Besides being the epitome of all things healthy, useful, or decadent and self-indulgent, these monthly/quarterly boxes bring joy and a sense of anticipation and excitement when we un-box them! It is like the glee and delight that kids feel while opening birthday presents. Today, you can get a subscription box for just about anything, from makeup and craft supplies to organic snacks and complete meal kits. So, what’s it about this extraordinary retail trend that started nearly a century ago and has somehow flourished into a mass movement that has taken all in its stride and is marching ahead? And since Coronavirus hit and we began working from home we are all appreciating the moment our subscription box drops through the letterbox more than ever before!
Viki Shah rounds up a few exciting and innovative subscription boxes available in the UAE.
How it all began:
If you are anyone like me, the only subscription that I knew of was a library subscription that allowed me to get a certain number of books on a regular basis for a monthly fee! And surprisingly enough, my online research told me that Subscription boxes did begin with books, but a century ago! The Book of the Month Club was the first actual subscription box and was started by one Harry Scherman, a journalist and advertising pro who believed that mail order was the best way to tap into the literature-lacking book market. And to do that, he hit upon a great idea: Instead of depending on customers to view catalogues and order books, he charged them a monthly fee and sent them randomly selected books on a monthly basis. And so was born the subscription box model in 1926.
This was followed by the phenomenal success of Birchbox in 2004 as we all know. It is said that founders Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna hit upon this idea of shipping boxes of make up to women who were finding it hard to pick and choose! It caught on the rest is history!
Why Subscription Boxes?
I personally feel that subscription boxes work because it makes you forget that you are spending money because you don’t pay when you receive it and getting something unexpected is always fun, isn’t it? They’re selling the excitement of discovery. It is all about sending or receiving gifts and the timeless joy that this process brings. Part of the appeal lies in discovering products they we may not have known otherwise. With SMEs cropping up everywhere with amazing offerings, we cannot keep track of everything and sometimes, end up missing out on good deals and products. Subscription boxes allow customers to try products and brands risk-free. The increased exposure to new products helps shoppers discover ideal products for their inclinations and needs.
As PR Consultant Camellia Bojtor says, “”With life so restricted at present, I was looking for a little pick me up and way to keep myself entertained. I’ve always had a fetish for all things stationery, so I started looking for a subscription package. After sifting through a bunch of options I came across Papergang and found it to be one of the best in terms of value for money. I’ve now received two boxes and can’t wait to receive the next. I love that they always post what’s coming up in the next month’s edition, as soon as this month’s box is received – which I always eagerly await. I would highly recommend them!”
We bring you some of the best Subscription boxes in UAE. Slide 5
Number one on our list is BeauTT by Tishtash. Slide 6
Natasha Hatherall Shawe, Founder and CEO tells us why subscription boxes work: “A monthly subscription box is the gift that keeps on giving. At a time where every treat, piece of self-care, gift or surprise counts, it can really lift the spirits to receive that doorstep delivery of ‘good things. Even better, is the subscription box that delivers the unexpected, especially within the beauty and wellness industry – not knowing what is going to arrive each month adds a bigger element of surprise and a bigger thrill to receive.”
“Subscription boxes work for brands because there is no better marketing research than getting your products in the hands of your ideal paying customer. Consumers value convenience and time and are ready to invest in that. Coupled with receipt of products they haven’t tried or tested before, being the ‘first to see and use’, it’s a model that provides a real win/win situation for both the sender and the receiver. The goodwill created cannot be underestimated. Variety, exclusive access and convenience, alongside what feels like a real gift to self, are what make subscription boxes fun and exciting, and that is exactly what people need right now,” she adds.
The #BeauTT box contains an exclusive selection of 10 full size beauty products plus some extra treats and surprises including skincare, make-up, and haircare, some of which are not yet available to consumers in the region. The exciting mix of cult brands, niche formulations and favourites tried and tested by the TishTash team, gives beauty aficionados in the UAE the very first chance to sample and be in the know before anyone else. BeauTT box is all about supplying beauty junkies with the absolute best and most exclusive new formulations and products that they will love.
The #BeauTT box is priced at AED 350 (with a total box value of AED 1200).
Visit www.glamazle.com to order
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Bliss The Box
This is a monthly subscription box that includes gifts to support in self- development & healing. Each month they have a theme that they select and prepare the box accordingly. With Bliss the Box, you’ll receive items intended to busy your mind with thought-provoking activities like affirmation journals, along with goodies to help you feel relaxed and pampered (think: bath salts, crystals, colouring books, books to read).
