Having difficulty selling subscriptions on Shopify? You’re not alone! A lot of people find it challenging to sell subscriptions online. Wouldn't it be great if more customers bought your subscriptions? According to this 2021 survey [1] up to 92% of people, depending on age bracket, without subscription services are interested in purchasing a subscription service for the right product and price. So what is deterring them, and how can you ease their fears of difficulty canceling, overbuying, and overpaying?
Make cancellation easy, not a chore
People don’t want to sign up for subscriptions because they may be difficult to cancel. In fact 57% of participants cited this as a reason they have not purchased a subscription. And we have all been there.
For example, gym memberships are notoriously hard to cancel. If a person wants to stop their membership at the gym, they have to go back and forth with customer service and waste their time on the phone or go to the gym in person. The situation is so grievous that apps exist entirely to cancel memberships and subscriptions.
Simple Subscriptions for Shopify makes it easy for your customers to cancel their subscriptions on their own with one-click cancellation in their customer portal. It is free for 30 days and can be set up in just a few minutes. Other subscription services intentionally make it difficult to cancel because it can boost retention for a short period of time. This anti-customer behavior not only discourages new subscribers from joining but also impacts customers’ perceptions of your store and their willingness to shop there again.
Fear of over-buying
Another customer concern is over-buying, with 53% of participants saying it deters them from purchasing a subscription. With busy lives, and changing schedules it’s difficult to remember upcoming purchases. And when people are unable to modify their subscription to fit their usage they don’t even want to sign up to begin with. Being able to pause, skip deliveries and change ship dates are basic offerings to help ease overbuying fears. Brands like Dollar Shave Club know this is something that potential customers are concerned about and they highlight customizable schedules in their FAQ.
With Simple Subscriptions your customers receive upcoming billing notifications before each renewal order so they have complete control over the amount and frequency of what they’re buying. Further, via the customer portal, customers can easily skip and reschedule shipments and renewals.
Not getting the best deal
A final worry of buyers to consider is that they will be spending more money on a subscription service than if they continue with one-time purchases. In fact, 40% of potential customers are concerned that they could be overspending by purchasing a subscription.Consumers are money conscious and want to feel like they are getting a good deal. A common way to entice customers is to offer a discount on prepaid or subscribe and save style subscriptions.
With Simple Subscriptions you can set up discounts in a way that fits your business model. One compelling way to keep people subscribed is to offer a discount once they have hit a minimum number of deliveries. For example, the first two deliveries are at the standard price of your product and after that they get a 5% discount. This is not only enticing for budget minded customers but also eases fears that they will not be getting a great deal.
Entice subscribers and keep them happy
The best way to turn a prospective customer into an actual customer is to create a strong incentive for them to try your product. Start by streamlining the subscription sign-up process and entice customers with discounts. Then, alleviate your customers’ other fears by making cancellation simple and letting them self-manage deliveries to avoid overpaying. Avoid cheap tricks like difficult cancellations that hurt long-term customer retention. Give your customers the chance to see your product subscriptions as worth their money, and they might be inclined to spread the word.
Click here to get set up for subscription success with Simple Subscriptions