Sarah Williams breaks down five ways to make subscription boxes actually usable: show the finished product, include a simple usage guide, remove friction with clear labeling, tie items to specific moments, and model the box on social media. A spa box where customers didn't understand the wrist guards, a craft box missing a finished-product image, and a candle box needing a usage story show why clarity drives retention.
You're putting great products in your subscription box, but are your subscribers actually using them? In this episode, I'm sharing 5 simple ways to make your box more consumable, because when they use it, they stay. If you've ever wondered why great items still lead to cancellation, this one's for you. Let's talk about what makes your box go from "that's nice" to "I need this every month." Come listen.
Welcome to the Launch Your Box podcast with weekly tips, tricks, and strategies to start, launch, and grow your subscription box. Now here's your host, Sarah Williams.
Let me ask you something. When your subscriber opens your box, do they instantly know what to do with what's inside? If the answer is, yeah, sure, maybe, I'm not sure, that's exactly why we're here today. Because if your box isn't consumable, then you're leaving money and retention on the table. When I say your subscription box should be consumable, I don't immediately go to it has to be edible, it has to be disposable. Those are great boxes. A consumable box like that doesn't need a lot of work. But if your box is not traditionally consumable by eating it or using it and it's done, then here's where we need some action. My box is not readily consumable, so I have to create consumption with my box. So when someone opens my box, it should feel like there's a clear outcome from it. It should feel usable. It should feel easy to pull out the pieces and know what to do with them. So when someone opens my box, they have to say, do I know what to do with this? Do I know how to consume these items? Let me give you a little example because it's kind of this weird gray area. I had a spa box. It was one of our monthly subscription boxes and it was a spa theme. Well, it had a headband and these little wrist guards in there, and they're used for washing your face and the wrist guards were meant so that water doesn't drip down your arms when you're using them. So many of our subscribers had no clue what this was. They thought I gave them a sweatband from the '80s, the wristbands and the headband. And it was a complete miss for me because I didn't show them how they were consumable and they didn't know how to use them so they couldn't consume them. And when people don't consume stuff, They leave it sitting on the counter. They say this is a waste. They feel like they're not getting their money's worth. And so that was a big miss for me. When I do box openings, I will see craft boxes. And this is one that comes to mind really easily. And they typically come with like blank pieces that you have to paint or put together. And there's no clue of what the finished project looks like. And I ask them, I'm like, well, where's the picture? And like, oh, well, there's a QR code or it's on my Facebook. 'Facebook page' or 'it's on my website.' And so in my mind, immediately this subscriber has to be a private investigator to go figure out what this is supposed to be. But if I open a crafting DIY box and I see a picture of the finished product right there, and then I see all the pieces that I've got to put together, it makes me excited to get it out and paint it, AKA consume it. Okay, so we just need to do a better job of helping them see what these products are for and how they can consume it. Both of these examples, the crafting box and my box, they just needed a picture. They just needed a picture to help them consume the items from the box. And sometimes it's the last thing on our mind. Another example would be something like a candle in your box. So maybe you have a candle subscription. And that's great. They open the candle, they smell the scent of the candle, and they set it on their desk. But you've got to help tell the story of when and where they should use this candle. Light this on a Sunday evening while reading your favorite book. Let the scent fill up the room while you unwind. Now they're not just thinking about stuff, this one candle, and now it's sitting on their desk unlit, but they're thinking, oh my gosh, that sounds so relaxing. I'm gonna do that tonight. I'm gonna take a shower, I'm gonna light my candle, and I'm gonna read my favorite book tonight because I haven't done that in a while. You just created an experience with a Candle of the Month box, and that's something they're going to remember. And immediately they're consuming that, so now they're going to use up that candle and they're gonna look forward to the next one that comes. And this is how we have to tell the story of how to consume the product in our boxes. So a question for you is, are you creating an experience? Are you just delivering stuff? Making your boxes consumable is not just a fun idea, but it's really a strategic retention tool. Number 1, it increases your retention because if they use your item, they feel like they're getting their money's worth. If they wear it, if they make if they light up that candle, they're enjoying it. So they feel like they're getting their money's worth and they're going to miss that experience if they can't, if they cancel. And that's the goal. It also creates momentum. Engagement with this month's box creates anticipation for the next month's box. And that's how you continue to build excitement month after month. It also boosts word of mouth. People love to share what they use and what they enjoy. So that lotion that might sit in a drawer, That's not post-worthy. That's not share-worthy. But a product that they're using on a daily ritual, a weekend trip, that's totally post-worthy for other people. And that builds word of mouth. It also— making your box super consumable will reduce your churn. It's that too much stuff churn, right? When things pile up, we have this guilt that creeps in. Unused items feel like clutter. But if your box is getting used, it never feels like too much stuff. So if you want to reduce churn, if you want to increase retention and grow loyalty, consumability is your secret weapon. So let's talk about how to do that, because I've got 5 ways to instantly make your box more consumable. Number 1, include a visual outcome, just like I talked about with the crafting box or that spa box that I did. Show the finished project. Style the pieces you have. Show the end result of whatever's in your box. Write in the insert, do it on your insert, do it on social media. Show the end goal. And that's what we want to do. People are more likely to use it if they can see themselves using it. Okay. Number 2, offer a simple, actionable, actionable insert. So start here. Here's a checklist. Keep your instructions. Especially if you're doing DIY, or maybe you have a pet box and they need to know how to most use this toy effectively. Don't make them hunt to figure out how to use the products in your box. You've got to tie the items to a moment. So tell them when to use this. Use this on your next night in. Style this for your next brunch date with the girls. Keep this at your desk for a midday motivation. Help them visualize it in their life, and that's what makes them stick. Stick. Number 4, you have to remove friction. Label what needs labeling. Explain what needs explaining. That bonus fabric, that mystery sticker, tell them what it's for and why it's there. The less they have to guess, the more they'll engage. And number 5, be the influencer, not just the curator. Show up using your own box. Show up on socials, maybe on Instagram Reels, maybe in your Facebook group. Show up in your emails. You've got to model it, use it, and show them how it fits into your life. Because if you don't use it, why should they? Now, I want you to audit your next box before you ship it. So here's a 5-question audit I have for you. Number 1, if I gave this to a stranger, would they know what to do with it? Seems simple, right? Yes or no? Number 2, can I— can my subscriber use at least 70% of this box within the next 7 days? Think about it. Can my subscriber use at least 70% of this box in the next 7 days? Number 3, have I clearly shown or explained how to use each item? Have I included, number 4 is, have I included visual or verbal cues that invite action inside the box? And number 5, have I modeled the experience myself? Have I done that on video? Have I done that on photos? Have I done that in email? If you can't answer yes to at least 4 of these 5, You have an opportunity to level up that box before it goes out. A consumable box is totally a retention play. If they use it, they'll want more of it. If they don't, they're going to forget about it and cancel. So audit your next box using these 5 questions and come back right here next week for another Friday Fuel episode.
