Sending All My Love (And Subscriptions) To You

by Megan Golden, Marketing

 

Each year, Valentine’s Day rolls around and leaves millions of baffled sweethearts wandering the malls, candy stores and flower shops looking to somehow say “I love you” beyond the usual box of chocolates. Yet, despite all our searching, we all inevitably leave with that same old sad box of chocolates that we bought last year. And the year before that. And...well, you get the picture.

 

But there’s good news for all you cupids out there: If this year’s holiday shopping season was any indicator, the new Subscription Economy may earn you more brownie points than a fancy dinner and champagne... and best of all, keep giving all year long. Of course, we were all glad to see some improvements in the holiday shopping season this year.

 

According to market research firm ComScore, between November 1, 2011, and December 26, 2011, consumers spent $35.3 billion online, 15 percent more than consumer spent online in the same time period in 2010. But the coolest stats came in Brit Morin’s TechCrunch piece, (“Need A Last Minute Gift? There’s A Subscription For That”) which pointed out that some of the best gifts out there were the result of the shift to the Subscription Economy.

 

As Brit noted, subscriptions aren’t just about magazines anymore—and there not even about music services like Spotify and Pandora (although those are great gifts to give). There are subscriptions for everything under the sun—from Bacon of the Month (the name says it all) to Kiwi Crate (monthly craft kits for kids) to Tattly, which sends you and your loved ones monthly high-quality, non-permanent tattoos (different kinds of crafts for kids!).

 

As you can see, with subscriptions as gifts, the possibilities are endless. So, with that in mind, here are a few great gifts to consider this Valentine’s Day:

 

• Peanut Butter and Jelly of the Month—a perfect combination, just like you and your sweetheart (aawww).

• Book of the Month Club for Kids—proving the power of the Subscription Economy to handle personalization like never before, this isn’t your mother’s book of the month club. You can actually select each and every book by yourself, avoiding mismatched books while giving your littlest loves the gift of reading. Oh, and this club sends books with lollipops—bet your club didn’t do that!

• World of Warcraft—Guys love it. After all, nothing says love like a good game with swords, spells, and elves. In the new economy, even role-playing can be gifted.

• BustedTees Shirt of the Month Club—Fun shirts that will keep the laughs coming all year.

• Gardner of the Month Club—Keep love blooming all year long.

• And yes, don’t worry, there’s always wine. And more wine. And of course there are LOTS of choices for wine by subscription, including: New York Times Wine Club, Wine of the Month Club and the Amazing Wine Club just to name a few!

 

Have a great Valentine’s Day! Let us know what you bought us...

Comments

[Tricia Reilly Miller]

I got my niece a subscription to Little Passports (http://www.littlepassports.com/) and she gets a box every month from her two virtual pen pals from various countries. It's educational, fun and it's like getting a new gift every month. Score points for Auntie Trish!