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| DIY kits / Courtesy of Hobby in the Box |
Startup ships DIY kits to urbanites seeking hobby
By Kwak Yeon-soo
When was the last time you tried something new?
If you stumble over this question, Joe Yu-jin, the founder and CEO of the startup "Hobby in the Box," said it's time to find a new hobby to make you feel satisfied.
An increasing number of young people is not convinced that money and success ― two common criteria their elders use when they gauge if one is happy or not ― are sufficient enough to make people feel happy.
They are redefining happiness. To them, happiness is when they find joy from little things in their lives, such as the satisfaction they may feel after they successfully create something with a DIY kit.
They put "small but certain happiness" ahead of traditional high-risk, high-return values which often require people to sacrifice something important in their lives, such as family, to achieve the greater cause.
Some trend-savvy entrepreneurs target those who are pursuing "small but certain happiness" as their customers. Joe is one of them.
Started in 2016, the company delivers various DIY kits for young people looking for things to do during their spare time.
Every month Joe unveils a new kind of DIY kit on her website, giving her customers an opportunity to try something new for their hobby.
Some of the DIY kits include making concrete clay art, brick pixel art, an art toy, a dream catcher, a pinhole camera, and a neon sign. A dream catcher, originally created by Native Americans, is believed to bring good dreams to those who hang them above their beds.
Subscribers can order items if they like them and will get the box a few days later.
Joe calls it "a surprise box."
"People want to feel a small sense of achievement by being immersed in a hobby," she said. "We are here for them."
Sick and tired of the urban rat race, Joe said those who are in their 20s and 30s have the desire to fulfill something ― albeit small minor things ― through their work.
"We initially targeted people in their twenties or thirties, both office workers under excessive workloads and homemakers who cannot find 'me time' during the day because they are tied to their daily routines. But men, couples, newlyweds, and even parents order a lot, too," Joe said.
People's desires to learn or try something new are expected to increase as the plan to cut working hours is under way in the legislature.
Joe works closely with a number of handicraft shops and retailers and provides a service platform to promote them.
When asked if handicraft people or retailers are reluctant in revealing their secrets or know-how, Joe answered "Of course not."
"We now live in an open society where people flock to social media or YouTube to show off parts of their lives. Our partners are extremely confident about their expertise. Some retailers, meanwhile, are short of marketing strategies. We want them to be discovered," Joe said.
Joe, a graduate of Sungkyunkwan University, worked as a staffer there for a year before starting her own business. She said she prepared herself to create her own business while working at the university. She worked with small startup firms during weekends.
Hobby in the Box now has about 2,400 registered members, with about 300 regular customers. As the number of her customers is increasing year after year,
Joe said she feels the need to target older people as her new customers.
"I go on a lot of business trips for hobby shows held in foreign countries, and those trips have taught me that I shouldn't overlook silver consumers," Joe said. "Enjoying a hobby that requires active hands is great for emotional and social health, and it could even help prevent dementia."
As part of her strategy to reach new customers, Joe seeks to remove barriers between online and offline markets. Hobby in the Box has entered the smartphone-based app service Kakao gift store and the Olive Young health and beauty store in the southern Seoul district of Gangnam.
It recently signed a contract with Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Namdaemun to offer a guest package, dubbed "hobby in the room."
Joe said she feels her job is rewarding and mentioned one of her customers who sent her a thank-you email after her successful marriage proposal. The unnamed customer proposed to her boyfriend by using their retro wood smartphone TV.
To play a video on the screen, one needs to assemble little pieces of wood to build a TV-like figure, and then put their smartphone inside the wooden TV.
"Our subscriber filmed what she did and played it on her retro wood smartphone TV. Being able to be present in such a heart-moving moment is an amazing experience," Joe said.
Hobby in the Box's regular subscription costs 39,900 won ($37) per month, 119,400 won for 3 months, and 232,200 won for 6 months.
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