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Chapter 1: What challenges do subscription boxes face?
I would say the biggest difference is being a glutton for punishment.
Chapter 2: How does a subscription box differ from regular ecommerce?
What a horrible complex thing to have to navigate 70 of our revenue is a mystery box that we ship out that people are willing to give us money on pure mystery and surprise the biggest scary moment is that so let's say this next box has eight items in it that allows eight choke points and if a single choke point happens the entire box is in peril which is absolutely brutal
Chapter 3: Why do mystery products still attract customers?
Throughout the years, you know, past 11 years, has there ever been, I guess, like a giant flounder moment?
We sent out Mission 26, the DOP kit.
Chapter 4: What is the process for selecting and testing products?
It was a complete missed mark. It was not a good box. Any KPI that matters when it comes to managing a membership, a subscription business was negatively affected by this. I think I still have PTSD from it. The mistakes are where the learnings really are.
Chapter 5: How do supply chain risks affect subscription boxes?
It's not exciting to share the losses, but the losses are the good stuff. I want to read about the losses because that's where the winning truly exists, the recipe for it.
Welcome, everybody, to the Mad Growth e-commerce podcast. I am graciously having the presence of John Roman today.
Chapter 6: What was the biggest product failure story for BattleBox?
John is coming to us from Battlebox, a subscription box all about the idea of adventure delivered straight to your door. John, thanks for joining us.
Chapter 7: How did BattleBox recover from customer churn?
Noah, thanks for having me. And small world that you were a BattleBox customer once.
At one point in time, I was. And it was just thing before the podcast, we were just talking about that and the idea of just small world people we know, places they are, and the fact that I was once a customer. So I might have a couple of things to say, but I wanted to kick us off here.
First and foremost, say just kind of asking simple question of for those that are, I guess, uninitiated, what is the realistic difference between a standardized, just like consumer package, good econ brand and a subscription box where like the three key differentiators you would say?
Chapter 8: What role does community play in customer loyalty?
Sure. So, so when we started in 2015, we, we were a subscription box. We actually don't use the term as much anymore. It's more membership. We're more just a outdoor and adventure gear brand. But when I think of the differences, subscription box, having one, and it's still, just to keep me honest, there's still about 70% of our revenue. It is our flagship product with certainty.
But I would say the biggest difference is being a glutton for punishment. What a horrible, complex thing to have to navigate. you're having to forecast numbers, you know, when you get any sort of scale six months out because of production runs and manufacturing and, you know, forecasting numbers six months out is, super challenging because you don't know how you can have the best funnel ever.
And there's so many variables outside of your control, like meta or TikTok shop or insert advertising platform you're using, just going through the ebbs and flows. So the complexity is up there. I was chatting with someone the other day and he said the two complex, super smart guys, smarter than me. He said the two complex platforms,
most complex businesses he sees in the DTC space are subscription boxes because of the reasons I outlined and then a true like scaled apparel brands because, you know, You're only selling jeans, but you have 1,500 SKUs because of color and sizes and variations that it becomes an inventory nightmare. It's just a very complex, why would we do this to ourselves business?
That's probably the big, big separator, right? It's a little bit interesting that 70% of our revenue is a mystery box that we ship out. that people are willing to give us money on pure mystery and surprise. Now, I think, you know, 11 years into this, we kind of have a track record that we send really good gear out and you are getting massive value.
So I think it's a little bit easier, but I think that it makes the barrier to entry probably pretty difficult. It's a pretty big moat just because we do have the track record. Like if you and I, you know, stayed on after the call and we're like, let's launch a Battlebox doppelganger.
and and go to market it's tough yeah i kind of answered the question i didn't give you three kind of like one i'll take it as an answer you know like because i agree with you i think you know being someone who i mean i've worked with you know subscription boxes in the past and then you know as well been consumer of them right both for you guys and other ones and
From the customer perspective, I think I've always understood that I think that mystery aspect is a big allure, right? And there are some that you can always look and kind of see what are you going to get ahead of time, and you can do exchanges with some and things like that. As customer side, I always looked at it, and I'm like, I don't want to know what I'm getting, right?
Yeah, that's part of it. Yeah, it's like if I get something I don't like, that in itself is more of a reflection on how they're doing different consumers and what they're sending out versus an actual, I would want something, right? Because if I want something specific, you just go get it as a customer. So there is that allure.
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