Prices: Customized box = AED 888, 3-month subscription = AED 1140, 6-month subscription = AED 2244,
12-month subscription = AED 4444
Visit Instagram @blissthebox to order.
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Chocolate Therapy from Co. Chocolat
Founders Iman and Luchie believe that laughter is the best medicine, and chocolate is the best therapy.
Their Chocolate Therapy is the happiest treatment on the planet with healthy, regular dose of flavonoids and the “bliss molecule” anandamide. Automate your chocolate fix, save time, and receive on your doorstep the latest fine-flavor, healthy chocolates made from single origin Agusan del Sur cacao beans; from pure cacao products you can use for cooking, smoothies and snacking, to freshly made choco bars, gianduja spreads, cookies and healthy chocolate pastries, beautifully handcrafted bon-bons, stamina-enhancing chocolatl drink crucial to health and wellness. All-natural ingredients, with no additives, preservatives, or extenders. They take care of your health too with a good dose of energy, proteins, vitamins and minerals, fibers, grains, nuts, dates, Moringa, Oleic acid (olive oil), and other ancient healing ingredients in their chocolate products.
Subscriptions are available for Solo boxes, Sharing boxes and Family boxes and prices range from AED100 to AED1890.
After two months of subscription, you will receive more surprise products FREE. They are new flavors and cocoa products you’ll be able to enjoy way before these products become available to the public.
Visit: https://cochocolat.com/collections/welcome-to-chocolate-therapy to subscribe.
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Fruitful Day
From summer mangoes fruits to fall figs and winter citrus, they take the guesswork out of your fruit shopping. They make sure that you regularly eat the tastiest and freshest fruit that is available. Fruitful Day lovingly hand-picks and thoughtfully prepares fruit boxes in their certified facility in Dubai Investment Park and deliver throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ajman.
All their fruit boxes contain servings of delicious, fresh in-season and wherever possible, in-region fruit. They will slice fruits where it makes sense (mangoes, papayas, melons for example). All their fruit is washed, individually packed, or served in containers and handled carefully to ensure that maintains freshness all the way to your doorstep.
Prices range from AED90 to AED240.
Visit https://fruitfulday.com/subscription to subscribe.
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Haul In One
A bespoke beauty subscription box service that celebrates every woman’s unique beauty. The brand’s expertly curated monthly beauty box contains 5-7 full size items across skincare, haircare, makeup, and tools, of brands from all over the world. Each box is personalized based on individual preferences – a customized monthly dose of targeted, prescribed beauty and skincare put together just for YOU. Pretty cool, isn’t it?
A homegrown Dubai brand, HAUL IN ONE believe strongly in giving back, thus working towards pledging a portion of proceeds towards boxes for female labour camps in the UAE. They recently announced their CSR campaign in collaboration with UAE-based charity, Stop & Help DXB to commemorate their one-year anniversary. The campaign honours the homegrown brand’s commitment and values of inclusive and accessible beauty while adding unexpected beauty gifts to cheer women who may be affected financially by Covid19.
Prices begin at AED241/month.
Visit: https://www.haulinoneworld.com/subscription-terms to subscribe.
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Hello Chef
Hello Chef, is a Dubai-based meal-kit service, delivering chef-curated recipes and pre-portioned, fresh ingredients to you with everything you need to prepare home-cooked meals in about 30 minutes. Their home delivery service allows customers to spend less time meal planning and grocery shopping, and more time appreciating the true value of enjoying delicious food with loved ones.
Founder, Olivia Manner, is a self-confessed foodie who is happiest when cooking, eating and entertaining loved ones with her delicious recipes and she wanted to find a way to extend this passion for food to her local community. Admiring meal-kit concepts taking shape in Europe, she began to prepare and pack her own recipe boxes here in Dubai and deliver them to a small group of friends back in 2015. It wasn’t long before the demand grew, and Hello Chef was born.
They offer customers a menu of 20 recipes to choose from every week – with dishes ranging from vegan to vegetarian, and low-calorie to gluten-free. Each weekly meal kit contains four recipes and caters to 2, 3 or 4 people.
Prices vary based on number of people and number of meals/week.
Visit https://hellochef.me/our-boxes to subscribe.
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Thoughtfully chosen items to support several aspects of a pregnant parent’s well-being, pregnancy Mama’s Box offers the chance to try new products and indulge in a bit of pampering, reminding you that it’s important to indulge the parent-to-be and the new parent — now more than ever.
