[Podcast] Site Review: Birch Box

Audio file

Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker 1

Hello and welcome to ECON stand up with Dorian Bell. Happy Friday everybody.

00:00:06 Speaker 2

Happy Friday and happy end of the first quarter. I mean, we're nearly halfway through through April already, but I know it's been.

00:00:14 Speaker 2

It's been busy.

00:00:16 Speaker 1

It's hot also. Belinda, I feel like we need a name for our listeners.

00:00:16 Speaker 2

Last couple of weeks.

00:00:21 Speaker 1

Feel like all.

00:00:22 Speaker 1

Podcast listener or audience would have names.

00:00:26 Speaker 1

Right like the.

00:00:28 Speaker 1

I don't know.

00:00:29 Speaker 1

Broad squad is my favorite one for a podcast I listen to. We can come back. We can come back to it, but I feel like I need something to say instead of just everyone or listeners.

00:00:41 Speaker 2

Valued valued listeners. Yeah the combination.

00:00:41 Speaker 1

So I think we should. We should ruminate on that.

00:00:46 Speaker 1

E combination.

00:00:49 Speaker 1

E combination I like that. Uhm anyway happy Friday it has been a long week I think, probably in part because it was the end of Q1 so it felt like there was a lot of reflection going on.

00:01:03 Speaker 1

Especially since we hit.

00:01:07 Speaker 1

You know, we officially hit the one year mark of COVID and quarantine over the last few weeks, or I think a lot of people.

00:01:13 Speaker 1

I've just kind of been feeling feeling that on on the bright side, it's getting warmer in New York, which is great. Is it getting any cooler in Brazil yet? Belinda or still 130 degrees everyday.

00:01:26 Speaker 2

No, the evenings are starting to.

00:01:28 Speaker 2

Nice and crisp, it's it's perfect. Perfect weather to sit outside, sit out on the deck by my little plunge pool and gin and tonic around this. This time of day so.

00:01:41 Speaker 1

You love your gin and tonics is that your? Would you say that's your favorite drink?

00:01:46 Speaker 2

I very seldom drink, but yeah, I do do like a bit of a gin and tonic. Maybe it's a throwback to growing up, growing up in Africa that is the the seemed to be the drink of choice of all the the ladies who lunched.

00:02:02

OK, I didn't know that.

00:02:06 Speaker 2

But it's making a comeback. Have you noticed like there's a lot more gin?

00:02:10 Speaker 1

Definitely a lot more, Jen. I think there's generally a comeback in.

00:02:16 Speaker 1

You know interesting no. Maybe mostly June 'cause I feel like whiskey, cocktails, mezcal, tequila, cocktails have always kind of been popular. But I think Gin is is definitely making a comeback.

00:02:26 Speaker 2

It certainly is.

00:02:28 Speaker 1

Anyway, super excited about today's episode everybody. We are doing another one of our random site takedowns that we did. I think it was either two or three weeks ago when we.

00:02:40 Speaker 1

All right, I'm not quite sure what happened and seemed to cut off, but hopefully I can bring these two things back together.

00:02:47 Speaker 1

But yeah, we're super excited about today's episode. We're doing another ecom site takedown, so we're gonna go back to our list of 25 sites and do our random number generator. So Belinda.

00:03:00 Speaker 1

Anything else before I?

00:03:03 Speaker 1

Get our website that we're reviewing.

00:03:05 Speaker 2

No, I'm excited because we've been doing. I've been doing a lot of auditing this week.

00:03:10 Speaker 1

You've been doing a lot of audit.

00:03:11 Speaker 2

So I'm I'm kind of. I'm in the zone. I'm in the zone I've been auditing pages and builders and and sort of intricate UX on on sites. So I'm I'm ready. I'm ready to take down.

00:03:25 Speaker 1

All right, so let's see what we get. I have my bingo wheel going.

00:03:33 Speaker 1

#9 #9 Birchbox. All right, that's exciting.

00:03:41 Speaker 1

So we will head over to birchbox.com.

00:03:46 Speaker 1

All right, so we'll start with initial thoughts. It's taken more a little long to load, not too long, but a little long.

00:03:55 Speaker 1

All right, I get a popup deals on deals because two is better than one, so there's a lot of reading in this popup, so I'm I'm likely going to just exit out of it. It also doesn't feel weirdly like that compelling of a deal $5 off your first box.

00:04:14 Speaker 1

And 15% off your first purchase in our shop. I don't really know the difference. I guess they have boxes and they have a regular shop.

00:04:24 Speaker 1

So either I don't know.

00:04:25 Speaker 2

This is interesting and let me let me stop you there for a second because I I was mentioning this today.

