Buckt started trading back in 2017 and is the UK’s only tickets and activities subscription service. Every month, a network of subscribers in London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester get 5 mystery tickets to top attractions in their region. We chatted to Founder Daniel Bridgewater to find out more about his innovation…
Background to Buckt – where did the idea come from?
“Every weekend, my partner and I found ourselves wasting so much time scrolling on our phones trying to find fun things to do. I discovered that this weekly, repeated frustration resonated with a lot of people. The problem was that there were too many options out there – which may sound counterintuitive – but the more choices we had, the more difficult it was to choose. It’s hard to know whether it’s worth our time or whether you’re going to waste your money.
“When my partner and I broke up, I decided to write a Bucket list (i.e. do a Bungee jump, go skydiving etc), and I started to think about how you could incorporate a Bucket list into a business. I’d always been fascinated by subscription boxes, and so Buckt was born.”
How does it work?
“It’s a monthly subscription – so at the beginning of each month, you get your tickets. Since our recent relaunch post lockdown, it is all accessible via our app. The great thing is you don’t have to do every activity to get your money back – you can just do one or two and you’ll complete activities worth more than what you paid for the subscription.
“The activities vary from axe throwing to trampoline parks – there’s always something for everyone.”
How did you cope with the impact of COVID?
“When the announcements came, we had a big discussion about what we were going to do. Of course, at the time, we thought it might only be a few months, but as it became clear that this was going to be long term and I began to see other businesses innovating, it became clear that there was an opportunity and we needed to do something.
“We launched Buckt Home – a subscription box which gives you 5 things you can do at home – such as baking kits, online beer tasting, online comedy shows, and online escape games. This new business actually managed to out-perform the old business, but when the lockdown started to ease it gradually went back to how it was before.”
Have you accessed any regional support?
“I participated in the Entrepreneurial Spark (now NatWest Accelerator) with an idea I had for another business. The experience is actually what gave me the skills to launch Buckt, and I went back 6 months later when Buckt began trading! The support we had was great there, which for me, is the most valuable thing these accelerator programmes can offer.”
What are your plans for the future?
“When Buckt Home started going well I recruited more members of staff – a strong team around you is what gives you the confidence to take more risks. We now want to invest more in our marketing and our technology. At the moment, our system is quite archaic – we’re surviving because of the concept, but we want to improve the user experience.
“We launched in Birmingham and have since expanded into Manchester and London – where the business is flying.
“So far, we’ve got around 3,500 subscribers, but are working towards 7,000 by the end of the year!”
Thank you for talking to us Daniel! You can find out more about Buckt here.
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