The exchange of one thing for another, be it a tangible object or an intangible service, has been a part of any form of civilized society since the beginning of time. Thousands of years later we have a new way of trading, eCommerce.
With this new means of trading it has become easier for a shopping enthusiast to go on to their favorite website and order the new upcoming product. Many businesses have adapted to this form of getting their product or service out – given that it is much simpler to set up their own virtual shop than to establish a physical store.
A new trending and innovative way of selling online has recently been surging in popularity over the past few years: the service of providing a monthly shipment of assorted products based a customer’s specific preferences, all neatly packaged in a box that is almost crate-like.
If you have yet to figure out what I am talking about, given the obvious hint, the product is called Loot Crate. Loot Crate has devised a way of reaching all types of target audiences by providing a monthly delivery of products chosen and based on a theme of the customer's choosing. In the beginning, their products were advertised as being “Geeky” or “Nerdy” but now, they have evolved their categories into what is “in” or “trending”. Products range from well known products by well-known companies, and other products from smaller up-and-coming developers; although the assortment of products in each box changes every month.
This practice has provided the base operation strategy for new businesses to surge and sell their products via a monthly delivery service. What once was a means of geeking/nerding out with figures of Star Wars, Marvel coffee mugs, and Star Trek t-shirts now has become a means of acquiring products for healthy lifestyles or products for the gentleman who cares for his facial hair.
In actuality there exists a wide range of products tailored for any type of customer. Whether you are looking for books, food, beauty products, baby stuff, mom stuff, teens, kids adults, etc. Basically if it’s in the market and fits within a “crate” like fashioned box, you can get a variety of goodies based off your selection delivered monthly to your doorstep.
So what does this new practice offer to existing businesses or new businesses? If you are familiar with the newsletter concept, then you know that it is extremely valuable to have a database of customers who are interested in what you are offering and having a means to communicate with them can generate more sales. Look at this as a new method of selling your product to an already existing target, if you already sell products online – well, why not sell a bundle of these products at a lowered price? This can ensure your ability to sell existing products over a select period of time.
Say you have one product that is selling extremely well but a handful that are not and are just cluttering up your stock. Well this bundle of monthly delivery practice gives you the opportunity to bundle up products to free space in your inventory. Maybe you only want that mug in the shape of Darth Vader and not really want the R2-D2 stickers because BB-8 is so much rounder and modern but who could pass up a sale!?
When talking of buying on the internet, there is still a little stigma on whether it is safe or not – but it is without a doubt not as unappealing as before, making shopping on the web more and more of a trend. This is opening up a broad range of possibilities for businesses in the upcoming future not so far away far away.
Erik Torres is Web Developer at Mijo! Brands, a leading digital agency with offices in CDMX and Puerto Vallarta. For more information, please contact us.
