Gift Boxes – A revived trend during the Covid era
A variety of different products gathered in one box, at a relatively lower price – buying a gift set for yourself during a pandemic could be a great pleasure for one especially when leaving home, socializing and shopping has been limited during these difficult times. receiving a box filled with different products is not just a great pleasure for yourself but it is also a great support for the creators of these boxes as their income and the future of their business has now fully become dependent on the success of their custom-made boxes.
Gift boxes became a trend in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2010 when Harvard graduate friends Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna founded Birchbox.
The company would supply skincare and makeup products to subscribers on a monthly basis and this pleasure would cost them only $ 10.
This idea caught the attention of the beauty industry, and the start-up business received $ 1.4 million in the first month and later they started to expand globally.
Magazines and big companies have started to use the gift boxes for their products as well over the years, starting with skincare companies and ending with food and beverage companies.
The boxing business trend gradually lost consumer interest in the following years, and in 2020 the Covid-19 global pandemic began, which revived this business;
Now other businesses also had to move their products into compact boxes and thus continue to compete in the market.
Most of the representatives of the gift box business are private businesses founded by women. Boxes are sold through social media, which mainly contributes to the greater involvement and success of people with many subscribers in this business. For example :
Vnus Box, founded by philanthropist LA Vera Wilson, features a selection of all-natural skincare and beauty supplies as wells as jewelry, wellness products, apparel, accessories, and homeware from black-owned businesses which are delivered to customers on a monthly basis. Each “Vnus Box” contains eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and vegan goods, including exclusive works by local artists. “Vnus Box” was created by women for women to promote health first, and beauty second. The company is focused on helping consumers live longer, stronger, healthier lives while partnering with brands that share their values and vision. Wilson set up the venture with the goal of making the world a better place.
“We have proudly provided monthly essentials to more than 200 families already through the sales of our popular Vnus Box,” Wilson said. “We remain committed to ensuring that fewer children and families go without things that will truly help them through these challenging times.”I wanted to create a subscription box that I hadn’t seen before – a box full of products that made you feel good and were also good for people and good for the planet,” Wilson said. “Through our unique ’cause box’ service, we are committed to saving lives and bringing to others.”
A portion of all proceeds from every Vnus Box subscription goes to the non-profit effort Project Vnus, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established this year to create transformative, long-lasting change by investing in resources to fight social inequities.
The project is currently focused on supporting low-income families experiencing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing them with free monthly essentials boxes including sanitizers, masks, gloves, and other items.
“We remain committed to ensuring that fewer children and families go without things that will truly help them through these challenging times.”
Another exciting box on the market was created by young Scottish adults, it is called GeekGear and it’s made for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beast fandom.
The monthly delivery includes 6-10 officially licensed products, such as collectibles, wall art, postcards, and an exclusively designed t-shirt. Although they are based in the UK, they ship all over the world.
Further, we have Sandra Oh Lin’s American company KiwiCo which produces entertaining games for children. This company is distinguished by an impressive variety in 8 different lines, according to age and interest, making it easier to find the box. The panda box is recommended for children under 2 years old, while other boxes such as Eureka and Maker are perfect for teenagers. These boxes are available in 40 different countries. Unfortunately, Georgia is not on their list yet.
The development of the gift box business has started in Georgia as well. There is a selection of facial skincare, makeup, flowers, food, and various boxes for example Gastrobox; created by Keta Turkia and Tina Osepashvili. In the Gastrobox you will find new food products and flavors combined under different themes every month.
In Tbilisi, you can also taste a variety of sandwiches created by Iru Khundadze #Brunchiesbyfoodgoddess, which are compactly placed in a box.
There are also various boxes on the Georgian market that provide facial skin care and makeup for their subscribers. The list of such boxes is Teona Tavartkiladze’s BeautyBox and GlamBox created by Mariam Kvashilava.
You can find all these gift boxes on their personal Instagram pages and support young Georgian women in developing private held companies.
Author: Nini Ugulava