How to maximise subscription-based sales (at a time when everyone's feeling the pinch)

From beauty and healthcare to store cupboard essentials, subscription sales are big business. But with Covid kickstarting a wave of cancellations — and the recent rise in living costs only impacting our bank balances further — how can you ensure you’re getting the most out of your subscription sales? Here are six ways to stay one step ahead.

Subscriptions are a convenient way to get what you want, when you want. And while you’re guaranteed to never run out of your favourites, sometimes it pays to keep things fresh. Think about how to add value — whether that be rewarding loyal customers with exclusive offers, introducing new products, or looking at new ways to improve the customer experience. Because when you’re up against cancellations and competitors, there’s no time to be complacent.

It goes without saying that your buyers want efficiency. We’re talking low prices, products delivered on time, and a hassle-free process. But think about how you can go above and beyond on experience. Are there ways you can make unboxing even better? If your products are sold as gifts, can you add notes, gift wrapping, or make things more personalised? Physical aspects like this can sometimes have the biggest impact.

It’s not just your customers that can benefit from adding more flexibility into the mix. Let your users personalise their subscriptions by introducing 2-week, 4-week, or 6-month delivery options. Or optimise your retention rates by adding the option to pause rather than cancel. You can then keep nurturing your paused subscribers with emails or other retargeting activity to encourage them to sign up again at a later date.

You don’t need to drive sales to get more from your subscriptions. Can you streamline your processes by switching deliveries from monthly to three-monthly? Will offering 500ml instead of 100ml product sizes help cut your postage costs? If you’re shipping across borders, it’s always worth using third-party fulfilment to find more competitive rates, cut delivery times, and navigate any red tape around tax and duties.

To drive sign-ups, make sure you’re clear when it comes to giving users a reason to buy. Ensure your reviews are a prominent part of your product page designs. If you offer multi-buy discounts, make them eye-catching. And if you’ve set up refer a friend programmes, promote them in banners, pop-ups, or follow up emails.

A final way to discourage your subscribers from opting out entirely is a cancellation flow. By pairing persuasive messaging with intelligent UX design, you can keep users on board and deter them from hitting “cancel”. It can work pretty well as a last-ditch attempt to keep your subscribers, but it’s worth seeing how you can engage them in other ways before they reach this stage.