Take your Business’ Loyalty Program to the next level with impactful and easy-to-launch Subscriptions

Subscription programs can take your business to the next level. As a customer engagement solution, this new purchase plan can attract new clients and bring upstream revenue. Each day, we are witnessing more and more brands and chains using such a program.

The subscription business model consists in having a customer pay a recurring amount (every month or year) to gain access to a product, service, and experience during a specific period. Subscribing clients will access special pricing, discounts and member-only benefits.

According to SUBTA (Subscription Trade Association), by 2023, 75% of the businesses selling directly to consumers will provide subscription services, and last year’s projections suggest that by 2025, the global e-commerce subscription market will be worth $246.6 billion (PRNewswire).

Reasons why your Business should launch its own Subscription Plan!

1. Provides an upfront and recurring revenue infusion, contributing to foreseeable cash flow management. Additionally, customers are likely to purchase additional items not included in the plan, bringing extra revenue
2. Attracts new customer flow, encouraging them to become loyal members
3. It gives a boost in members’ visit frequency as they’ll come in more often to redeem their subscribed item
4. It is a financially attractive and convenient feature for customers, offering a considerable discount for signature items
5. It gives you a competitive advantage as you sell more volume at a lower price
6. It greatly contributes to customer retention and acquisition, as well as brand advocacy, by strengthening your relationship with customers
7. It’s also operationally and financially convenient, giving your business the leverage to negotiate with suppliers due to the increased volume purchased. All you need to do is ensure there’s sufficient quantity to secure stock for subscribed members

Examples of Restaurants’ Subscription Plans

1. Pret a Manger, in the United Kingdom, launched a coffee subscription plan (YourPret Barista) where customers can avail 5 drinks a day for €20 a month.
2. Olive Garden, in the United States, launched a Never Ending Pasta Pass promotion that allows the cardholder to enjoy unlimited pasta, toppings, sauces, breadsticks, and salad for 9 weeks, for $100.
3. Espresso House, in Europe, has a subscription package at €14.90 for unlimited drinks with the option to choose between signature or seasonal brew.

Choose among the different Subscription Models, the one that best suits your Business

The same subscription model will not work for every single F&B business or retailer. Here are some models you can get inspired by. Keep in mind that in addition to the subscribed product, the customers could get out of their membership additional perks and services!

1. Subscription on a fixed amount of a recurring item: Replenishment subscription services tend to have high conversion rates as customers subscribe to them long-term. They are a great way to dip your toes into the subscription game. Start with a coffee subscription and evolve to a subscription on one of your signature products!
2. Unlimited products per week/month/year: This can be an exciting subscription for your members, getting unlimited access to a product for a discounted price. You can even add thresholds for unlocking new perks!
3. Curation subscription: You can select particular items to include in your monthly subscription offer to have your clients try out new products. They can eventually rebuy it outside the program!

Here are some things to keep in mind when offering your Customers a Subscription Plan

1. The program should help you solve a few of your businesses’ problems, like cash flow and merchandising deployment.
2. Understand the target market you’re aiming for
3. Research the breadth of tangible and intangible costs involved in setting up the plan
4. Invest in a reliable platform that offers easy customization, low transaction fee, easy integration, and more
5. Let customers know it’s worth the money
6. Make sure you’re operationally ready and have secured the necessary volumes while ensuring the quality also remains consistent
7. Leverage the data your business will gather from the plan

How Como can help you get started on a Subscription Offer!

Como empowers businesses with the technology through an end-to-end customer engagement platform.

With the help of Como, retailers and restaurants can gather data about customers and their purchases and then deliver ever-more personalized experiences.

1. Como enables businesses to include a subscription feature in their loyalty program to drive up the customer lifetime value & guarantee return visits and repeat purchase
2. Subscriptions will strengthen the emotional attachment to the brand and boost customers sense of belonging to your club
3. Integrating these subscriptions into your loyalty solution will enable your customers to keep earning points and rewards while adding value to their membership!

Reach out to your dedicated CSM or write us at [email protected] to start designing your brand new Subscription program!