Fairyloot is Selling Book Boxes Like Hot Cakes

In my experience, not a lot of non-readers know about book boxes. But almost every reader with a social media account is in love with the wonderful concept.

Book boxes are monthly subscription boxes with books and a couple of bookish goodies. The reader pays a fee for the subscription. This ensures that a box containing a book(s) and some other bookish items such as mugs, scarves, candles, bath bombs, soaps, fragrances are delivered in a small packet, every month.

What adds to the uniqueness is the fact that every item in the box is nicely tied together with a theme. For example, an Indian book box kept the September theme as Mythology and have included 4 books around Greek mythology.

Similarly, Owlcrate, an American bookish company has several limited-edition boxes they sell year-round, along with monthly themed boxes.

What is Fairyloot

Fairyloot, a UK based company is one of the biggest book box subscription company in the world. On Instagram, they boast 168,000 followers. Another 16,900 followers on Twitter.

With such a massive reach on social media, they have a fair share in the business. They are almost always sold out and people have to add their names to the waiting list to get their hands on the subscriptions. Some of their popular themes are ‘A different kind of magic’, ‘Resilient royals’, ‘Desert dreams’ etc.

Image: Screenshot by author

Based on this, it is evident that Fairyloot is a gamechanger in the world of book boxes. The biggest question arises that how did a small company that was started by a couple in 2016 turn into a big business.

Bookstagram

The biggest reason for the success of this book box is the bookstagram.

Bookstagram is an amalgamation of books and Instagram. Readers take their favorite books, decorate them with candles, and flowers to capture the perfect post. As mentioned in an article by Independent.co.uk, “Book blogging has always existed on the internet, but on Instagram, it collided with the influencer economy. Particularly successful users are now able to sell copies with their Instagram posts, which are more colloquial than formal reviews.”

Fairyloot has taken advantage of the same.

Once every few months, they open positions for ‘reps’. Once chosen, the reps are sent free boxes for a couple of months with a code for a discount to be shared with their followers. With every free box, the Instagram account holders are supposed to take ‘Bookstgram’ photos and stories for their reader's audience.

For instance, Bridget or darkfaerietales_ on Instagram is a bookstagrammer with 125k followers. She has been a rep for the Fairyloot boxes for several years now. Since the large majority of the audience of such pages are also readers and fellow bookstagrammers, this allows the product to be advertised to the correct population and gain exposure.

How to do it

Open an Instagram account. Use it to connect with as many bookstagrammers as you can. Post regularly. Once you are well-established, send free products to the big accounts. Make them your Reps. This will also help the people develop a sense of loyalty towards your brand and get you a promotion. Keep on rotating the reps. This will ensure fresh faces and a new audience every month.

Building an audience in the bookstagram community is a must.

Newly released Books with sprayed pages/special jackets

Fairyloot includes fresh releases with something unique that makes their products one of a kind. For example, some of their books have the edges of pages sprayed a particular color. Other than this, some have exclusive covers or painted jackets.

Photo: Screenshot by author

In the above post, they have added specially painted book edges in their boxes. Not only does it add to the beauty of the book, but also makes it unique. Anything unique from the ordinary makes people want to own it.

Additionally, since bookstagram is a place for pretty books and photos, everyone wants a pretty cover and colored pages to add to their aesthetic. The added bookish goodies are a treasure trove for bookstagram feeds.

How to do it

Add something in your box that makes it stand out. Your products need to have something special that makes other people know instantly that it belongs to your company. It could be a book jacket, sticker, or different cover.

Also, make it pretty. Everything that people buy, goes on their book Instagram.

The surprise element

The reason why I wanted to buy this box (despite the huge international fee) was the surprise element in the boxes.

Fairyloot releases the theme of the month around the beginning of the month. However, the name of the book remains a secret from the people. All the buyers are advised to add spoiler alerts in their stories if any unboxing is being done online. This way, you don't know the items of the box till you open it.

It's like your birthday, but it comes every month.

Research suggests that the reward pathways in the brain respond very strongly to surprising or unpredictable stimuli. According to Dr. Read Montague “The region lights up like a Christmas tree on the MRI,”

This shows the power of surprise that has been adopted by Fairyloot and has been driving its sale.

How to do it

Don't keep things predictable. Keep on changing the items you are adding. Every time someone opens the box, it should feel like Christmas. If the same old is repeated, customers would have no interest in the boxes.

Announcing a theme that sounds good, but does not give away the content of the box is the key to go about it. While the theme should make people curious about the book, it should not give the answer on a platter. The desire to seek answers and information is a basic human attribute. Cash on it.

Final thoughts

Looking on the internet, it's surprising that there are almost no resources available about Fairyloot, despite its almost celebrity status in the world of bookstagram. However, since I have had explored the world myself, I could understand the nuances of the business tactics that are used by the box business.

I talked to a couple of my friends who have bought that boxes themselves and swear by the products. I discovered that all of them discovered it through Instagram accounts who rep for Fairyloot. They also used the discount codes being displayed in the bio.

Two major reasons why they continue to buy it every month are the element of surprise and “beautiful” products that the box carries. The books are a significant reason for the purchase, however, the content of the book takes a backseat. The cover, the edges, and the goodies are the selling points for the customers.

If I don't like the book, I can always give it away. But the bookish items are just too good. -A customer

This says a lot about the market of book boxes. Instead of the sole focus on choosing the book, the business needs to emphasize the other items equally, or even more. While it's a book box, bookish goodies are essential.