6 Subscription Management Paths to Offer Ecommerce Subscribers

Your subscribers love your products, but they don’t love managing the subscription. Anything you can do to make the logistics of subscribing easier will create a better experience for your subscribers and prevent them from churning. 

Instead of asking your subscribers to make changes to their subscriptions by logging into their account portal, it’s far simpler to provide custom links to shorter paths that allow them to complete specific actions. 

Here are some ways you can let your subscribers manage their subscriptions without logging into their account portals.

Note: In this article, we focus on actions subscribers can take outside of the Recharge portal because the software we sell, ARPU, works directly with Recharge. If you use a different subscription platform, you may not be able to create similar paths.

1. Add a 1-Time Purchase to Next Shipment

If subscribers know that a shipment is about to be shipped, they might be inclined to include an additional item or two in the box. You’ll want to provide an easy way for them to toss a few extra products in their cart. 

Showcase a customized selection of products and make it as easy as possible to add them to the order (the less clicks and typing, the better).

Instead of asking your subscribers to make changes to their subscriptions by logging into their account portal, it’s far simpler to provide custom links to shorter paths that allow them to complete specific actions.

‍Pro Tip: With ARPU, subscribers can add additional 1-time items to their upcoming shipment without logging into the Recharge portal. This frictionless experience can increase average order value (AOV) and customer lifetime value (LTV). 

Plus, the simplicity of this flow (just 2 clicks) prevents subscribers from getting distracted before they finish the transaction. 

How it Works: 

Send a “shipping soon” email (or any other message you use an ARPU upsell path link in, like a Gorgias message) with some upsell offers. To increase conversions, you should personalize these orders to the subscriber. They will only have to click 2 buttons: The first to select the product from your email and the second to confirm the purchase.

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You can choose the upsell items shown and any discounts offered by 1 or more of the following triggers:

• Subscription item. Example: If subscribed to X, show A, B, C, and D with 20% discounts. 
• Renewal count. Example: If this is their 5th renewal, show Mystery Gift to be claimed. If this is their 6th renewal and they subscribe to item X, show E, F, G, and H with a limited-time 40% discount.
• Shopify tag (product-based OR behavior-based). Example: Suppose you create Shopify tags based on lifetime value. If a subscriber has the "$1,500" tag," show products X, Y, and Z with a 30% discount and a message that says, "We appreciate your loyalty. You've earned 30% off for life!"

2. Add Subscription Product

This path is similar to adding a 1-time purchase, but in this scenario, a subscriber should be able to subscribe to a new product in addition to the one they already get. 

This addition is especially powerful when the new offers complement the existing purchase. For instance, if someone subscribes to a shampoo product, they might be receptive to an offer for the matching conditioner.

Again, you’ll want to make it very easy to add a subscription to the cart and complete the transaction.

Pro Tip: ARPU provides a 2- or 3-click path subscribers can use to add another subscription product to their order. 

‍How it Works:

Just like a 1-time purchase, you can send a “shipping soon” email (or any other message you use an ARPU Add Subscription Path link in, like a Gorgias message) with some offers of subscription products. Subscribers only click twice*: Once to pick their new subscription product and then once to confirm their purchase. 

For best results, create campaigns with personalized offers that each subscriber will find highly relevant.

‍* A third click may be required if they’re adding a product with variants and want to change the scent, flavor, etc.

3. Delay Next Charge/Shipment

One of the drawbacks of subscribing to a product is receiving the next shipment before you finish the previous one. To some subscribers, this can feel like an unnecessary purchase and a waste of money. 

That feeling is the opposite of what you want from your subscribers. You don’t want your subscribers to regret their subscriptions! 

An easy solution to this problem is to give them the ability to delay their next shipment until a more convenient date. Offering this is a great way to prevent them from unsubscribing to avoid the charge.

‍Pro Tip: With ARPU's help, subscribers can choose to delay and pick a new shipping date without asking them to visit the Recharge account portal. Bonus: If they’ve run out of product and don’t want to wait until the scheduled ship date, they can choose to have the charge processed earlier and ship right away.

‍How it Works:

You can send an upcoming shipment email (or any other message you use an ARPU Delay Path link in, like a Gorgias message) with a delay link in the message. They can delay in 1* or 2 clicks:

1. Click the “Delay Your Order” CTA
2. Select the delay interval (offer intervals or let them pick a date)
3. Click the confirmation button

One of the drawbacks of subscribing to a product is receiving the next shipment before you finish the previous one. An easy solution to this problem is to give them the ability to delay their next shipment until a more convenient date. 

