Subscription Box Association Launches to Deliver Tips on Business, Sustainability

Odds are, Hello Fresh, Birchbox, BarkBox, or a number of other weekly or monthly subscription boxes are dotting doorsteps in your neighborhood.

With more than 2,500 subscription box companies launched in the past three years alone, a new organization, the Subscription Trade Association  (opens in a new tab) (SUBTA), has emerged with the aim to provide the industry with knowledge, leadership, and resources.

Unveiled last month at the first Subscription Summit  (opens in a new tab), in Austin, Texas, SUBTA welcomes box builders, thought leaders, supply chain members, and marketing partners. The new association will look to help its membership foster professional development, create networking opportunities, grow a great customer experience, and generate profits.

“Over the next decade, the subscription box industry is on track to generate more than $90 billion in annual revenues,” said Paul Chambers, one of the cofounders of SUBTA, in a press release  (opens in a new tab). “We believe forming SUBTA is a natural next step given the growth that is ongoing in subscription commerce as a whole, and creating a global network that helps grow enduringly fantastic subscription businesses just makes sense.”

The association’s website features tips for packaging  (opens in a new tab), inventory management  (opens in a new tab), and shipping  (opens in a new tab), among other topics, with many encouraging “conscious capitalism.” Many of the guidelines focus on limiting waste, cutting costs, and promoting recycling or reuse. (“Items such as boxes, bubble wrap, peanuts, plastic air bags, and envelopes can all be reused,” reads one tip  (opens in a new tab) on limiting costs.)

“We want to foster a socially conscious sustainable box industry, where profitable growth and impact thrive together,” said cofounder Michelle Lange in the press release.

She added that SUBTA will also look to lead research on subjects critical to its mission, including sustainability.

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