

It’s not a close shave for the leading subscription box market share of a well-known men’s grooming brand.

According to a new survey of 528 online shoppers from marketing research firm Clutch reveals that 54% of respondents are members of at least one subscription box service. Of these respondents, a leading 29% are members of Dollar Shave Cub.

Other leading subscription box services include cosmetics service Ipsy (21%), meal kit provider Blue Apron (17%), dog product service BarkBox (17%), meal kit company HelloFresh (16%), cosmetics provider Birchbox (14%), and cosmetics service Sephora Play (14%). More than one-quarter of respondents (27%) also cited other subscription box services.

According to Clutch, the top brands fall into two of the three major categories of subscription box services defined management consulting firm McKinsey & Company: curated services, replenishment services, and access services. Dollar Shave Club primarily offers a replenishment service, which replaces the same items on a regular basis. The other four leading brands offer a curated service, which sends collections of new, personalized items on a regular cadence. The other major subscription box category, access service, allows members access to discounts and perks.

Clutch analysis suggests Dollar Shave Club succeeds as a replenishment subscription box because it fills a basic need for personal grooming products, allowing members to restock products regularly without needing to make decisions or go out to the store. Meanwhile, Ipsy and BarkBox offer curated services focused on sending cost-efficient, personalized collections of new items for members to try and keep. 

Meal kit delivery services Blue Apron and HelloFresh curate new recipes for members to try each month, based on their personalized tastes, and send all the ingredients required to create two to three weekly meals. This enables subscribers to easily experiment with different types of meals.