My summary of Bottomless Coffee before using it? That’s simple; Bottomless Coffee will surely allow me to drink coffee to my heart’s content, no?! I expect a subscription type of product that competes with products like Nespresso and Illy.
How does Bottomless Coffee explain itself in the first minute? When I go the Bottomless site the first thing that strikes is me is about the range of products that I can order through Bottomless: from coffee to cat food. I don’t know why I thought that Bottomless was for coffee products only, but the products above the ‘Always in stock’ strap line alternates from ‘your protein power’ to ‘your peanut butter’.
‘Repeat deliveries at the perfect time, based on your usage. Never run out or have too much’. This suggest that Bottomless customers will have their stock of vitamins or coffee replenished based on actual usage of the product in question. Curious to understand how this works from a subscription and pricing point of view.
How does Bottomless (Coffee) work? Users select a product to automatically re-stock. With their first order, they receive a ‘smart scale’ which will track usage of the product. The product will thus be re-ordered at the right time. The premise is that consumers don’t have to worry about something running out or buying too much. Thinking of buying contact lenses and receiving an email reminding me to buy for another six months. This process, however, isn’t automated. In contrast, Bottomless’ value proposition is to give their subscribers precisely what they need, when they need it, as long as they keep subscribing.
What is Bottomless main differentiator? Receiving your product just in time, to prevent you running out or the product getting stale. Also, because Bottomless collects data about a customer’s usage and tastes they can personalise deliveries. For example, if the data show that you’re consuming ‘Colombian Natural’ coffee quickly, Bottomless assumes that you must like that particular flavour. With your next delivery, it can then add a similar flavour like ‘Solo Sabado’; offering a new roast to try, without venturing too much outside of your taste preferences.
Main learning point: I really like Bottomless’ promise of customising one’s product subscription, based on a customer’s preferences and actual usage. I can see a lot of benefits in this value proposition; paradoxically, reducing waste is one benefit that comes to mind here!
