A while ago we looked at some great subscription box business ideas. One of those listed was the cleaning products subscription box idea. Cleaning products represent a great subscription box idea because of their usage pattern. Whatever your home cleaning needs are they are recurring. For the cleaning products supplier that is great news because once you prove to a customer that the product can perform you have done half the work of getting yourself continuous business which is what the subscription box idea is all about.
Cleaning products
The world of cleaning products is a wide world that has many different substances and products in it. You will need to know a lot more than the average person about cleaning products to do well in this business. I mean there are basic things like dishwashing liquid and bleach but there are so many more products out there. The idea behind this subscription box business is to create a package of cleaning products that are used consistently in a household. You supply those products in a package. If you can bring convenience and price advantage to the customer you are doing your job right.
Speciality cleaning products
As mentioned earlier the cleaning world is quite a wide world. Speciality cleaning products also make good business sense and they may actually be your way into the market. People spend a lot of money on sneakers and shoes for example. So these people would also be interested in spending decent money to take care of their shoes. Also, consider the extremely popular leather look-a-like rexine that is used in furniture. It has a specialised cleaning chemical that is used to take care of it. And there are so many more examples of cases where speciality cleaning products can make a good business case.
Manufacturing
This business idea may appeal most to those who are manufacturers of cleaning chemicals and products. For a manufacturer, there is much more flexibility they can apply to the business. For example, you can look at the unit sizes. Customers do find the sizes of many cleaning chemicals rather arbitrary. You want to sell a month’s worth of product so having a size that lasts a month would be good. Manufacturers also have the advantage of introducing products that may be missing in the market and hopefully realising cost savings which they pass on to their customers. Manufacturers can make the best of this business idea.
Subscription system
The subscription system is fairly simple but can be tweaked to match the circumstances you operate in. In its bare-bones format, you could have a set number of products and customers pay cash on delivery. However, this can be modified to say partial or full prepayment for products. This idea is easier to push for a manufacturer than a retailer. The point of the subscription box system is to work towards the predictable business which means predictable revenue. Through petitioning the market you will get better insights into what works for them. Just make sure you are providing value. The problem you will face with the cleaning chemicals market is the ease customers have in picking them. Every store, convenience shop and musika has someone selling these. So customers would only commit where they see incredible value.
Packages
So far we’ve been thinking about the package or box as being set but I think, for the right business there is another way to go about this. I mentioned before that the sizes of cleaning chemicals seem really arbitrary. One of the battles I often confront in my household is how bleach, dishwashing liquid, surface cleaner, disinfectant and floor cleaner bought on the same day will finish at wildly different paces. I’m not blaming the manufacturers, that’s probably more to do with my usage pattern but this ultimately results in different needs in different months. To tackle this the cleaning chemicals manufacturer or retailer can have a pick and mix approach to the subscription box. That allows me to pick say 5 out of a range of 10 cleaners for a set price. That means firstly I know exactly how much I will spend each month and secondly I will always have access to what I need.
There are many other variations you can put on the idea including bulk selling of cleaning chemicals. The idea needs to be given ample time to take off. I wouldn’t buy a cleaning product before trying it in a small quantity let alone subscribing for it. Bear that in mind as you talk to the market.
