瞄準吃貨的創(chuàng)業(yè)點子:快遞美食
????募集的資金也將用來建立在線商城,顧客可以直接購買當月食盒中的食品。這一步模仿自最成功的訂購銷售初創(chuàng)公司之一Birchbox。該公司有80萬訂購者,在最近一輪籌資中估值達4.85億美元。Birchbox有30%的收入來源于用戶的直接購買,其余則來自每月的禮盒訂購。 ????幾年前,訂購銷售成為了初創(chuàng)公司流行的一種商業(yè)模式。該模式由Birchbox(化妝品)等發(fā)起,隨后服裝公司ShoeDazzle、BeachMint和JustFab等對此進行了借鑒。Barkbox(寵物狗用品)、Dollar Shave Club(剃須刀)和Blue Apron(食材)等都進行了大輪融資。而其他公司如Lot18(酒類)、Caskers(精美工藝)和Craft Coffee(咖啡)也通過引入新的特色產品打出了自己的品牌。如今,從調味品(如Ship and Dip)到大麻配件(如The Happy Crate),幾乎所有物品都有提供每月訂購的公司。甚至還有一家名為Blush Box的公司提供性感內衣和情趣玩具。 ????這類服務并非沒有失敗的前車之鑒。ShoeDazzle、BeachMint和JustFab都苦苦掙扎一段時間后被合并了。(BeachMint在本月初與Lucky雜志合并前,曾經縮減規(guī)模,而JustFab和ShoeDazzle兩家在2013年底進行了合并。)其他的,比如借助名人效應的12Society實現(xiàn)了軟著陸。而酒類訂購服務TastingRoom則被Lot18收購。兩家情趣玩具訂購店BoinkBox和SpiceGuides(之前叫做Dejamor),也暫停營業(yè)了。 ????沃洛托瓦稱,她注意到了訂購銷售的一些缺點,意識到訂購銷售每個月都需要提供超值服務才行。她表示:“你必須為訂購者創(chuàng)造某些價值,連同著那些可以分享并迅速傳播的興奮和體驗。”Try the World在盒子里提供的商品分量都很足,因此顧客不會認為沒得到足夠的價值。 ????缺點是什么?Try the World的盒子中只有包裝好的食品,因為這樣才能被裝運。此外,盒子里也只包含美國食品和藥物管理局許可的物件。這意味著美食旅游的一些最誘人的食品——比如非法的西班牙火腿,或是未經高溫消毒的法國乳酪,這在美國比買到槍支還要難——仍然需要出國才能享用。(財富中文網) ????譯者:嚴匡正 |
????The money will also go toward building an online marketplace, where customers can directly purchase items from the monthly boxes. That move follows the footsteps of one of the most successful subscription commerce startups, Birchbox, which has 800,000 subscribers and was valued at $485 million in its latest round of funding. Birchbox gets around 30% of its revenue from direct purchases and the rest from monthly box subscriptions. ????Subscription commerce became a trendy business model among startups several years ago, led by startups like Birchbox (focused on cosmetics) and followed by the apparel companies ShoeDazzle, BeachMint, and JustFab. Subscription companies like Barkbox (for dog supplies), Dollar Shave Club (for razors), and Blue Apron (for meal ingredients) raised large rounds of funding. Others including Lot18 for wine, Caskers for craft spirits, and Craft Coffee for coffee have made their mark introducing foodies to new specialty products. Now there are monthly subscription services for just about anything, from condiments (Ship and Dip) to marijuana accessories (The Happy Crate). There’s even one for lingerie and sex toys called Blush Box. ????The category has not been without its failures. ShoeDazzle, BeachMint, and JustFab have struggled and ultimately consolidated. (BeachMint scaled back before merging with Lucky magazine earlier this month; JustFab and ShoeDazzle merged in late 2013.) Others, such as celebrity-infused 12Society, found soft landings. TastingRoom, a subscription wine service, sold to Lot18. Two subscription sex toy services, BoinkBox and SpiceGuides (previously known as Dejamor), have put operations on hold. ????Vorotova says she’s observed some of the shortcomings of subscription commerce and learned that subscription commerce needs to over-deliver every month. “You have to create some kind of value for the subscriber, along with excitement and experience that is shareable and essentially becomes viral,” she says. Try the World includes large portions of each product in its boxes, so customers don’t feel they’re not getting enough value. ????One drawback? Try the World’s boxes only feature packaged foods, since that’s what’s shippable. Further, the boxes can only include FDA-approved items. Which means that holy-grail items of foodie tourism—illegal Spanish ham, say, or unpasteurized French cheese, which is more difficult to purchase in the U.S. than a gun—still requires a trip abroad. ????Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Try the World’s co-founders were ex-Google employees. They were participants in an incubator at Google. |