00:04:30 Speaker 2

We were talking about a specific page where people were going to and it could be the first time they're seeing the page. This is the first time I've seen Birchbox and.

00:04:40 Speaker 2

Having this kind of entry intent pop up.

00:04:46 Speaker 2

Before I've had.

00:04:47 Speaker 2

2 seconds to to see what the sites about is not good UX.

00:04:54 Speaker 1

Yeah, I agree.

00:04:54 Speaker 2

Exit exit intent pop up saying you know. Like maybe I'm like oh I'll come back later and then you hit me with $5 off plus 15%.

00:05:03 Speaker 2

Could work better, so that's that's my take on on pop ups.

00:05:08 Speaker 1

Definitely agree on the exit intent. I also think so there's a couple of of other things and actually depending on the tool you use, you can set the amount of time between when someone lands on the site and when they see a pop up.

00:05:23 Speaker 1

I think this was just too quick. Yep, I think giving me even 20 more seconds to like figure out like I didn't even have a chance to read the hero before I got this pop up. I had no idea. I don't even know what I'm at and so I think that's that's critical.

00:05:33

Yeah, yeah.

00:05:41 Speaker 1

Either giving me more time to use this site, you going out. You can also show a pop up on the second page.

00:05:46 Speaker 1

Someone on so, once they've already established at least a little bit of interest, or like you said, exit intent, I think what I see a lot, which I like is you offer a discount.

00:05:59 Speaker 1

You know on this first pop up and exit intent you make a little bit better, right? So you make it maybe instead of $5 off in 15%, you know $7.00 off in 18%, something like that.

00:06:08

I like that.

00:06:10 Speaker 1

But anyway, let's exit this pop up 'cause I'm not likely buying anything today.

00:06:15 Speaker 2

I'm kind of intrigued because I don't, I don't.

00:06:18 Speaker 2

Know what the sites selling at all?

00:06:22 Speaker 1

I feel like it's too so. I am not a fan of this hero image and I think it's because I have no idea what's going on again.

00:06:31 Speaker 1

And interestingly, I'm looking at a screenshot of the image of the site from a couple of years ago, I think.

00:06:38 Speaker 1

Where they have.

00:06:40 Speaker 1

Basically a bunch of products kind of laid around an image and then in the middle it says beauty for real life.

00:06:47 Speaker 1

We get it. You want products that make you feel your best without devoting your time to finding them? That's why we created Birchbox. Get a personalized mix of makeup, hair, skin care and fragrance samples for $10 per month.

00:06:58

Well, that.

00:06:58 Speaker 1

I think that's better than what they have now.

00:07:03 Speaker 1

It's it's I don't know what is this, even though we're a beauty company, but we're not beauty obsessed. We prefer the term beauty casual.

00:07:10 Speaker 1

We believe in products that work that are simple to use and that make us feel beautiful. Our subscription service makes it easy to find those products you know and they kind of have a bunch of quotes on the hero. I like to keep things simple when I shop.

00:07:23 Speaker 1

For products I am intimidated. I spend 10 minutes tops on my routine. I don't know. I feel like they are almost catering to the fact that everybody knows what Birchbox is, which I don't think is.

00:07:34 Speaker 1

The case, yeah?

00:07:35 Speaker 2

I would agree there.

00:07:37 Speaker 1

And I think you know they're they're introducing new vocabulary with this beauty casual element and they're using it a lot. But I don't think they've given us the chance to like.

00:07:47 Speaker 1

Know what's happening? I think in the the previous version I very much understood. OK, they're just going to send me a box of beauty products. Great, that's going to be catered to me, fantastic.

00:07:58 Speaker 1

I don't know what I'm getting on this site.

00:08:00 Speaker 2

Yeah, they wanna sign me up too quickly plus.

00:08:05 Speaker 2

Tell me that I'm automatically renewing and committing to the length of my plan. So like I'm just teasing CS already.

00:08:10 Speaker 1

Yeah, right below yeah right below the hero actually visible above the fold. They have already signed up $13.00 a month, $14.00 a month, $15 a month depending on.

00:08:23 Speaker 1

Which one you sign up for?

00:08:26 Speaker 1

And you know.

00:08:30 Speaker 1

I don't know as you Scroll down the homepage they have, you know they have another section. We make it easy to find beauty and grooming.

00:08:35 Speaker 1

Stuff that you love.

00:08:38 Speaker 1

That explains what they're doing more, you know, as a subscriber subscriber, you'll receive a monthly box. It's reusable, filled with experts, selected samples, etc.

00:08:48 Speaker 1

I feel like there just must have been a way to explain that at the top, almost like.

