Our mission is simple: connecting people back to nature

House Plant Box
California, USA

Subbly is honored to be part of the House Plant Box story. The founders are a true inspiration for any retail business owner trying to develop an online sales channel. From a brick and mortar plant shop to a thriving ecommerce company, learn how House Plant Box is using Subbly to build a sustainable business with recurring revenue.

Tell us the name of your company and briefly describe your business and product.

Our company’s name is House Plant Box. We sell monthly subscription boxes, starting first with just a houseplant box but upon requests from our customers, moving on to offer more varieties. We currently offer 6 types of monthly subscription boxes: the basic houseplant box, pet-friendly house plant box, air-plant box, succulent box, premium house plant box, and our newest addition - the herb box.

What inspired you to start your business?

[My partner and I] first started as a plant store, but we quickly noticed that a lot of our younger customers didn’t always have the time to browse and research plants every time they wanted to add a new plant to their collection. So to make it more convenient for our customers, we started the monthly house plant box. Of course people want to research and compare prices, but no one wants to waste hours surfing the web. So we started our monthly subscription box for convenience and to offer really great prices to customers. It was important to be able to offer really low prices because we honestly love plants and we want to connect people with nature.

Every business is on a mission. What is the House Plant Box mission?

Our mission is simple: connecting people back to nature. Urbanization is increasing at a rapid rate, and for those who live in metropolitan areas, it's very hard to see green often even though it's very important for one’s mental well being and physical well-being to be around plants.

What accomplishment are you most proud of so far?

From a business perspective, we’re proud to have expanded our offering so much since launching. We now have a premium box for people wanting larger indoor plants as well as a recent release with an herb box that sends a different herb plant monthly. But on a personal level, we’re proud just watching our customers post pictures of their plants and seeing how excited they get.

Free Webinar: How To Quickly Build a Business With Recurring Revenue

Every week, Subbly hosts a free webinar to teach budding entrepreneurs and business owners how to create recurring revenue. You’ll learn how to build a subscription ecommerce store from scratch and how to start selling subscriptions with any existing store.

How did you get your first customers and how long did it take?

Our first subscriber joined the first day of our launch. Because of that, I was convinced that a monthly plant box was of interest to so many more people. From then on we’ve enjoyed 10-20% growth every month!

Why is it necessary for you to have a subscription billing model and not just one-time purchases?

Subscription is important for two reasons: First, by offering a subscription our customers have a chance to easily grow their plant collection and always have fresh plants in the house. Secondly, our customers can discover and fall in love with new plants that they have maybe never heard of before or wouldn’t have otherwise bought themselves.

What made you decide on Subbly to support your business instead of something else?

We liked the fact that Subbly allowed us to create a custom website and offer add-on products to subscribers. When we first started, it was just my partner Tristan and I, fresh out of college, so we’ve never had the luxury of large investments to invest on a website. Subbly is affordable and very easy to configure and customize.

What is your advice for someone who is just starting a subscription business?

Start small and focus on providing the best customer service and product as possible. Always update and make the offering better every month as more subscribers join. Additionally, make the shopping experience as seamless as possible through Subbly. In our experience, acquiring customers is easier than retaining them, so, we would encourage any business to invest in post-purchase benefits to keep your customers from swaying to your competitors.

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