| Manpacks | |
| Type: | Private |
| Foundation: | January 2010 |
| Defunct: | August 2018 |
| Location: | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Key People: | Founded by Ken Johnson and Andrew Draper |
| Industry: | Men's essentials subscription |
| Products: | Men's underwear, undershirts, socks, hygienic items |
| Homepage: | http://www.manpacks.com/ |
Manpacks was a quarterly subscription service offering men's underwear, socks, toiletries and other basic needs.[1] Buyers created their pack with offered items including boxer briefs, undershirts, socks, shaving products, and condoms, and the pack was automatically delivered every three months.[2] The service has been discontinued.[3]
Ken Johnson and Andrew Draper started working on the concept for Manpacks in December 2009 and founded the company in January 2010.[4] [5] Manpacks began as an experimental side project, but demand increased. Soon, customer management and the processing of orders turned into a full-time job. Upon launch, the site offered only offered underwear and socks.[6]
Manpacks was the first American subscription ecommerce service offering men's essentials.[7] [8] [9] Numerous sites have since spawned and imitated Manpacks' business model.[10] [11] Shortly after launch, Manpacks was accepted into Betaspring's startup accelerator program.[12] The company at one time had more than 10,000 subscribers.[13]
Manpacks automatically shipped men basic needs like socks, underwear, razors, and toiletries every three months or when desired.[14] [15] Three months after placing an order, Manpacks would send customers a shipment reminder email.[14] Manpacks' primary customers were people buying for the men in their life, men who are averse to shopping, and the lazy.[1] [4]