Subscription-based Product Management

MASTERCLASS approach to running a subscription-focused brand straight from the shack sack. SUBSCRIPTION WITHOUT KILLING TRUST Pre-select subscription with crystal clear transparency. Show savings in immediately understandable terms and compare one-time vs subscription side-by-side. Brands love to hide their subscription offers or make them confusing - successful brands do the opposite. OPTIMIZE FOR SUBSCRIPTION ADOPTION Position subscription as a smart consumer choice, not a trap. Use social proof about subscriber percentages to show it's the popular option. Highlight flexible pause/skip/cancel options prominently so customers feel in control from day one. ELIMINATE CHECKOUT DROP-OFFS Emphasize permanent savings at checkout and visualize the long-term savings impact. Stress customer control over subscription management throughout the entire flow. The moment someone feels locked in, they bounce. NAIL POST-PURCHASE ONBOARDING Send a detailed subscription management welcome email immediately after purchase. Provide easy subscription modification access points and reinforce benefits to prevent buyer's remorse. The first 48 hours are critical for retention. PREVENT CHURN PROACTIVELY Send pre-billing reminders before renewals so there are no surprises. Enable email adjustments without login barriers - make it stupidly easy to modify subscriptions. Offer pauses instead of immediate cancellations whenever possible. WIN-WIN CANCELLATION PROCESS Keep the cancel button visible and accessible - hiding it destroys trust. Present alternatives to complete cancellation, like pausing or reducing frequency. Track cancellation reasons religiously to improve the experience for future subscribers. LONG-TERM SUBSCRIBER RETENTION Escalate perks for loyal subscribers to reward their commitment. Use personalized win-back flows for churned customers based on their specific usage patterns. Test various renewal incentives continuously - what works today might not work next quarter.

🚀 One Product, Many Ways to Sell: CPQ vs. Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) In the Salesforce world, selling both one-time and subscription-based products often turns into a catalog nightmare. If you’ve built or managed a CPQ catalog, you know the pain — duplicate SKUs, tangled pricing rules, and messy renewals. But with Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA), there’s a smarter way. 💡 The Challenge with Traditional CPQ In Salesforce CPQ, when a single offering (say “Premium Analytics”) is sold as both a one-time license and a subscription: You’d need to create two separate products (e.g., Analytics - Perpetual and Analytics - Subscription). Each gets its own price book entries, discount schedules, and renewal rules. Every change means double the work — and double the risk of misalignment. This tight coupling between product and pricing model is a major operational drag, especially as offerings evolve. 🧩 The RCA Advantage: Product Selling Models Enter Revenue Cloud Advanced, which introduces Product Selling Models — a game-changer for how you structure your catalog. With RCA: You define one product (e.g., Analytics Suite). Attach multiple Selling Models — One-Time, Term Subscription, or Evergreen. Sales reps simply pick the selling model at quote time. 👉 No duplicate SKUs. 👉 No redundant rules. 👉 No rework when pricing changes. ⚙️ Example: Bringing It Together Business case: You sell a software license that can be purchased outright or subscribed to monthly. Approach Setup Maintenance Renewal Behavior CPQ (Classic) Create 2 products (One-time & Subscription) Update both products & rules Renewal logic tied to subscription SKU RCA Create 1 product with 2 selling models Maintain 1 source of truth Renewal driven by selling model Result: A leaner catalog, cleaner pricing logic, and faster time-to-market. If you’re new to RCA: Start clean — model your offerings once. Define selling models up front. Let RCA handle subscription and one-time logic dynamically. ⚖️ The Big Picture CPQ = Product defines the selling type. RCA = Selling model defines how the product is sold. That simple shift drives: ✅ SKU consolidation ✅ Faster pricing updates ✅ Seamless renewals ✅ Smarter analytics #Salesforce #RevenueCloud #CPQ #SalesforceRCA #DigitalTransformation #QuoteToCash #SalesOps #BusinessTransformation

Most organizations launch something… and then abandon it. A system goes live. The project closes. The team disbands. Six months later the business has changed, users are frustrated, and no one actually owns improving the thing that was built. This is the limitation of traditional project management. It optimizes for delivery, not outcomes. To be clear, traditional PM absolutely has its place. Capital projects, infrastructure upgrades, and one time initiatives need structured delivery. But when the goal is continuous value, the model breaks down. One company that realized this early was the New York Times. When it first pushed into digital subscriptions, it was managing digital initiatives as projects. Teams built features, launched them, and moved on. The problem was that nobody owned the long term success of the product.   So they changed the operating model. Instead of temporary project teams, they created permanent cross functional product teams responsible not just for launching digital offerings but for growing them.   That shift helped fuel a wave of successful products like NYT Cooking, games, and podcasts, ultimately scaling the company to more than 12 million digital subscribers and over $1B in digital revenue.  I am a long-time subscriber to NYT and can attest to the subscriber value they provide. The key insight was simple. Stop delivering projects. Start owning products. If leaders want to apply this idea operationally, the approach looks like this. A productized PM model 1. Start with initiatives that require ongoing improvement Anything that depends on user adoption, data, or iteration is a strong candidate. 2. Define success as a business outcome Not scope, schedule, and budget. Think adoption, engagement, revenue, or operational impact. 3. Build stable cross functional teams Product, engineering, design, operations, and analytics working together long term. 4. Shift governance to learning and outcomes Ask what changed for the customer, what the team learned, and what should improve next. 5. Treat it as an operating model shift This is not a new PM methodology. It is a different way of organizing work. The real breakthrough here is philosophical. Projects assume the work ends. Products assume the work evolves. And in a world where technology, AI, and customer expectations change constantly, that mindset difference is everything. ♻️ Repost if you believe operations should focus on outcomes, not just delivery ➕ Follow Sarah Wilson for more operational leadership insights 💬 Where have you seen projects fail because no one owned the result after launch?

