Subscription boxes win over 14% of Brits

Subscription boxes win over 14% of Brits

YouGov - October 1st, 2020

Subscription box fans cite convenience as the most appealing aspect, while cost puts off many other consumers

About one in seven people (14%) have bought from a subscription box company in the last twelve months, with snacks and drinks (33%), meal-in-a-box ingredient services (22%) and make-up and beauty products (20%) being the most popular types.

About two in five subscription box users (37%) cite convenience as a reason for signing up. A third (33%) say they want to treat themselves, while about three in ten (31%) do it to try new products. And one in seven people (14%) simply sign up to avoid going to the shops. The data is from the last twelve months, meaning it's recorded before and during the pandemic.

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Despite growing popularity, subscription boxes have not yet caught on with most Brits (84%). Many say it’s because they prefer choosing their own products (40%). A similar number are put off by the cost (38%), while a third (33%) actually enjoy going to the shops. A fifth (21%) also say the types of boxes currently on offer don’t interest them.

Younger people are more susceptible to subscribing to a box

Subscription box fans tend to be male (59% vs 49% of all Brits) and are often younger. About half are millennials (53%), and they are more likely than the wider population to not yet have had children (39% vs 27%), have a young family (13% vs 5%) or an adult family (25% vs 16%). The wider population is, on the other hand, more likely than box customers to have adult children who’ve moved out.

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Social grade also plays some role. About three in five subscription box users (59%) are ABC1s, meaning they’re more likely to work in professional jobs. This compares to 54% of all Brits.

Their advertisement habits also differ from the rest of the population. About one in seven (15%) like adverts on influencer blogs or vlogs, while only 4% of the public agree. Promotions on podcasts (11% vs 4%) and online advertising in general (28% vs 20%) also perform better with this segment.

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