Some may remember the surprise bag from their childhood, which they feverishly opened to discover its contents.
Here it is back, brought up to date by the mystery boxes.
The principle remains the same: you buy a gift whose content you do not know.
Food, drinks, decoration, gardening or well-being, there is something for everyone.
So, a few days before Christmas, is it a good idea?
Le Figaro
has looked into this market, where reliable players and scammers rub shoulders.
To discover
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If the gift bags are more intended for children, the mystery boxes are mainly aimed at adults.
The principle appeals, and many companies are embarking on this niche.
This is the case, for example, of Le Petit Ballon: created eleven years ago, this site offers wine boxes, bringing together several bottles, a gazette and a technical sheet.
If you can choose your grape variety - red, white or rosé - it is the Petit Ballon that takes care of the choice of bottles.
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Behind this logistics hides Jean-Michel Deluc, sommelier and co-founder of the company.
"
I taste between 8,000 and 10,000 wines a year, and I remember about two bottles out of ten
", he specifies.
The choice depends on the originality of the bottle, its provenance and, of course, its price.
“
We order between 3,000 and 30,000 bottles of a cuvée
,” says Jean-Michel Deluc.
Thanks to this formula, the Petit ballon can negotiate its prices and manages to display boxes from 19.90 euros.
Behind, the company realizes, on average, a margin of 40%.
The sommelier assures him, “
if you buy the products individually, the contents of the box always exceed the purchase price
”.
These boxes intended for wine lovers are available individually, as well as by subscription, at a preferential rate.
In 2021, 160,000 people subscribed to a plan.
“
Last year, more than two million bottles were sold, compared to three million this year
”, underlines Jean-Michel Deluc, specifying that “
Christmas is the period when we realize a quarter of our business
”.
The clients are relatively young, between 25 and 35 years old.
“
They generally buy the boxes to give them to their parents, who then discover our products
,” says Jean-Michel Deluc.
“A little wow effect”
For Pauline, 23, this generation “
has seen many advertisements for surprise boxes, still unknown to our parents or grandparents
”: these young adults therefore introduce their elders to these sometimes surprising offers.
Last Christmas, she gave a box of socks to her father.
"
It's an original gift, and there's always a little 'wow' effect when unboxing
," she adds.
In June 2021, his friends also offered him a six-month subscription to Kube, a reading box.
Each month, she received a paperback book along with tea bags and bookmarks.
Pauline was thus able to “
discover authors and diversify [her] readings
”.
This discovery of unknown products is the key argument of some companies.
Two years ago, the Mieux que des fleurs site launched a box “
chea not what I offer you [sic]
” intended to welcome new customers.
People have the choice between two categories, food or home, at a price of 39.90 euros each.
Here again, “
the price of the products reaches the value of the box
”, argues Joseph Ayoub, founder of Better than Flowers.
To choose the four to six products from the box, he monitors Instagram and goes "
to discover new products in the salons
".
Its concept with the original name has found its audience: in one year, between 2020 and 2021, the number of boxes sold at Christmas has increased from a hundred to 800.
Beware of scams
Caroline Leménager, founder of Ma petite box surprise, embarked on the adventure last year.
She wants to highlight "
French crafts and small businesses
".
Each month, she sells 200 boxes and makes a margin of 20 to 30%.
"
When you start it's not easy, but it's my only job today
," says the entrepreneur.
If its activity remains marginal, it refuses to include samples or miniature products in its box which would allow it to reduce its cost price.
A widespread practice: "
Some brands do not hesitate to slip it into their box, and disappoint most of their customers
," she notes.
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Thus, some dishonest actors do not hesitate to ride the wave of these mystery boxes.
On the Trustpilot review site, several people never received their order and the sellers even refuse to refund them.
For the most part, these are foreign companies that no longer respond to requests.
For example, a coffee site offers a box at 29.90 euros monthly with “
an assortment of exclusive capsules
”.
But many Internet users say they do not receive their box, when others fail to unsubscribe and are forced to oppose their bank account.
To avoid being scammed, it is better to look at the reviews of previous customers on Google or Trustpilot.
Offers that are too attractive are also to be banned.
Once the scams have been lifted, you can order a first box to test it, without subscribing to a subscription.
For people lacking inspiration, these mystery boxes are ultimately a good alternative to traditional gifts, to treat yourself or to offer.