Want to know how to build a real subscription business? Don't start with subscriptions. Seriously, this is one of the toughest lessons we've had to learn. Here's our detailed 5-point framework for building sustainable retention revenue: 1. Prove unit economics first Some brands rush to subscriptions to 'fix' bad unit economics. That's backward. What we focus on: - Target 1.5X ROAS minimum on first purchase - Test different offer structures (30-50% off based on margins) - Validate bundle economics before subscription plays - Build cash reserves for proper testing Why? You need runway to test retention strategies properly. 2. Wait for reviews to validate Your early customers tell you everything about retention potential. What to watch: - Post-purchase survey responses - Time between discovery and purchase - Common objections and concerns - Natural reorder patterns Key finding: Almost half our customers know us for a month+ before buying. Use this data. 3. Launch new products strategically The goal is to get 2-3 purchases in the first 4 weeks. Our approach: - Launch best/premium variants first - Time releases to maintain purchase momentum - Create urgency with limited availability - Use each launch to reactivate existing customers Real example: Our Black Friday strategy wasn't about one big discount. It was about driving multiple purchases through strategic launches. 4. Calculate product-specific LTV Different products have different retention patterns. Track everything: - Reorder windows - Flavor preferences - Cross-category purchase behavior - Channel-specific retention rates Don't assume all products deserve a subscription model. 5. Model subscription scenarios only after you have: - Proven reorder patterns - Clear flavor preferences - Strong retention signals - Cash flow for proper testing The results? We grew from 100% to 400% year over year by mastering steps 1-5 before pushing subscriptions. The reality is subscription revenue is earned, not forced. Focus on making a product people want to reorder before optimizing how they reorder. Your subscription model is only as good as your retention data.

I've been quiet about this for months, but it's time to share. After 8 years running pure ecommerce brands, we've completely pivoted our business model: every product we launch now has subscription component. Not because subscriptions are trendy. But because economics are undeniable. Here's what happened when we added a $27/month subscription option to a beauty brand selling a one-time $59 product (with proper funnel in place too): -Customer Acquisition Cost remained identical -Average first-order value increased by 14% -Customer Lifetime Value jumped by 40% -Retention rate at 49% after 6 months The difference between struggling and thriving in ecommerce often comes down to unit economics. When your LTV is 1.5X your CAC, you're barely surviving. When your LTV is 4X your CPA, you can outspend any competitor. Subscriptions change the entire psychology of your marketing. When you sell one-time product or have sh*t funnel with sh*t upsells you need to convince customers to buy again and again. When you sell subscriptions you only need to convince them once. Then inertia works in your favor. Most brands approach subscriptions completely wrong. They treat them as a minor addition to their business, not a fundamental shift in their model. Our approach: We design products specifically to create ongoing value. Every new product must answer: "Why would someone continue using this month after month?" The first 14 days are also critical. We've built a 9-touch onboarding process that drives initial product usage and builds habit formation. We've built systems that track customer usage patterns and send timely reminders when they should be seeing results or need to reorder. Each subscriber receives exclusive content tied to subscription journey - improving results and creating deeper brand connection. Before each renewal, customers receive a preview of what's coming next and how it builds on their current results. Results: Our retention rates are now 2.7X industry average, and our CAC payback period decreased from 62 days to 32 days. Successful DTC brands of the next decade won't be selling products. They'll be selling ongoing transformations, delivered through physical products. If you're still focused solely on one-time purchases, you're building a business model that's increasingly difficult to sustain. The shift isn't easy. But it's necessary. And not making shift is harder in the long run.