00:08:56 Speaker 1

Beauty casual

00:09:00 Speaker 1

You know can be the first thing or like. Birchbox Colon beauty casual.

00:09:04 Speaker 1

Uhm, Beauty products delivered catered to you. You know. Obviously that needs a little finessing, but I think they just need to make the message simpler at the top and then go deeper into it below that.

00:09:17 Speaker 2

I'm intrigued though. What am I going to get every month?

00:09:24 Speaker 2

For makeup, hair and skin makeup especially.

00:09:30 Speaker 2

My makeup lasted long time.

00:09:31 Speaker 1

I mean I can tell.

00:09:32 Speaker 1

You I can tell you that my husband would be appalled if I signed up for something like this because I already have.

00:09:39 Speaker 1

Like would you is it? Is it the type of thing where you get a box of products and you're going to use up everything in that box within a fund? Or are you just going to keep collecting beauty products until you're?

00:09:40 Speaker 2

Right?

00:09:47

Right?

00:09:51 Speaker 1

Drawers exploding with products.

00:09:53 Speaker 2

That's what I want to know what size I mean. Is it like sample size base or highlighter?

00:09:58 Speaker 1

That would be sample size of it's $13.00 a month.

00:10:02 Speaker 2

I reckon I mean that's more kind of.

00:10:04 Speaker 1

And they look pretty small.

00:10:06 Speaker 2

Travel size then yeah.

00:10:09 Speaker 1

I don't know I I still feel like I would end up with.

00:10:13 Speaker 1

Hundreds of products and my drawer would be exploding with things. I mean, I'm not not intrigued.

00:10:18 Speaker 1

I find the home page is pretty lackluster. 'cause then at below it hasn't about us that has like 3 image and text sections.

00:10:27 Speaker 1

That's like, I wonder I would actually love to do.

00:10:30 Speaker 1

An audit of this site.

00:10:32 Speaker 1

And see what people are. If people are scrolling, clicking like what they're actually doing.

00:10:37 Speaker 2

Yeah, I mean it has some nice elements.

00:10:41 Speaker 2

But yeah, overall.

00:10:45 Speaker 2

I would I I would bounce. There's nothing there's no call to action on the page apart from the the menu that says, well, let's get started.

00:10:55 Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, I'm.

00:10:55 Speaker 2

I mean the gating box.

00:10:58 Speaker 2

The kind of button under the monthly plans.

00:10:58 Speaker 1

So what happens they haven't done by 6?

00:11:03 Speaker 2

Makes me feel like you're going to take my credit card details right away, and I'm never going to know what's in the box. Yep, it's already added to thought.

00:11:09 Speaker 1

Well, that's interesting. So if you click get my box, that's exactly what it does. It adds it to cart.

00:11:16 Speaker 2

Bad very bad deal.

00:11:16 Speaker 1

And now I just have to check out and I don't know anything which is just wild to me.

00:11:22 Speaker 2

Yeah, that's crazy.

00:11:29 Speaker 1

No, wow, it somehow gets worse. So if you click on what I clicked on, subscribe.

00:11:38 Speaker 1

And I feel like it's gotten worse.

00:11:41 Speaker 1

So I clicked on subscribe at Birchbox. The future is casual. It's a movement we're all about caring and finding great beauty stuff, but not working out to find it. There's so much text. Yeah, who's reading all of this?

00:11:54 Speaker 2

And for.

00:11:57 Speaker 1

All right, something seems to be wrong with our connection today, but I think we were just talking about how much text there is everywhere.

00:12:03 Speaker 1

Yeah, there's so much text that somehow doesn't say anything. I think that's what's most interesting. It's like I keep reading and I still don't know anything.

00:12:13 Speaker 2

So I have the monthly plan, the $15 a month in my car. I didn't remove it. I went back to the home page and maybe I thought Oh no.

00:12:22 Speaker 2

Well, let me join up to the six month plan when I try to add it I get an error.

00:12:28 Speaker 2

Saying I can't add another subscription so it won't like convert and also just you know sloppy UX making me.

00:12:31

That's it.

00:12:38 Speaker 1

Do the work.

00:12:39 Speaker 2

Do the work and I.

00:12:41 Speaker 2

I don't know if I can. Oh, there we go alright?

00:12:45 Speaker 1

Hey you have to remove the other item from your cart to to get it.

00:12:49 Speaker 2

All right, so let's see if there's any make up.

00:12:54 Speaker 1

You know what else is interesting? I mean, they're they're also.

00:12:58 Speaker 1

They're outside of getting me to subscribe. They're really not guiding me through any sort of funnel. It's almost as if there's like a one page goal.

