SubSummit Recap: Tips and Advice for DTC Subscription Brands

SubSummit is the world’s largest event dedicated to direct-to-consumer subscriptions. sticky.io had a wealth of knowledge to share at this Subscription Trade Association (SUBTA) virtual event, as our subscription management platform serves many DTC brands.

SUBTA co-founder and CEO Paul Chambers sat down with our VP of Marketing Thomas Marks for a panel discussion. Read the highlights from their conversation and get the scoop on sticky.io and DTC subscriptions.

What is on the horizon for ecommerce?

Omnichannel is becoming a more critical element to ecommerce than ever before. Brands used to deliver customer experiences through more siloed channels. Consumers now want a seamless experience as they jump between several different channels before making an online or in-store purchase. Brands need to leverage an ecommerce platform that enables them to deliver omnichannel experiences, then track and measure the success of that approach.

How has the pandemic impacted consumer subscriptions habits?

Social distancing has certainly forced many of us online to buy replenishable products. Consumers are subscribing to products you would not have thought drive subscription sales before the pandemic. This disruption has shown us almost any product can be part of a subscription, so do not make assumptions. Be sure to test, analyze results and adjust strategies to truly determine if the subscription model aligns with a particular product and audience.

“Moving forward, there are going to be very few products that do not lend themselves to subscriptions.”

What advice would you give to DTC brands just starting out with subscriptions?

• Start small – You do not need to enable subscriptions on every product you offer.
• Test and learn – Launch test subscription campaigns to get initial insights, then offer subscriptions based on the products that tested the best.
• Adopt agility – Establish a subscription foundation that enables you to deliver flexible options to customers starting on Day 1. Consumers need replenishment at different intervals.
• Offer self-management – Provide customers the ability to self-manage subscriptions via an online portal. Customers need the ability to pause, change frequency and change components of their subscriptions.
• Leverage tools – Use a robust subscription platform with built-in tools that help you track churn rates, customer lifetime value and other important KPIs.
• Focus on loyalty – Just because customers subscribe to your product does not mean they are locked in for life. Continuously use personalization and recommendations to safeguard customer loyalty and extend customer lifetime value.

 What sets sticky.io apart from other platforms and companies?

A lot of other subscription applications were created to simply manage and trigger a subscription rebill. We built sticky.io to not only flexibly manage subscriptions, but to maximize revenue and get merchants up and running quickly. Here are the key ways sticky.io outshines the competition:

• Flexible merchandising capabilities – Whether for bundles, dynamic coupons, cross-sells or up sells, our merchandising capabilities enable brands to increase sales and brand loyalty using the strategies most effective for their customers.  
• Revenue maximization – We designed our platform to reduce chargebacks and involuntary churn with chargeback alerts, account updater and smart dunning features. Paired with fraud prevention solutions, these services help keep more money in your pocket.
• Personalization engine – Make the right offer at the right time based on the data collected at all the customer touchpoints.
• Powerful reporting and analytics – Get a unified view of customer data that incorporates customer profiles and includes merchant interaction touchpoints, plus refund and purchase history. This data helps brands understand the true health of their business.
• Front-end agnostic – We support brands with custom websites and platforms with robust APIs. And while we are more advanced than a basic plug-and-play model, our platform also integrates with BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and other platforms for ease and convenience.

Reliable customer support – All of our customer success and customer support teams are U.S.-based and available through live chat, phone and email. We strive to build a strong partnership with brands and develop personalized solutions based on their unique business goals.

“A team of sticky.io solution engineers are part of the sales process to truly understand a brand and its challenges. We develop and recommend solutions based on a brand’s unique business goals.”

What is next for the sticky.io platform?

Brands can look forward to an updated interface and user experience in the beginning of 2021. We are also developing AI-based recommendations. Consumers want a personalized experience and AI is how we can optimize those experiences.

We are also excited to offer a native application for iOS and Android. This will enable brands to view dashboards, update orders and interact with customers. We plan for the mobile app to support conversational commerce, which would facilitate commerce through text conversations and utilize intent-based assistance to engage with customers.

Ultimately, we are intentionally creating each new feature and tool to empower brands so they can create lasting customer relationships, deliver omnichannel experiences and own the future of subscription commerce.

See how the sticky.io platform can help your brand manage subscriptions, build customer bonds and maximize revenue. Request a demo today.‍