This is part of uOpen’s 'Industry Insights' interview series - a valuable collection of informative and intelligent insights into how some of the UK's best-known and most-loved subscription box businesses came to be and got to where they are - all shared by the very people who made it happen...

Covering customer acquisition to fulfilment, this blog series offers a behind the scenes look at how the many moving parts of these complex, yet successful operations come together each month to satisfy the ever-growing demand of subscription box customers in the UK.

How did the idea for your subscription box come about?

Way back in 2012, Chloe was looking for a personalised book subscription gift for me, but was unable to find anything suitable. On a hunch that there might be other people looking for something similar, The Willoughby Book Club was born.

What attracted you to the subscription box model?

It's the 'gift that keeps on giving', and it means that our brand is front-of-mind with our customers for anything up to 12 months.

How did you acquire your first customers?

We launched on 1st September 2012 and received our first order 48 hours later (we've still got the screengrab to prove it!). Our first sale came through an organic search engine result, which continues to be the most popular way that customers find us.

Did you raise any seed or investor funding to help you grow?

No. We wanted to do things on our own terms, without the complication of 3rd party investors. We launched on £150 and have continued to fund our growth internally since then.

How long have you been running now and what are your most successful achievements and milestones so far?

We launched back in 2012, so it'll soon be our 6th birthday.

Things started as a part-time operation from our kitchen table. Today, we're a growing team of 11 permanent employees with thousands of subscribers in over 30 countries across the world.

Our biggest milestones include partnering with Book Aid International in 2013 (we donate a book for every subscription sold), moving to our new offices in 2015 and launching our range onto the British high-street last year. You can now buy a WBC subscription in over 300 Boots & Debenhams stores up and down the country!

With the rise of new boxes launching all the time, what do you see as your USP that sets you apart from your competitors?

We've been doing this a long time now. We've had time to build our brand and a base of very loyal customers. I believe we have a number of USPs, but our biggest asset is our customer service. We absolutely pride ourselves on putting our customers first - from the point of purchase right through to the final delivery.

How large is your team? What type of roles do they have?

We're a growing team of 11 employees across 3 areas of the business. Our admin team manage all incoming order and customer service related requests. Our book selections team are the guys responsible for hand-picking our subscriber’s books each and every month. Finally, our packaging team are in charge of gift-wrapping, boxing and preparing the books for our monthly mail-out.

But ultimately, we're a 'hands-on' team comfortable working across business areas where necessary.

Across all operational areas of your business, what do you manage in-house and what do you outsource to external suppliers to support you with - and why is this?

We manage everything in-house.

What types of challenges do you face with fulfilment, delivery and customer service?

Our books are sent out on 1st of each month. This can be a challenge, as it means preparing our mailing gradually over a 30 day period and facing a (very busy) mailing day.  It also means that our customer service requests peak around 3rd-10th of each month as books start to land on doormats, which can require some careful resource planning.

How do you see the subscription box industry is evolving and what do you believe are going to be your biggest challenges over the next 12 months?

The subscription market is becoming increasingly saturated. It's as popular as ever, and consumers have a plethora of boxes to choose from - whatever their interest. So the challenge over the next 12 months is to remain relevant, continue to grow, and most importantly to ensure that our brand is still front-of-mind when it comes to purchasing a book subscription gift.

What do you enjoy most about running your subscription box business?

Firstly, every single day is different. I might be visiting a potential supplier, discussing opportunities with a new stockist, reviewing our latest sales figures  or simply helping our packaging team (my gift-wrapping is a little rusty...). As a director of a small company, I'm always switching between a number of roles; from HR, finance and marketing director through to ‘chief tea-maker’ and ‘head of bin-bag-removals’.

But I also enjoy watching our little business thrive and grow. I'm immensely proud of what we've achieved over the last 6 years. What started as a part-time hobby has grown into something much, much bigger thanks to a team that I'm really proud to be a part of.

What excites you about uOpen, and how do you see the marketplace featuring in your business' future?

I'm really excited about joining uOpen. It's fantastic to finally see a space where subscription hunters can find their next perfect gift, and we're looking forward to seeing our business grow alongside the platform.