00:13:09 Speaker 1

It's like let's just get them to subscribe. Let's not tell them the story. Let's not do anything 'cause even the subscribe page.

00:13:16 Speaker 1

Again, it still doesn't tell me anything, so I'm here. I get to choose my subscription again. I'm committing to the length of my plan and they put that in bold, so that's obviously like that's already scary because it's like, oh, so if I if I get the six month plan and I try and cancel in three months, they're going to be mean and say no.

00:13:36 Speaker 1

Sorry, you committed to six months, so that's you know interesting.

00:13:39 Speaker 1

What do you think is happening below that brown girl? Jane X Birchbox, Free Sunday, Riley free gift with subscription.

00:13:49 Speaker 1

So do you think that's 'cause it doesn't really say anything about that? It tells me to use.

00:13:55 Speaker 1

A code at checkout. It looks like it's all free things, so I guess I can pick one of those, but now I have to remember and either I can decide to get a free kit with pop with products from pattern, Brown Girl Jean and more, or I can get some free Sunday Riley products or I can get a free gift that I don't know what it is.

00:14:16 Speaker 1

And I can pick any of these three, uh, check out, OK? I mean, that's I feel like that should have a title or something like there should be some sort of intro, like, uh, sweeten the pot situation.

00:14:29 Speaker 1

And then below that they have the monthly box so I can see what was in the December January, February Box.

00:14:38 Speaker 1

Again, I wonder.

00:14:41 Speaker 1

How do you think they handle? Or maybe they don't? No, they do so the January box had a concealer. How do you think they handle skin tone?

00:14:54

I don't know.

00:14:56 Speaker 2

I don't know well.

00:14:56 Speaker 1

Or any sort of product optional they don't.

00:14:58 Speaker 2

It says it's personalized.

00:15:00

It doesn't say.

00:15:01 Speaker 1

It's curated, fits her beauty profile, but at what point do I set up my beauty profile?

00:15:01 Speaker 2

Keep saying.

00:15:06 Speaker 1

I feel like so. You know how we were looking at all those cooking websites this week and how you had to go through and give. You know you, you could set up your plan, say what I think that.

00:15:17 Speaker 1

Is a better flow than this because at least then I have a peek into the process, whereas here they're asking for my money.

00:15:26 Speaker 1

They're saying I'm committing to six months and I don't even know what sort of questions they ask me in my beauty profile.

00:15:32 Speaker 2

They do say in the FAQ, which is right down, just just above the footer that you can only set your personal preferences after you've subscribed.

00:15:45 Speaker 2

And then once you've subscribed, so it's definitely samples. But I'm only getting that now and then you can get the full size.

00:15:59 Speaker 1

You know, spoken.

00:16:01 Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean I'm considering I'm very familiar with this brand. I've never signed up, but I've heard about them everywhere I am.

00:16:14 Speaker 1

Not, I am unpleasantly surprised. I want to say pleasantly surprised, but I'm not. I'm none of Oh my God it gets worse.

00:16:25 Speaker 1

Click on shop.

00:16:29 Speaker 2

The the the big menu.

00:16:31 Speaker 1

Just I just so wasn't expecting that I was so not expecting that to do what happened and this is so difficult to read.

00:16:39 Speaker 2

It is.

00:16:39 Speaker 1

My eyes are flying all.

00:16:41 Speaker 1

Over the place they have.

00:16:43 Speaker 1

This five thing pyramid and I keep just being like my eyes are going in a circle trying to figure out what I'm looking at and then it's kind of on this light.

00:16:51 Speaker 1

Pink background, but on the right side you have a white background with some other things that I don't even know what this means. Re Filaro love of color accents.

00:17:02 Speaker 1

Hand and nails fragrant I don't know.

00:17:04 Speaker 1

What this means?

00:17:05 Speaker 2

I don't know.

00:17:05 Speaker 1

This is the worst menu I've ever seen.

00:17:07

I I've got.

00:17:08 Speaker 2

Good snake.

00:17:10 Speaker 2

I don't like the images they have, but interesting to have this kind of pyramid menu.

00:17:16 Speaker 2

And I wonder if there isn't an application for it like like I feel.

00:17:19 Speaker 2

It should work.

00:17:21 Speaker 2

Maybe he just got the images.

00:17:21 Speaker 1

I feel like the pyramid menu.

00:17:24 Speaker 1

Like you can do a two by three menu, but why couldn't they make it a box like the two pictures are already bigger than the three pictures below, right?

00:17:34 Speaker 1

Why couldn't it be a little bit bigger so that it lined up 'cause I think if it did that my eyes wouldn't be traveling in a circle. It's literally making me dizzy.

00:17:43 Speaker 2

I would agree.

