Jessica Barouche is taking product subscriptions to a higher level with OuiPlease, an online service that delivers a mystery box of lesser-known French luxury goods to consumers’ doorsteps.
Each box contains about $400 worth of full-size products and starts at $175 for one to $650 for six bimonthly shipments. If customers like a product, they can purchase more at ouiplease.com.
“There is a real attraction for French products and brands in the U.S., and there are some we cannot find here,” Barouche said.
The Parisienne, who holds an M.B.A. in international luxury management and previously served as a product manager at Hermès, moved to Dallas three years ago as an au pair to experience American life. A year ago she launched BeFrnch, a local lifestyle consulting service. With OuiPlease, she aims to link French products with a national clientele.
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Packaged in a hinged black box, each OuiPlease delivery holds at least 11 items spanning four categories — fashion, beauty, home and epicure — and themed with a region of France. An enclosed illustrated booklet, “Et Voila,” provides background on all brands that may be in the box plus a few articles.
“My wish is that my customers travel with Oui Please, to Paris with the first box, and the next one in February is a romantic weekend in Normandy, and the third is Provence,” Barouche explained.
Contents vary, but an example of the first mailing set for Dec. 11 contains four Sothys skin care products, Myriam K hair serum, Julie Sion jewelry, a Christian Lacroix journal, Le Bénéfique tea, a PopUp scented candle, an Atelier Cologne fragrance and a Hediard tea infuser, a Mineroche scented stone and a discount offer from Ku de Coeur.
Other brands participating in the first delivery are Alexandre.J fragrance; Studio 78 makeup; Les Petites sweaters; jewelry by 5 Octobre, Dome D and Tassia Canellis; leather goods by 1951 Maison Française, CharlotteSometime and Bons Baisers de Paris, and gourmet items from Marlette, Maison de la Truffe and Château d’Estoublon. Oui Please is the exclusive U.S. distributor for most of the companies.
“It’s a long-term collaboration,” Barouch noted. “We want to build a loyalty to them. It’s not just one shot and they forget about it. And it’s a full-size product, so you get to try it for more than a couple of days.”