Dive Brief:
- Birchbox Man will deliver a virtual reality viewer preloaded with four branded video clips along with a range of grooming samples to subscribers in August.
- Subscribers will be able to watch the virtual reality videos, which depict point-of-view outdoor scenes such as a helicopter flight, race car ride, and surfing, on a Google Cardboard viewer.
- Birchbox and Birchbox Man have more than 1 million subscribers, and the company plans to expand its brick-and-mortar footprint to three stores in 2016.
Dive Insight:
Birchbox Man, the men’s version of the popular subscription service that delivers beauty and grooming samples monthly, is sending out virtual reality videos with its August selections. The shipment will include four videos and a Google Cardboard viewer, which works with Android and iOS smartphone apps to produce a 3-D image.
The company plans to open two new retail locations including a men’s shop next year, adding to its single physical location in New York City and occasional pop-up shops. Now that male subscribers are equipped with Cardboard viewers that underscore the "box" in Birchbox, VR could help the company deliver virtual tours or tutorials in addition to the action videos it will deliver soon.