00:17:45 Speaker 1

Look at it because I I can't focus on anything.

00:17:49 Speaker 1

What happens is the same thing, and then that's the other thing. When I go to makeup or hair or skin, it's not consistent and we always say that you really need a consistent menu so that you have a consistent experience.

00:18:01 Speaker 1

The makeup hair skin section is is great. You got your normal columns. I can go to IMS Gary, die, shadow, ciklic, et cetera.

00:18:10 Speaker 1

If I click on eyeliners.

00:18:13 Speaker 1

You know, now we're getting a much more normal shopping experience here.

00:18:19 Speaker 1

I do think.

00:18:21 Speaker 1

You know, again, it's a little bit lackluster in terms of.

00:18:26 Speaker 1

The experience itself. It feels you know, it's interesting. It feels very big brand, which I think in general.

00:18:33 Speaker 1

No big brands like I tried to shop from, like H&M Online and I'm sure they get a lot of orders.

00:18:39 Speaker 1

It's never a good experience though, and I feel like much smaller brands can have better experiences because I have there's so much white space. I have these, you know, 12 eyeliners. I see. It's just like everything feels so small.

00:18:55 Speaker 1

And there isn't really anything helping me.

00:18:58 Speaker 1

Helping me forward.

00:19:03 Speaker 2

If if I was going to immediately fix this like I'm on the eyeliner, I just went to the waterproof.

00:19:10 Speaker 2

The Styler Stiller cosmetic stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner and that's a very traditional I actually liked.

00:19:19 Speaker 2

You know their review.

00:19:19 Speaker 1

Like the actual product page so the product.

00:19:21

Yeah, it's fine.

00:19:22 Speaker 1

Page actually is the best thing I've seen so far on the site. This is nice.

00:19:27 Speaker 2

Don't you think it would be better to encourage people to say like I don't know like add this to your box?

00:19:36 Speaker 2

I mean, I know I know they're trying to do samples, that's that's that's the hook of Birchbox.

00:19:41 Speaker 2

But we so.

00:19:42 Speaker 2

Great people who build their their box, you know?

00:19:42 Speaker 1

So I think.

00:19:46 Speaker 1

Build their box would be.

00:19:47 Speaker 1

Cool, which is maybe something lighting the problem with. Build your box for something like this is again it has to be sampled.

00:19:54 Speaker 1

It has to be low cost. It has to be something that they somehow get it for. You know if they if we're paying $15 a month, they must be paying $7.00 a month, if not less. So I think that.

00:20:06 Speaker 1

The problem and kind of I don't know. You know what? I think the deal they probably have with the products in the box is that they get because again, because they're samples, they're probably getting it for dirt cheap in exchange for advertising.

00:20:19 Speaker 1

And if people like the product, they will then go and buy it in full size. I think that's the idea. It's like oh.

00:20:26 Speaker 1

Get up, you know what would be better and this is what they should this branded as.

00:20:31 Speaker 1

Figuring out and continuously buying full sized products that you end up not using and wasting is a problem. Instead, only pay 15 a month, get samples.

00:20:42 Speaker 1

You'll then somehow find samples that you love and be able to convert those to big size. They should. Also, I really think they should have a, uh, cancel. Anytime something doesn't sit right with me. It's like.

00:20:53 Speaker 1

Well, what if I find all the products that I love cleans up my skin, makes my makeup perfect, makes my hair perfect after months.

00:21:01 Speaker 1

And now I'm just stuck with this. You know, seven months, seven more month commitment or whatever it is.

00:21:07 Speaker 1

I also think interestingly they should drive people to add the box with a more standard commerce experience because I love this product page and I would feel much better if I was on the homepage. I learned a little bit about it.

00:21:25 Speaker 1

It then took me to like a get started page, which was then a collection right on the collection page.

00:21:32 Speaker 1

I would see the different plans maybe or I would see a little more information about the the options and then I would click into a product and get more information and that's where I would see.

00:21:45 Speaker 1

You know example boxes reviews from people you know how to use, et cetera like I think that is a significantly better.

00:21:57 Speaker 1

Experience and kind of path to purchase than what I'm seeing now.

00:22:01 Speaker 2

Have you tried to check out? Because you can't. You have to create an account, so I'm already.

00:22:08 Speaker 2

3 Shades of Irritated now.

00:22:11 Speaker 2

I don't know what from.

00:22:11 Speaker 1

You have to create account.

00:22:12 Speaker 2

The box are you getting?

00:22:17 Speaker 1

Oh my God.

00:22:19 Speaker 2

Yeah, I've gotta create. I can't check out of gas I I just I just want to get my mascara.

