Are Mail-Order Meal Kits Doomed? | Eater
"Founded in 2012 and once valued at roughly $2 billion within a few years, this mail-order meal-kit company grew quickly but has since struggled: by March 2018 it controlled about 35% of the U.S. meal-kit market yet lost more than 200,000 customers between September 2017 and September 2018 and saw its stock plunge from a June 2017 IPO price of $10 to an all-time low of $0.66 later that year. Critics and customers point to high ongoing cost after introductory promos, the subscription model’s tendency to train novice cooks who then cancel, substantial packaging and shipping waste, and fulfillment problems such as late, incomplete, or spoiled shipments; still, many users note responsive customer service and prompt refunds. In response, the company has shifted strategy—pulling back from at least one big-box retail partnership in late 2018 due to shelf-space/seasonality issues, rolling out cheaper, stripped-down “Knick Knacks” that require customers to supply their own produce and protein, offering limited non-subscription ordering via an online retailer in the NYC area, and refocusing on attracting “high-quality” long-term subscribers while aiming for profitability in 2019." - Whitney Filloon
