Brand Spotlight: How BoxyCharm Built an Aspirational Brand

Top beauty products in a grab-bag fashion, surprising you at your door when you happen to need it most…what’s not to love?! I first discovered the joy of beauty boxes when searching out a way to surprise and delight my sister at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone had been stuck at home, and I knew she was working really hard and getting rundown. Plus, I missed her and I wanted to make her feel special. BoxyCharm to the rescue! When it arrived on her doorstep, she was so surprised she cried.   

It always amazes me to see how easily some brands can slip into a person’s life and are welcome to stay there ongoing.  BoxyCharm struck an emotional connection with both my sister and me and, as a result, made us feel closer when we couldn’t be together.  

BoxyCharm is all about indulgence and experience. Their value proposition centers on treating yourself by exploring something new. And that something new is quite often a premium brand. It makes you feel special, and excited about its arrival, and so creates a sense of desirability - which is notoriously hard for brands to create authentically. Its proposition, delivery mechanism and product all create an authentic sense of Aspiration – one of the 16 Drivers of relationships between brands and people.

(Source: https://www.facebook.com/BoxyCharm/)

Another Driver they major on which helps set them apart is Empathy - the extent to which people feel a brand truly understands their needs. This brand gets me. It knows that I don't often explore make up or beauty myself - because of time and risk of wasting money - so I need an injection of ideas that have been pre-vetted, so I know they're going to be great! I feel like they understand that I have a longing to try new things, but don't actually get around to doing it. 

BoxyCharm got this one right by being there when my sister needed a pick-me-up. It was perfect.   

These emotional drivers are so important for brands. In a world where we have so many choices in front of us, breaking through the clutter by making people FEEL something special, now that’s just special!  

BoxyCharm knew they had emotional connection in the bag, and with the newly announced merger with competitor brand, Ipsy, they’ll be beefing up their share of the online beauty market and broadening their appeal.

The new merged company seeks to provide “Beauty for All.”  

(Source: https://www.boxycharm.com/)

While brands face turbulent times ahead, it's more important than ever to deepen the relationships they have with their customers, and D2C brands like BoxyCharm are well-placed to that and to thrive. The direct relationship between brand and consumer provides the opportunity to humanize interactions and helps differentiate in a crowded space.