00:22:25 Speaker 2

You know, if if I was inclined to then subscribe, I'm, you know I'm gone, I'm gone already.

00:22:33 Speaker 2

And I kind of think it's a good idea, you know, samplesize having that being able to try?

00:22:41 Speaker 2

Samples is amazing.

00:22:45 Speaker 1

No, I agree I I think the concept is good and I think that's probably why they took off, and I think interestingly and and maybe they're resting on the fact that again, like I said, people know who they are.

00:22:57 Speaker 1

So they're not trying as hard on the website as maybe they used to be, because I really think that the screenshot I saw the website before made a lot more sense.

00:23:07 Speaker 1

I wonder you know. Again, we can't look at this website. In the past really much more than that unfortunately, but I think that they probably explained it better.

00:23:17 Speaker 1

At first, and now they're resting on the fact that everybody who comes to the site probably knows what they I mean. I think that's a bad policy because.

00:23:27 Speaker 1

It's unlikely that everybody knows who you are or how they got there.

00:23:31 Speaker 1

Uhm, which I think is strange. Also weird, when I click on gift.

00:23:38 Speaker 1

It takes me to the sale.

00:23:42 Speaker 1

I assumed that would take me to where I could gift Birchbox to somebody else.

00:23:50 Speaker 2

And the teams saying.

00:23:50 Speaker 1

Right?

00:23:52 Speaker 2

I would I'm I'm just. I'm just checking their out on Google because they've they've got you know they've got some good.

00:23:59 Speaker 2

Uhm, good. SCO going on there. I mean, they're subsidiary of a pretty big company and they've been around for a while.

00:24:08 Speaker 2

Their Wikipedia.

00:24:11 Speaker 2

Intro would be better on their website.

00:24:15 Speaker 1

What does it say? Can you read it to us?

00:24:16 Speaker 2

Birchbox is a New York City based online monthly subscription service that sends its subscribers a box of four to five selected samples of makeup or other beauty related products. The products include skin care, perfumes, organic based products, and various other cosmetics.

00:24:35 Speaker 2

That would have explained to me.

00:24:35 Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean I agree.

00:24:38 Speaker 1

I agree, I think that yeah, I I don't. I'm I'm very interested in what came like how the messaging for this came about.

00:24:49 Speaker 1

I also wonder. I mean, I wish we could somehow find I wish conversion rate was like publicly available data, 'cause that would be imagine how interesting that would be if I could go to these massive companies and be like how much traffic are you getting and what's your conversion rate really?

00:25:04 Speaker 2

Yeah, I would love to dig into this. Love you.

00:25:05 Speaker 1

We can't.

00:25:07 Speaker 1

Possibly be that good.

00:25:11 Speaker 1

I don't know. I mean, I think alright. So let's we had categories last time for what we were, I mean overall.

00:25:21 Speaker 1

I might give this site AD.

00:25:24 Speaker 1

Maybe even let I'm not happy with this site, I.

00:25:29 Speaker 1

I'm really not, I think.

00:25:33 Speaker 1

Is D harsh? Do you think maybe a C?

00:25:40 Speaker 2

I I would go less. I'm sorry I'm gonna have to be strict here. I can't check out.

00:25:45 Speaker 2

I can't type out as a guest. You're forcing me to join. You're telling me all these terms and conditions you're making it you're making it impossible for me to join.

00:25:55 Speaker 1

I wonder if you mentioned there a subsidiary of a large company. I wonder if there are some weird legal reasons for these things like.

00:26:04 Speaker 1

You know part of their partnerships with people or with the samples that end up in there? Well, let's actually.

00:26:10 Speaker 1

I want to I want to see something so can you go quickly to fabfitfun.com?

00:26:20 Speaker 1

So this is.

00:26:23 Speaker 1

Not necessarily a competitor, it's actually a quarterly box of full sized items.

00:26:31 Speaker 1

That you can customize.

00:26:34 Speaker 1

And I think already.

00:26:37 Speaker 1

It's significantly better, right? The top? Get the Springboks, discover your new favorite things. There's not a lot of copy here that I'm reading. Start customizing nice big CTA and there is a, uh.

00:26:52 Speaker 1

A picture of an.

00:26:54 Speaker 1

Actual box here so I could see. OK cool I think I see coasters, slippers, Alice and Olivia.

00:26:58 Speaker 1

Name tag. All these cool things and Scroll down I see featured in then I start to see steps and.

00:27:04 Speaker 1

It's like OK.

00:27:05 Speaker 1

Cool step one. Choose my first product or I can skip this and choose after I pay.

00:27:06 Speaker 2

Yes, and I.

