The Infinite Expansion of Subscriptions: How Far Can It Go?

[Subscription Economy Part 2] Toothbrush and Toothpaste Delivered Every 3 Months

Notice for The Menagerie Bakery Pass at Shinsegae Department Store. Photo by Shinsegae Department Store

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Housewife Shin Jeong-ah (28, female) applied for a "subscription delivery" service that automatically sends products on the desired date right after childbirth. By setting only the date considering the required quantities of baby formula, diapers, and wet wipes, the items are delivered. There is no need to worry about when to purchase them anymore. Office worker Park Yoon-soo (32, male), who enjoys single life, receives regular deliveries of water, snacks, and daily necessities through subscription delivery. Thanks to this, he is freed from the hassle of grocery shopping.

Shinsegae Department Store recently launched the industry's first bakery subscription service. By paying 50,000 KRW per month at the bakery store (The Menagerie), customers can pick one of five popular breads daily. The price per bread ranges from 4,200 KRW to 5,500 KRW. Subscribing to bread daily for a month means buying at one-third of the regular price. The bread subscription is an idea to attract customers to offline stores. Customers using the bread subscription visit the store more frequently, and the store secures loyal customers.

The beauty-specialized platform "Memebox" made a so-called "big hit" with its cosmetic sample subscription delivery service. Thanks to the sample subscription delivery, the company’s annual sales grew to several tens of billions of KRW. In 2012, Memebox customers paid 16,500 KRW monthly to receive cosmetics worth up to 100,000 KRW.

As more consumers wanted to repurchase cosmetics they had tried once, the company expanded its online mall selling those products and developed its own brands such as "I'm Meme" and "Pony Effect," transforming into a cosmetic manufacturing and distribution service company. Currently, it has changed its status to a beauty-specialized platform with 5 million members worldwide.

Oral care brand LiveOrals started a subscription delivery service for oral care products such as toothbrushes and toothpaste. They focused on the importance of brushing methods and periodic toothbrush replacement rather than the frequency of brushing. Subscribers can pay monthly and receive products every three months, which is the appropriate toothbrush replacement cycle. Subscription products can be purchased according to preference, including regular toothbrushes, electric toothbrush heads, and orthodontic toothbrushes.

"Weekly Shirts" also launched a clothing rental service in October 2016 that regularly delivers men's shirts weekly. Users pay at least 49,000 KRW per month and receive 3 to 5 shirts weekly. When customers hang the worn shirts on the door, the delivery person replaces them with new shirts early in the morning. "Closet Share" operates a service where customers pay rental fees ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 KRW monthly to receive luxury brand handbags and clothing such as Prada, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent through subscription delivery. Reporter Moon Hyewon hmoon3@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.