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Celebrating the Subscription Industry’s Best: The 2020 SUBTA Cube Awards

  • SUBTA Team
  • Nov 25, 2020
  • 6 minute read

In a year full of unexpected events, the subscription community still found a way to gather (virtually, that is) and recognize some of the best in the business at the 2020 SubSummit. Each year, the subscription community gathers at SubSummit, the world’s largest subscription conference, to expand their knowledge and network. More than a thousand merchants and suppliers joined us online this year to help grow the industry while also launching or scaling their business.

During our annual Cube Awards, just 10 companies earned the coveted trophy and the honor of being the best subscription company in the industry for their work over the past year.

“I could feel the sense of community,” Chris Chambers, SubSummit Emcee, said. While the virtual environment added a new layer to this year’s award ceremony, we were excited to welcome so many supportive attendees and Cube finalists to celebrate everyone’s success throughout 2020. 

The competition was tight with more than 150 nominations. And for our five prestigious judges, it wasn’t easy to select a winner in each of the categories announced. 

 

Honoring Subscription’s Best: 10 categories, 10 winners

 

From Best Pet Box to Best Customer Experience, our panel had to be very thorough this year before selecting winners. Judges focused on customer delight, originality and customer service among other criteria to select this year’s winners. Without further ado, here there are:

 

KitNipBox sells cat products, including toys, treats and health items. The company also supports more than 100 animal welfare organizations nationwide, while also donating some of its proceeds to shelters and rescues.

Runner Ups: CatLadyBox, BusterBox, Pretty Litter, BarkBox

 

Brick Loot offers Subscription Boxes, Custom LED Lighting kits for LEGO as well as Brick and Minifigure sets for brick-building fans. This impressive subscription was founded by Parker Krex when he was just nine years old. Now in his teens, Parker is constantly evolving the brand and pushing the team to continue innovating. 

Runner Ups: TinkerTots, We Craft Box, Bitsbox, Louis and Léa

 

MeUndies is a subscription company that sells underwear to anyone in need. The company prides itself on empowering their customers so that they do not feel pressured to purchase a certain kind of product.

Runner Ups: SinglesSwag, Brick Loot, Gentleman’s Box, Sparkle Hustle Grow

 

FabFitFun is a subscription company that specializes in lifestyle products. From beauty to tech, there’s something for everyone. Known for its incredible customer engagement and highlights, this brand has expanded beyond products and has created a supportive community, dedicated to supporting one another. 

Runner Ups: Battlbox, SprezzaBox, Peloton, Lunarly 

 

The Cause Box is a subscription company for women that prides itself in selling socially conscious lifestyle products. Its dedication to a Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good mentality has helped this brand grow a strong community and flourish in the subscription industry. 

Runner Ups: Kinder Beauty, GlobeIn, Kid Pik, Kidbox

 

Hint Water sells beverages and sunscreen designed to promote healthy behaviors. Their water bottles have no preservatives, calories or sugar. They offer a range of subscription options and frequency to offer a continued supply of awesome beverages to their customers. 

Runner Ups: Carnivore Club, DecoCrated, Four Sigmatic, Blender Bombs

 

  • Best Streaming Subscription – Disney+

Disney+ is a streaming subscription service that offers monthly and yearly rates. You will find original content like “The Mandalorian” alongside the collection of Marvel movies. In a year that we’re all streaming more than ever, Disney+ continued to create original and engaging content for subscribers. 

Runner Ups: Sling TV, Netflix, Peloton X, AppleTV

 

The media landscape is shifting, and The New York Times made the best out of it by becoming subscription-based. The news outlet offers competitive rates for the very latest news worldwide. Offering their pandemic-related content free this year has aided in attracting new readers, and the NYTimes continues to innovate in its subscription growth strategies. 

Runner Ups: Washington Post, PopSugar, Business Insider, Financial Times

 

Fight Camp is a digital boxing subscription that features elite coaches training customers from the comfort of their own home with equipment and videos. Combining fitness with on-demand workshops, this brand offers an array of resources, guides and blogs to continue empowering their customers to get fit and stay engaged. 

Runner Ups: FitPlan, Peloton, Walmart+, Deezer

 

BattlBox is a monthly subscription service that specializes in outdoor, survival, EDC and other adventurous gear. This brand is so dedicated to innovation, they’ve even created a Netflix series Southern Survival to provide unique content to customers and grow awareness of the brand. In each episode, the show tests BattlBox products designed to help people survive dangerous situations. 

Runner Ups: SinglesSwag, FabFitFun, KiwiCrate, Ipsy

 

Special Thanks to our Judges

 

Four-time Cube Awards winner and 2020 judge John Roman, CEO of BattlBox, reflected on what the awards mean to him and the rest of the subscription community: 

“The Cube Awards are special to me and a lot of people for a lot of reasons. It honors a year of work, and it’s that recognition that we’re doing the right thing. To be honored by the community is the best feeling,” Roman said. 

Roman worked alongside four amazing subscription and e-commerce experts to judge this year’s awards: Robbie Deeks, CCO of Vayner Commerce; Erik Musick, founder of The Subscription Box Show; Julie Ball, founder of Sparkle Hustle Grow; and Craig Millius, CEO of Cashi. We want to thank each one of them for their hard and diligent work in selecting the winners this year.

 

What’s next? 

 

This is not just the season for subscription, but rather the era. Covid-19 accelerated the growth of subscription companies tremendously over the past year or so, with now 27% of consumers worldwide indicating they will increase their numbers of subscriptions. 

While our community keeps on growing and welcoming new members, the Cube Awards are designed to set the standard in the industry for everyone to learn from. SUBTA is always working alongside subscription businesses to help them grow and we are excited to see what they become as 2021 approaches. And as another year passes, another Cube Awards’ Ceremony is brewing.

“Next year is going to be even bigger, even more exciting because we’ll be partially back in person,” Chambers said. The 2021 Cube Awards will be featuring another plethora of categories with several nominees in each of them.

A huge congratulations to all of our winners. We are so excited to see what you accomplish next! 


Don’t forget to join our waitlist for the 2021 SubSummit on June 2-4. You can click here for more information about the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Curious to learn more about these winners and the Cube Awards? Watch the full ceremony, click here!