00:27:11 Speaker 1

So they're telling me OK, or you can pick your first product now, or you can just pick all of your products after you pay. So already that's great.

00:27:19 Speaker 1

Then they have a how it works. Pick your first product, hit the ground running by choosing the first item.

00:27:23 Speaker 1

Go in your box, be worn narrowing down your favorites may be tough. Make it official. Choose your plan. Enter your info, blah blah.

00:27:29 Speaker 1

Live your best life. Make the most of your membership year round. Flash sales, new items etc. Then they show you know, discover products and they even show choose one.

00:27:39 Speaker 1

Pointing to a bunch of different products so already I see wow cool there is going to be like six categories and I'll be able to choose one from all of these, which is fantastic.

00:27:50 Speaker 1

Then I see a bunch of brands that I might see, which I didn't. They didn't have in in Birchbox, and then I can choose a plan where I can do annual so I can pre pay for my first box, or I can do seasonal and I can pay per box.

00:28:04 Speaker 1

Which is also great and I even see the benefits of both. So like, OK, great if I do the annual, that means I get early access to customize and things won't sell out.

00:28:13 Speaker 1

That also means I get early access to sales so things don't sell out and I get earlier shipping and already they have cancel anytime which is like thank God.

00:28:20

Yeah, some people.

00:28:23 Speaker 1

Thank God and they do have, you know check out embedded on that first page, which I haven't seen too much, but it is fine and I'm not.

00:28:31 Speaker 1

Like scared or worried?

00:28:33 Speaker 1

I like have so much more trust in this in this box.

00:28:37 Speaker 1

And and they don't really have any other navigation. They have gift login, get the box, they're not like muddying the waters. With all this shopping that I can't even do without checking out. So I agree, considering.

00:28:51 Speaker 1

This is a boxed competitor, maybe I give Birchbox enough. Maybe I don't think it's that bad.

00:28:59 Speaker 1

There's just nothing I can do on the site and there's nothing I want to do on the site.

00:29:05 Speaker 2

Yeah, it's like they've tried to marry.

00:29:10 Speaker 2

Subscription with traditional ecommerce it's just not working and and I would I would guess that we're heading in the right direction. There's some tie in.

00:29:20 Speaker 2

And to bunch either Birchbox owned brands.

00:29:24 Speaker 2

Uh, or their collaborations that they're doing with these samples and.

00:29:31 Speaker 2

Ah, I leave the site thinking alright, you're trying to get rid of your samples and pull them off into your audience.

00:29:38 Speaker 2

And I I'm I'm just.

00:29:39 Speaker 2

I'm not. I'm not a happy.

00:29:43 Speaker 1

Yeah, I agree with that.

00:29:47 Speaker 1

All right so.

00:29:50 Speaker 1

I don't know if there's really much else to say. I feel like we we said it all, what do you think Birchbox grooming is?

00:29:55 Speaker 1

Because there is a link here at the top, I can't imagine it's oh it's it's just Birchbox for men, I think.

00:29:57 Speaker 2

I see that.

00:30:02 Speaker 2

Yep, looks like it, uhm?

00:30:05 Speaker 2

The header is better.

00:30:08 Speaker 1

Let's make finding rooming stuff fun. Monthly package, deluxe samples. No, I don't think it's men.

00:30:16 Speaker 1

I think it's it doesn't say it, man.

00:30:22 Speaker 2

I think it is man though. Birchbox man. Yeah, it's definitely man or unisex, you know, I guess.

00:30:31 Speaker 1

Weird, OK, I guess it's not make up, so it's more like.

00:30:35 Speaker 1

Body wash fate like morbid, alright whatever. I I am like I keep clicking on things and thinking like oh maybe I'll be more excited. Oh wow wait Belinda you can't click on the logo to go back to the home page.

00:30:40 Speaker 2

They have an app.

00:30:46 Speaker 2

They have an app.

00:30:55 Speaker 1

I literally keep keep thinking that I can't get you know less.

00:31:04 Speaker 1

Happy and it it keeps happening. How do I go about the home page? I have to go to the URL if I want to go back to the home page. You know what? I wonder? What's their landing page situation? What if?

00:31:14 Speaker 1

I Google Birchbox.

00:31:17 Speaker 1

Let's see.

00:31:19 Speaker 1

So if I Google Birchbox, the first one is an ad and it's get birchbox.com. Oh interesting. OK, so this is a much better page. Can you go to getbirchbox.com?

00:31:34 Speaker 2

Not too not. That's more interesting.

00:31:38 Speaker 1

So this once.

00:31:39 Speaker 1

I get there. It says the best of beauty picked for you. Receive a personalized mix of deluxe samples each month and get a free gift when you sign up.

