In a “Why-Didn’t-Everyone-Think-of-This-Before” move, Amazon.com has recently begun to offer a subscription service for frequently purchased drugstore-type items like one’s preferred shaving cream, face wash or soap. It also offers an incentive to try the service, providing a discount on the product as a reward for subscribing. It’s a great concept, catering to a convenience-obsessed consumer who increasingly relies on the web for all of his or her shopping needs. The service itself is straightforward and flexible, allowing the consumer to choose the duration of the subscription both when making the initial purchase and during check-out. The discount is a nice touch, creating the sense for the consumer that they’re not only saving time, but getting a great deal as well. Check out the video above to see how easy it really is.

Overall, I only had a few issues with the service:

Where are Multiple Subscriptions?
Subscribing to a product immediately takes you to a check-out page. Wanting to subscribe to my favorite toothpaste, shaving gel, and face wash takes three separate transactions. Do I, and more importantly, does the average consumer, have that kind of time? Having the option to add a subscription to your cart would greatly increase the convenience of the service.

I Can’t Subscribe to That?
The bigger issue at this time is the availability of the service. Why can I subscribe to this brand, but not that brand? Why is this size available for subscription, and this one not? The choices seem random to the customer, and frustration with not being able to subscribe to a preferred product could turn some people off.

As I noted before, it’s fantastic idea and Amazon has executed it relatively well. With a few improvements, I think it could be an extremely helpful and popular service. Actually, I’m surprised that others haven’t attempted a similar system. Drugstore.com, for example, let’s you subscribe to a prescription, but not to other drugstore products. I would imagine that the ability to subscribe to both at once could be extremely beneficial to its already popular service.