Subscription boxes are still a popular ecommerce segment despite shoppers not fully embracing them. For consumers, they fill needs from convenience to variety. Attrition is high, though. Once the novelty wears off, some start to question a subscription box's value and lack of flexibility.

Doom and gloom often surrounds discussion of brick-and-mortar retail. It's hard not to see the demise of traditional stores like Sears and Toys 'R' Us as bellwethers for the industry. Many stores are closing locations but is it as dire as it seems on the surface?