00:31:46 Speaker 1

And this looks better. This actually matches the screenshot I talked about previously. I can get started.

00:31:53 Speaker 1

All right, and now it has me filling out a quiz. This now makes more sense, so I wonder if they just have all traffic directed at this quiz page instead of the homepage we saw.

00:32:09 Speaker 2

I wonder if this makes most sense.

00:32:10 Speaker 1

Now that you know, yeah.

00:32:13 Speaker 1

Uh, casual.

00:32:16 Speaker 1

And then go through. So this is better 'cause I go through this. I have a couple of steps, beauty knowledge they send me proficient.

00:32:22 Speaker 2

This is Council every time.

00:32:27 Speaker 1

Is it?

00:32:27 Speaker 2

Cancel Yep, cancel anytime.

00:32:30 Speaker 1

So what were we? Where do you see that?

00:32:33 Speaker 2

Are we looking at two different sites because we're looking at it from different occasions.

00:32:39 Speaker 1

It's possible.

00:32:40 Speaker 2

On the subscription monthly six month yearly.

00:32:44 Speaker 2

Get Birchbox, get birchbox.com.

00:32:44 Speaker 1

Find.com

00:32:49 Speaker 1

So you don't see a quiz like a seven step quiz.

00:32:54 Speaker 1

Huh, OK so I I have a seven step quiz.

00:32:59 Speaker 1

Uh, which is interesting. Let's see what happens after.

00:33:06 Speaker 1

I'm just gonna click all of these.

00:33:08 Speaker 2

I feel like we may have been looking an old site that they forgot to take down earlier. I feel like that's what I want to believe.

00:33:17 Speaker 1

I mean, I don't disagree with you, but no 'cause then once I go.

00:33:23 Speaker 1

So once I go through the quiz that I just took, I get taken back to the main.

00:33:28 Speaker 1

Thing where I have to pick my monthly plan and it says committing so it says $15 a month.

00:33:35 Speaker 1

I can cancel anytime, but six and 12 months. I have to. I have to. It's interesting 'cause it's only a dollar difference.

00:33:41 Speaker 1

I mean, I guess I you know, I'm sure that that does matter to a lot of people, but I don't know who would.

00:33:48 Speaker 1

You know you're basically saving $24.00 by committing to 12 months or something you might hate.

00:33:53 Speaker 1

Which is interesting.

00:33:54 Speaker 2

I think it's interesting that they have different landing pages as well. Mine definitely. Mine says beauty pick for you.

00:34:02 Speaker 2

Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription, fried samples, and then I've got choose this subscription below. Monthly, six month yearly. But I can't. I can't choose any of them.

00:34:13 Speaker 2

It's like.

00:34:15 Speaker 2

The site is is dead.

00:34:16 Speaker 1

Alright, well I think overall we've discovered that it's it's in is in Congress wherever it's inconsistent. I guess you say the least. The experience is definitely a bit lackluster because I it's hard to check out.

00:34:23 Speaker 2

Yeah, very.

00:34:30 Speaker 1

I do think the landing page was better and at least a little bit more engaging. 'cause I got a sense of what I was getting, but then once it takes me back to the main site I'm I'm definitely lost again I think.

00:34:42 Speaker 1

I would definitely give fab fit fun. A greater score so we should at a different episode. Rate, rate, fab, fit, fun, but I think for this site takedown.

00:34:53 Speaker 1

You know, I still think I'm at a maybe a D minus instead of an X, so they're passing.

00:34:59 Speaker 1

But yeah, I I think the site needs a quite a lot of work.

00:35:04 Speaker 2

Maybe we need to have not so much a rating system 'cause I would agree with you. This is like double F for me.

00:35:12 Speaker 2

It's take it down or leave it up for me. I would. I would take this down and build a new one.

00:35:15 Speaker 1

Oh yes, I love that. Take it down or leave it up. So yes, I agree I would take this down.

00:35:20 Speaker 2

Yeah, take it.

00:35:22 Speaker 1

All right, well, I think we're definitely out of time, so uhm.

00:35:29 Speaker 1

We'll be doing this again in a few weeks. Like we said, it's probably I. I had fun during this episode.

00:35:34 Speaker 1

I think I I enjoyed Franks maybe a little bit more 'cause it wasn't as upsetting.

00:35:38 Speaker 1

That's this, one is.

00:35:39 Speaker 2

Right?

00:35:40 Speaker 1

But yeah, we'll see what we get next time.

00:35:44 Speaker 2

Right?

00:35:45 Speaker 1

All right, everybody have a good weekend or rest of your week or Wednesday depending on whatever day you're listening to this track soon.

[Podcast] Site Review: Birch Box

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