Subscriptions, Our top 10 guide to the best subscription gift ideas and services

Subscription gifts and subscription gift boxes have become a real trend in the gifting world over the past few years. Indeed, they are the gift that keeps giving and are often the perfect present for someone who is typically hard to buy for. The trend in subscription gifts started in the USA where it is now huge but sending a subscription as a gift in Australia has been growing in popularity recently.

Indeed, sending a subscription to someone for their birthday, Christmas or anniversary has become much easier in Australia with lots of companies starting to add this service to their gift line up, or new companies copying more established subscription businesses overseas. Equally some overseas subscription services have started to arrive in Australia and are now actively offering subscriptions in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra.

We have created a list of some of our favourite subscription services and subscription gift boxes including our own:

1) Flower subscription. Sending flowers as a gift is something that most people do at least once or twice a year particularly when they have forgotten some one’s birthday or mother’s day. It's easy and you can often get same day delivery of flowers. However, the latest trend is to send a flower subscription to someone. With Floraly, that is us, you can choose to send a beautiful seasonal bouquet or a premium bouquet every month for 3, 6 or 12 months. The feedback we get from the recipients of flower subscriptions is amazing, and many people who receive a subscription as a gift end up buying another one for themselves.

All our flower subscriptions are sent out in a beautiful bespoke box including a card and message in the first delivery.

What could be better than receiving a beautiful bunch of flowers every month. I sent my Mum a flower subscription from Bloom and Wild in the UK and she absolutely loved it.

2) Book gift subscription. You can now give someone you love the gift of a book subscription, and even better, one company in Australia offers a book and tea subscription, because there is nothing like getting a new book and some lovely tea to drink while you read your new novel from Noveltea Book Club.

The Noveltea book club will send out a new penguin classic book and a tea or coffee sample for 3 cups matched to the books that month. You can even select to get a second hand/pre loved book or a new one. You can select a 3 or 6-month subscription or just an ongoing subscription. We think it’s a great and very thoughtful gift.  

Another Book subscription service is WellRead who offer to send you out a one of the best new releases plus hidden gems that they have curated every month or every second month. They also have a subscription service which will send out a kids book to you every month or every 2 months. We think this kind of subscription service could be a brilliant gift to give a child for their birthday.

3) Tea subscription. If you know someone that loves a cuppa you can send that special person the gift of a tea subscription. T2 offer a subscription box of 4 surprise teas that are sent out to the recipient 4 times a year for $35 per quarter. Other companies like Tea Tasters offer 6 or 12 month Tea subscriptions with a variety of different gift boxes to choose from.

4) Vegetable and Herb seed subscription. Now you can send the green fingered garden lover a subscription that will allow them to grow different vegetables or herbs in their garden every month. Easy Come Easy Grow offer a monthly seed subscription service where they will send out 3 different herb or vegetable seeds every month. In each subscription pack they also include instruction grow cards to help you get started. They also only send you seeds for produce that is in season so you can plant them straight away and start growing.

5) Perfume subscription. You can now send someone the gift of a new scent every month. Wicked Good are a US based company that ship subscriptions to Australia. They will send you out a new perfume every month along with 2 to 3 other scented goods. Their website says they explore a different theme every month. So if you know someone who loves scents why not send a perfume subscription gift box to them for their Birthday.

6) Whisky subscription. Over the past few years several Whisky subscription companies have started operating in Australia. If you know someone who loves their whiskies why not send them a Whisky subscription gift!

One of our favourite Whisky subscription services is Whisky Loot. They will send you out a subscription gift box of 3 x 60ml bottles of premium rare and hard to find malt whiskies every month. Inside the cool looking box are some very interesting tasting notes so that the recipient can have their own mini tasting session in the comfort of their own home. If you love a particular whisky they offer subscribers special membership pricing on full bottles. You also get access to their online tasting videos.

7) Gin subscription. The rumour on the streets is that Whisky Loot are soon to launch a Gin subscription service called Gin Loot. It will offer a similar service but for lovers of Gin. That sounds great to us. 

 

8) Toilet Paper Subscription service. Last year you may have not considered this type of subscription as a gift or for yourself. However with the arrival of COVID19 in 2020 and the following toilet paper shortages, the perceived value of toilet paper has most certainly increased. Who gives a crap is an environmental and socially conscious subscription company. They will send you out toilet paper that is made from 100% recyclable paper and also wrapped in paper instead of plastic. They also donate 50% of their profits to charities that fund water sanitation and hygiene projects. This year alone they have donated $5.8 Million AUD and to date they have donated $8.3 million AUD. So why not sign up to a toilet paper subscription or send a subscription as a gift.

9) Dog subscription gift boxes. Don’t forget your furry friends love subscriptions too. Indeed The Dapper Dog which is based in the US will ship a themed box of goodies every month to Australia. Inside these gift subscription boxes are 2 bags of treats or chews, 2 toys and a dog bandana based on a cute new theme each month. In the US shipping is free but to ship a subscription to Australia will cost an extra $15 US per month. 

10) Hot sauce subscription. If you know someone that loves their hot sauces why not send them a subscription. ChilliBOM offer a subscription gift box of 3 new hot sauces delivered every 3 or 6 months. They have a huge range of hot sauces to send out to the recipient of your subscription gift.

Mat’s Hot Shop offer a monthly 3 or 6 monthly subscription. They will send the recipient of your subscription gift 3 new gourmet small-batch hot sauces in a nice Heatpak branded box.

There are more and more subscription services appearing in Australia every month. We couldn’t list them all here but there is everything from nappy subscriptions to date night gift pack subscriptions already available. Do a bit of research and you are sure to be able to find the perfect subscription to send someone for their birthday, anniversary, mother’s day or just because. Equally many people are now choosing to send themselves a subscription every month, particularly as COVID19 has limited our freedoms to do things, outside the house, like we used to.  

Also if you are out of work or keen to start your own business, take a look at some of the subscription services being offered overseas in countries like the US and the UK and pick one that doesn’t exist in Australia, and that you think there would be a big demand for, and start a subscription service of your very own.