The world's best subscription brands all focus on one crucial KPI: Increasing first-order subscription take rate. Here's why this is important: Subscription customers typically show higher lifecycle engagement, greater customer lifetime value, and much higher repeat purchase rates than one-time purchasers. In fact, a report from McKinsey & Company found that subscription customers tend to average a 15–25% retention rate after one year, while OTP customers often fall well short of this. This disparity matters because relying on OTP customers means you must be profitable from the very first order—otherwise, you’re forced to depend on additional capital via debt or equity. In contrast, a subscription-heavy model may allow you to absorb a loss on order #1, provided your retention curve supports long-term LTV gains. The improved margin profiles in subscription businesses can significantly ease the challenges of scaling profitably. Richie Mashiko and I talked in detail about this on the latest episode of the Boring Ecom Podcast. With all this in mind, I'd recommend optimizing your PDP to convert at least 60% of new customer orders into subscriptions. This can be achieved through: - Strong price breaks - Free gifts on the first order - Rewards for staying subscribed - Exclusive access to content, merchandise, or new products The key is to design your subscription program around your customers' needs and desires. The brands that've mastered this are AG1, Seed Health, and Everyday Dose. Check out the chart below to understand more about what motivates customers to subscribe. Follow me for more tips on what I've learned as a retention marketer for some of the world's fastest-growing 8 & 9-figure brands!

2 years ago, this haircare brand was struggling with customer retention, LTV and were stuck at $120k/mo in rev. Today, they make $400k/mo. Here’s what changed: When we first started working together, the brand had two main products: 1. A one-time purchase cap with red light therapy for hair regrowth 2. A subscription-based stem cell solution applied with a special applicator Initially, they lacked basic email flows and were generating less than 10% of their revenue from email. We implemented foundational setups like welcome series, abandoned cart, and browse abandonment flows. But the real game-changer was this subscription retention strategy: We created a six-email flow sequence, sent 30 days apart. Month 1: Congratulatory email with a roadmap of future discounts (20% off at month 3, 30% off at month 6) ↓ Month 2: Progress update and reminder of upcoming discounts ↓ Month 3: 20% lifetime discount offer ↓ Months 4-5: Social proof and before/after results ↓ Month 6: 30% lifetime discount offer The results were insane: • Subscription flow became the top-performer outperforming even the welcome flow • LTV shot up by 30% • Churn rates dropped significantly This strategy has worked so well, we've rolled it out to other subscription-based clients. Even a well-known LinkedIn personality. As more brands pivot to subscription models (rising acquisition costs, anyone?), this becomes even more critical. Overall, our relationship with the founders has been exemplary. We started with bi-weekly calls and collaborative brainstorming. Now, it's largely hands-off. We send weekly updates, and they've given us 10/10 feedback scores across the board - copy, design, communication, and reporting. The key? Honesty and transparency. We share wins and challenges openly. Work together to find solutions. It's why they're one of our best clients. If you're running an ecom brand and want to chat about how we can help, my DMs are open.

Is your business's model based on recurring revenue from subscriptions? And have you experienced the magic of ARR, Automatic…. Hem Annual Recurring Revenue? That's great, but you may have noticed a churn spike lately. Or maybe it's getting tougher to bring new customers on board? If so, it's time to face it: subscription fatigue might be creeping into your customer base. In "The Dream of Recurrent Revenue and the Reality of Subscription Fatigue," we dissect this complex issue that's causing subscription models to re-think themselves: how do we bridge the gap between recurrent revenue and recurrent value? How do we stop our valued subscribers from clicking the dreaded cancel button? The article takes a critical look at three key subscription areas feeling the heat: 💣 Fragmented services, struggling with an increased Total Cost of Subscription 💣 E-commerce subscriptions grappling with shifting consumer habits 💣 Digital goods where the subscription model might not be the perfect fit Actionable solutions are on the table, and we look in detail at some tools you can leverage now, including : ✅ Usage-based pricing models to align closer with customer usage patterns. ✅ Debundling services to offer transparent value and curb decision fatigue. ✅ Differentiation through new pricing models. Read the full article now and start looking at your recurrent revenue with the eyes of your customers! 🎙 No time to read the full article? Try the Podcast Episode instead on https://lnkd.in/eAEZFFwT or on your preferred streaming platform 👉 I write about subscription models, product pricing, e-commerce/marketplaces, and creating top product organizations. Follow me to receive my updates and articles! #pricing #pricingstrategy #subscriptions #revenuemanagement #productmanagement

Getting customers to subscribe is one job, but keeping them as subscribers is another. Our subscription management portal can 3x retention rates + reduce frustrating (and cancelation-driving) support tickets by up to 50% — here’s how: 1. Easy to navigate, customized home page Your customers find everything where they expect it to be with a personalized page, creating a warm, familiar experience any time they need to interact with your brand. 2. Action management Self-serve is frictionless for your customers (and offloads customer support labor), allowing them to: → Skip deliveries → Swap products → Set delivery dates → Pause subscriptions → Edit delivery frequency → Update delivery quantity 3. Value carousel Create discount-driven upsells or product swaps. This keeps customers engaged in the subscriptions and ensures they’re getting every product they want, conveniently. You work hard enough to acquire new customers, so make sure you’re working just as hard to keep them.