Culture and trends
0

Top five subscription brands making it into Gen Z’s mailboxes

Written by
Published on
April 7, 2021
Last updated
May 9, 2024

What this article covers

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest blog posts to your inbox every week.

Subscribe

By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.

Gen Z students inherited their purchasing power in a time of instant gratification - yet they have a remarkable affinity for subscription brands. Here are five that are landing in their mailboxes on a regular basis.

Dollar Shave Club

Gen Zs have called time on the gendered marketing that they grew up with - and have been particularly quick to criticise the “pink tax”, in which near-identical products are priced higher if they’re aimed at women. Dollar Shave Club is a refreshing antidote to this.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dollar Shave Club UK (@dollarshaveclubuk)

The razor subscription brand may have started out with male-centric marketing, but they’ve attracted a wide range of genders to their club. Rather than expanding to introduce gendered ranges within their brand, they’ve opted for a simple and refreshing brand position: if you have hair that you want to shave, our products will work for you. Dollar Shave Club works for Gen Z because it puts an emphasis on quality and delivers razors in recyclable packaging - but most of all because it works for all genders.

Glossybox

Gen Zs have been pioneers within the beauty space, transforming beauty from a rigid pursuit of perfection into a creative, inclusive art form. With challenger brands powered by micro-influencers and social trends, the sector has grown to be fiercely competitive. Yet Glossybox was able to really make its mark on Gen Z students. Working with Student Beans in November 2020 in the build-up to Black Friday, they created a media campaign that spanned desktop and app to reach Gen Z where and when it mattered. In early November, their revenue skyrocketed overnight to 1233% - and secured a new cohort of Gen Z subscribers in the process.

some fruit in a hellofresh box

HelloFresh

In a year where we had little else to look forward to beyond food, HelloFresh was always set up to thrive - but no brand’s success is guaranteed when it comes to Gen Z. But with 56% of students doing more home cooking during the lockdown, HelloFresh were able to seize their chance to make a valuable impression. Working with Student Beans, HelloFresh launched a quarterly student-centric campaign with a range of limited-time offers. As a result, they’ve seen a huge growth in Gen Z student revenues over the past year, with an uplift of 2166%.

some fruit in a hellofresh box

Ohne

Period products have been overhauled in recent years - and it will come as no surprise that Gen Z has been at the forefront of it. For a generation who pride themselves on authenticity and inclusivity, blue liquid in place of period blood and women doing the splits in white jeans simply won’t cut it any more. Ohne - with its customizable subscription offering, organic tampons and pun-filled product names, speaks to a new generation. Ohne gets the tone right on social, too. There’s plenty of memes and aesthetic images, but all within an undercurrent of information and myth-busting on all things period-related.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ohne (@im_ohne)

Starface

Last but not least, we can’t talk about subscriptions without tipping our hats to Starface. The skincare brand already got a shoutout for running one of the best Gen Z campaigns we’ve seen so far in 2021. They get an extra gold star (pardon the pun) for their subscription refill service, which acknowledges the recurring nature of acne - and the convenience that a new sheet of pimple patches can bring to the lives of Gen Z students.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by STARFACE (@starface)

It’s subscription season for students right now. Put yourself on their radar with an incentive they can’t refuse - contact us today to find out how.

3,500+ brands trust Pion

Ready to see how Pion can supercharge your sales targets?