The leading Maternity Subscription service in UAE and Saudi Arabia, they support the Motherhood journey from Pregnancy to Toddler and help mums-to-be and new mums to enjoy their Motherhood and make it a little easier and a whole lot happier.
They provide the best selection of maternity products, services and maternity advice that mum, bump and baby are guaranteed to love. Each monthly box contains 4-6 must-haves, innovative and useful products from premium brands, customized to the mother’s pregnancy stage or baby’s age until two years old.
Mama’s Box Subscription is priced at 275 AED per month and offers great value to mums, including products worth over 325 AED per box, vouchers for maternity services worth over 500 AED and free shipping in the UAE / lowest shipping rates to KSA.
Mama’s Box is also the Perfect Maternity Gift, offering Subscription Bundles and a wide range of Premium Gift Boxes.
Prices begin at AED275/month.
Visit https://www.mamas-box.com/products/subscribe to subscribe.
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Maison Duffour
Whether you simply want to receive a sampling of new cheeses every month or have everything on hand to assemble a beautiful cheeseboard for in-home entertainment, they have you covered. Their carefully curated cheesebox was created 4 years ago, and many of their customers discovered more than 200 cheeses thanks to this subscription.
The cheesebox contains a selection of 5 delicious cheeses delivered at your doorstep at the end of every month. The cheeses are always different and a surprise for the customers and cover a range of flavors, textures, and types. This is also an opportunity to learn about cheese as they provide discerning clients with the story of their making and their producers.
The monthly cheesebox is priced at AED199/month.
Visit https://www.maisonduffour.com/products/cheese-box-by-maison-duffour to subscribe.
They propose the raclette kit, fondue kit, tartiflette kit, a French cheese selection and more than 400 references on the website (with 70+ cheeses a la carte).
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Foxi Box
They want to make dogs as happy as they make us.Foxi Box is a UAE based dog treats and toys subscription service, delivering subscribing dog owners branded gift boxes with locally sourced treats, toys and carefully selected offers from local partners on a monthly basis. No Foxi Box is the same; each subscription package is based on the size and preference of each dog at an affordable price, offering one-, three- and six-month subscriptions. They do this while supporting UAE dog rescue agencies by donating AED 15 from each box purchased.
Foxi Box also provides Foxi Sox “Your Pet on themed socks” for the human in your pet’s life.
Prices begin at AED160.
Visit https://foxi-box.com/collections/all-products-but-add-on to subscribe.
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Sprout.ae
All parents want to see their children grow and thrive. And nutritious food is a great part of that! Lately, feeding children has become a bit of a daunting task for many parents. Questions like, “Should I give my child one spoonful of broccoli every day, every week or every month? “, “Is dairy bad for them, and if so, why?“, “How long can I cook vegetables before they lose their nutrients?“. Add this to the time required to shop, prepare, and cook, it becomes easy to understand why this isn’t a breeze.
This where Sprout comes in! They are exponents of nutrition science which dictates their recipes – each of their meals nurtures growth and longevity and minimizes disease risk. They take this very seriously. There are just too many diseases “fueled-by” and “feeding-off” what we eat – diabetes type II, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancer to name a few. And it all begins in childhood. Based on the best available balance in science, Sprout’s food follows a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) approach with very minimal use of (refined) oil and salt. They stay away from anything processed, preserved, or chemically modified and their meals are made with fresh, unprocessed, wholesome ingredients and prepared using scientific cooking methods to maximize nutrient density. Your kids will love it!
Visit https://sprout.ae/product-category/monthly-offers/ to subscribe.
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PJs Every 30 Days
We all know how wonderful it feels after a long day sinking into bed in comfy fresh Pyjamas. Whether it’s summer or winter, having snug and trendy sleepwear to lounge around the house and sleep in is something that every woman wants, but not something that one indulges in regularly. PJs Every 30 Days is a dream come true for every woman who wants to be pampered! Their PJ pamper boxes act as a monthly reminder to take some “me time” – something we often forget to do or simply don’t prioritise enough. With their luxury Pyjamas subscription box, you can have exactly that.
Subscriptions start from 200 AED p/m. They also have a “buy now” section available for customers to purchase PJ boxes, which are great for gifts, silk pillowcases and eye masks and finally gorgeous slippers and all of these are delivered next day to anywhere in the UAE.
Visit https://pjsevery30days.com/prices-subscribe/ to subscribe.