While the market for monthly subscription box startups boomed in 2012, subscription services have continued to thrive in New York City, as convenience is king when it comes to modern shopping.
Whether it be makeup or food, these weekly or monthly subscriptions sell a box of surprises — a curated gift delivered straight to your doorstep. If you’re looking for a bit of self-indulgence, here are seven New York-based startups offering box subscriptions.
Birchbox is a subscription box service that provides monthly deliveries of five personalized beauty samples. The e-commerce platform lets customers easily and efficiently try, learn about and purchase beauty products through tailored shipments of surprise packages.
BarkBox delivers a curated box of dog treats and toys to owners’ doors each month. The boxes vary depending on the size of the dog, and cost between $20 and $29. If a dog particularly takes to a certain item in its BarkBox each month, owners can also repurchase the item on BarkShop.com, a sister website to BarkBox.
TryTheWorld is a food delivery subscription that sources food from different countries, which it then assembles into boxes curated by celebrity chefs. Each month, Try the World’s boxes are centered around a certain country, providing its customers with a full culinary experience. This subscription will run you as little as $29 per box and you can also subscribe to the company’s snack box for $15 per month, which ships you five snacks from five different countries.
Plated’s subscription box service allows users to choose from chef-designed recipes to get precisely measured ingredients delivered each week. A departure from other food delivery startups, Plated is unique in that it values personalization, allowing customers to choose their recipes each week, skip weeks of service and adjust the size of their order.
One of New York’s unicorn companies, Blue Apron is a staple in local subscription boxes. The company delivers the ingredients and instructions to cook meals that take less than 35 minutes to prepare, an attraction option for on-the-go New Yorkers. Customers are able to choose between weekly two-person plans or four-serving family plans, with the promise of fresh, seasonal ingredients in each box.
Bespoke Post is a subscription box service for men. Each month, the company curates a themed box to assemble a collection of goods ranging from “Classic Beard Oil” to craft coffee syrup. All boxes offer a limited-edition collection of men’s lifestyle gear from up-and-coming brands, spanning across all areas of a customer’s day-to-day needs.
Scentbird is a subscription service for colognes and perfumes. While an individual’s signature fragrance can often be a long-term investment, Scentbird gives users access to a 30-day supply of over 450 designer brands, all for $14.95 per month.
