The rapid growth of retail subscription services could be coming to an end
Box-sellers are trying to adapt
TRADE COFFEE shifted under 1m bags of whole and ground beans between beginning operations in April 2018 and the start of the pandemic in March 2020. By the start of 2022 it will have sold another 4m or so, says its boss, Mike Lackman. It has benefited from a covid-era craze for subscriptions. Confined at home, consumers round the world hit “subscribe” on all manner of boxes delivered to their doorsteps, from drinks and meal kits to scented candles, razors and underwear. Sales in America surged by over 40% during 2020 to $23bn according to eMarketer, a research firm. But hanging on to those customers as lockdowns start to ease will be hard.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Outside the box”
Business October 30th 2021
- How the pandemic has changed the weather in the technology industry
- Will Japan’s new prime minister continue to reform corporate governance?
- Worries ahead for American firms
- The rapid growth of retail subscription services could be coming to an end
- An activist investor targets Shell
- The limits to the lessons of army leadership
- The three unknowns of the modern ad age
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