* To provide a 1-click option, merchants can show the delay intervals in the email itself.

4. Swap Product Variants

Sometimes, subscribers get bored with their subscriptions. They may grow tired of the flavor, decide they have enough of that color, or want to try something new. 

In these cases, most subscribers would simply unsubscribe. However, you can save the subscription by allowing them to substitute it with something similar.

Substitutions are another powerful way to give your subscribers control over their subscriptions. You could limit them to variants (flavors, scents, etc.) or let them change to another subscription product you offer. 

Swapping also allows subscribers to try new products. Who knows? They might decide to subscribe to both!

Make it incredibly easy to swap products. The less trouble it is, the more likely a customer will complete the swap. 

‍Pro Tip: ARPU supports variant swaps directly from the upcoming charge email (or via any other message you use an ARPU Swap Path link in, like a Gorgias message). Subscribers can complete a variant swap in 3 clicks. 

Substitutions are a powerful way to give your subscribers control over their subscriptions. 

‍How it Works:

1. The merchant provides a link to an ARPU Swap Path.
2. A subscriber clicks the link to view their choices.
3. They select 1 of the preset substitution options.
4. Then they click a 3rd CTA to confirm the swap.

5. Send Someone a Gift

If your subscribers love the products they receive, they may want to share those products with their friends. But returning to your website to purchase a 1-time product can be a pain. 

Provide a way for subscribers to buy gifts without going through your traditional checkout if they already have a subscription.

You can make their lives a lot easier by letting them buy 1-time gifts for their friends by following a simple path from their “shipping soon” email.

This tactic is excellent for boosting your revenue and exposing new products to potential subscribers. It’s sales and marketing all-in-one!

Pro Tip: ARPU provides a gift purchase path for subscribers to quickly select a product, fill out shipping details, and complete their transaction without logging into their Recharge or Shopify accounts. 

‍How it Works:‍

1. In your upcoming shipment email, you can display 3 gifts and include a link to a dedicated “gift” shopping page. 
2. On the gift page, the subscriber will choose a gift to add to their cart. 
3. On the cart page, they enter the recipient’s shipping details, including a special message, and schedule a shipping date. 
4. The last step is to click the final “buy gift” button. 

That’s 3 clicks max and a short form.

6. Loyalty Reward Path

A significant challenge many ecommerce managers face is keeping customers subscribed for the long term. Every once in a while, they may need a little incentive to stick around.

Plus, customers love acknowledgement for their loyalty to your brand. It makes them feel like they are a part of something special. 

How do you reward them? People love getting access to special deals and promotions. They also love exclusive products that aren’t available to the public. You might even let them pick a free gift as a thank you.

You’ll want to make it as easy as possible to claim rewards. Anything too complicated (filling out additional forms, finding account info and passwords, etc.) can undermine the excitement.

‍Pro Tip: With ARPU, you can create custom campaigns that send unique content (products and offers) to subscribers based on loyalty. 

‍How it Works:

You create a campaign just like adding a 1-time purchase (see above). To offer a free item, adjust the discount to 100%. If you want to provide rewards based on the number of renewals, use renewal count as a trigger. 

If you're going to reward them based on other factors, you’ll need to set up Shopify tags for those. For example, you might create a tag for any subscriber responsible for $2,000 in revenue, then create a campaign that offers a special gift for anyone who crosses that threshold. 

Every once in a while, customers may need a little incentive to stick around. Plus, customers love acknowledgement for their loyalty to your brand. 

When you use ARPU to send an upcoming charge notification (or any other message you use an ARPU Upsell Path link in, like a Gorgias message) to announce and allow a subscriber to claim free products, you can either show just 1 and let a subscriber claim only 1, or show multiple products and limit their choice to 1 (as shown below).  

Like the upsell path, the subscriber only has to click 2 buttons: 1 to select the product or freebie from your email and 1 to confirm. They don’t have to login to their Recharge portal to claim rewards.

Give Your Subscribers Control

It used to be that the account portal was a critical part of the subscription experience. However, these days, subscribers no longer need to access their account portal to make every change to their subscriptions. 

By implementing some combination of the paths described above, you can give your subscribers control of their subscription without all the hassle. Plus, there are several opportunities to increase your AOV and LTV.

You can create all these paths with ARPU, a powerful tool that helps Recharge merchants do more with “shipping soon” emails. Try ARPU for free.