“惊喜礼盒”热潮来袭

    虽然NatureBox在一个独特的市场上发现了一个利基市场（它向订户寄送有机的健康零食），但并非所有这些企业都是以利基市场为目标。事实上，有些公司以投身于一个拥挤甚至功利的市场为傲。Dollar Shave Club创始人兼CEO迈克•杜宾在接受《财富》采访时表示，虽然经营模式与其相同的其他公司可能会出售“拥有会不错”（nice to have）的产品，但Dollar Shave Club之所以成功，是因为它销售的产品是“必需品”。（大多数男人都需要刮胡子。）

    虽然“寄送礼盒型订付”公司竭尽全力地想实现自身的差异化，但它们都拥有惊人相似的基本情况：他们都在2011年或2012年推出，都需要很少、甚至完全不需要初始风投资金，而且都在到目前为止缺乏竞争的市场上开拓出了一个利基市场。

    这些企业背后的创业者希望，他们到目前为止还只是稍稍展示了各自的潜力。Quarterly.co的米奇•洛旨在到8月份“完善我们的基础设施”，然后将有影响力的贡献者列表扩大到包括政治家、运动员、厨师以及演员。目前以音乐服务为主的Merchbox计划将业务扩大到包括所有类型的娱乐服务。当然，很像亚马逊进入出版业或销售食品杂货，或者房屋短租服务平台Airbnb计划向房屋以外的其他租赁业务进军的既定目标，几乎所有的互联网市场都想拓展到多个垂直市场。但贪多嚼不烂一直是许多曾经专注的创业构想最终的死因。

    或许这些公司最奇怪的特性是废除订付模式，而在一定程度上，正是这种模式给它们带来了成功。许多公司都急于跟订付模式划清界限。正如杜宾强调指出的那样：“我们不喜欢‘订付’这个词，我们喜欢‘会员’这个词。‘会员’这个词比较热情，而‘订付’这个词非常冷淡。称呼会员会让你感觉像是圈内人。”会员这个概念是Dollar Shave Club的主要收入来源——会员在加入后收到的一个包裹附有一张提示卡，上面写道：“欢迎加入Dollar Shave Club。”

    BarkBox创始人兼CEO马特•米克说：“很难从每月订付模式中获得巨大的成功，所以我们更加趋向于把这个模式看作是积累客户的一个方式，而客户将把我们引向其他商业机会。” 会员参加订付服务的目的是为了定期获得惊喜，目前还不清楚，对于这样一个行业而言，还存在哪些其他商机。

    这些公司目前真正试图在做的事情，是在实体和网络之间架起一座桥梁。利用一个电子商务平台向消费者寄送一个有形实物的“产品”礼盒，这个模式本身就有些不协调——尤其是对于那些更古怪的物品（比如Quarterly.co提供的手工制品或Merchbox提供的黑胶唱片）而言更是如此。“寄送礼盒型订付”公司承诺提供在数字时代人们渴望的一种反主流文化的模糊感觉。虽然亚马逊可以向全美各地成千上万个家庭寄送相同的产品，但当一位订户收到Merchbox根据其个人兴趣而按需提供的一个音乐商品礼盒的时候，或者收到Quarterly.co寄来的附有个性化信件的礼盒包裹时，她会感受到某种形式的亲密关系。

    但是，随着这些“寄送礼盒型订付”公司的发展，与订户关系亲密的“外衣”可能会逐渐消失，显露出其广告成本昂贵而且利润率疲软的“躯体”。包装和运输的成本会很高，而且很难借助低得诱人的订付费收入来予以弥补。“寄送礼盒型订付”服务可能很难频繁创新，从而避免自己遭到过期淘汰的命运。(财富中文网)

    翻译：iDo98

    While NatureBox has found a niche in a distinctive market (it sends organic, healthy snack foods) not all of these businesses target a niche. Some take pride, in fact, in having jumped into a crowded, even utilitarian market. Mike Dubin, founder and CEO of Dollar Shave Club, tells Fortune that while the other companies that share his model might sell products that are "nice to have," Dollar Shave Club is successful because its product is "essential." (Most men need to shave.)

    Though they go to great lengths to differentiate themselves, send-a-box companies have strikingly similar skeletons: They all launched in 2011 or 2012, required little or no initial VC funding, and carved out a niche in as-yet uncompetitive markets.

    The entrepreneurs behind these businesses hope that they are so far only scratching the surface of their potential. Mitch Lowe of Quarterly.co aims to have "perfected our infrastructure" by August and then broaden the contributor list to include politicians, athletes, chefs, and actors. Merchbox, which is currently music-oriented, plans to expand to all genres of entertainment. Of course, much like Amazon getting into publishing or selling groceries, or Airbnb's stated goal of venturing into renting out more than just rooms, almost all web marketplaces want to expand into multiple verticals. But attempting too much has been the death of many a focused idea.

    Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of these companies is to dismantle the system that is in part responsible for their success. Many are eager to distance themselves from the subscription model. As Dubin stresses, "We don't like the word 'subscription,' we like the word 'membership.' The word 'membership' is warm, whereas 'subscription' is much colder. Membership feels like you're on the inside." The concept of membership is Dollar Shave Club's bread and butter -- the first package a member receives contains a notecard: "Welcome to the club."

    Matt Meeker, founder and CEO of BarkBox, says, "It's hard to make a big successful business out of the monthly subscriptions model, so we see it more as a way of accumulating customers that will then lead into other business opportunities." It's unclear what other opportunities there would be for a business whose members joined in order to be surprised on a regular basis.

    What these companies are really attempting to do is bridge the gap between analog and digital. There's an inherent irony in utilizing an e-commerce platform to send consumers a physical, tangible box of "stuff" -- especially with the more whimsical offerings like handmade items from Quarterly.co or vinyl from Merchbox. The send-a-box companies promise a vague sense of counterculture that people crave in the digital era. Though Amazon can ship the same products to thousands of homes across the country, when a subscriber receives a Merchbox with music tailored to her interests, or a Quarterly.co package with a personalized letter, she feels a connection.

    But as these send-a-box businesses grow, the coat of intimacy may melt to reveal one of expensive advertising and weak profit margins. The costs of packaging and shipping can be high and are hardly offset by the enticing low fees for subscription. It may be tough for send-a-box services to innovate so frequently that they avoid an expiration date.