Every year, the same question echoes across ecommerce teams: How deep should we discount this Black Friday?

This year, the savviest subscription brands are asking something different: how can we make BFCM fuel lifetime value, not just a weekend spike?

During our recent webinar, The Subscription Guide to Winning BFCM, three of the brightest minds in retention—Thomas Keller of Oats Overnight, Daniel Nunn of Carpe, and Kendall Singer Cook  of Arrae —joined Andriy Rudnyk to unpack how they’re navigating this season differently.

Their takeaway? The most profitable brands this BFCM won’t win with deeper discounts, they’ll win with deeper relationships.

1. Resist the discount reflex

For many brands, BFCM feels like an annual test of nerve. But Thomas Keller, Director of Ecommerce at Oats Overnight, believes the better move is restraint.

“As a general company philosophy, we offer a large discount for first time subscription, and we really try to not offer other discounts. We do offer a discount for recurring subscription, but it’s like a pretty modest discount, really. And we want to make it enticing to subscribe any day.”

Thomas Keller, Oats Overnight

Oats Overnight focuses instead on making every day the best day to subscribe. Their offer is always clear: flexible, zero-risk, and built for daily use. That consistent value proposition attracts loyal customers year-round, not just when prices drop.

For brands in similar categories—everyday essentials, wellness, food & bev—discounting can be a trap. A steady, trustworthy offer paired with transparent messaging about ongoing subscriber benefits often outperforms the rush of flash sales, building a loyal base of recurring customers.

Make subscription your default buying experience on product pages, communicate savings clearly, and let your customer portal reinforce that subscribing is the smarter way to shop.

2. Reward loyalty before chasing new signups

While most teams scramble to acquire new subscribers in November, Kendall Singer Cook, Product Manager at Arrae, argues that the biggest win may be protecting the ones you already have.

Last year, Arrae noticed loyal subscribers canceling just to rejoin under stronger BFCM promotions. The fix was surprisingly simple: reward loyalty.

“We offer [current subscribers] additional credits if they continue to purchase and continue to stay with us. Just fully trying to remind them that, like, the more you invest in us, the more we’ll invest in you, and you don’t have to gamify the system.”

Kendall Singer Cook, Arrae

The lesson? Retention is acquisition—especially during the holidays. Communicate early with your subscribers, highlight their exclusive benefits in email and SMS, and remind them that being a long-term customer pays off. Even small gestures, like bonus credits or early access to promotions, make subscribers feel seen.

3. Know your customer cohorts and accept their differences

Not every customer you acquire during BFCM will look like your evergreen subscriber. Winning brands treat these customers differently  by design.

That means using cohort analysis to monitor how these subscribers behave over time, anticipating slightly higher churn, and preparing retention strategies accordingly. For Arrae, this includes additional credits, personalized cancellation flows, and pre-renewal communication to reinforce ongoing value.

Daniel Nunn, Head of Ecommerce at Carpe, takes a similar approach.

“We make it our goal to segment out these BFCM customers. In the portal, if someone normally gets a 20% discount on the next order, a Black Friday customer might get 30% for life. So just be aware of the fact that these customers are value oriented, so you’re gonna need to meet them in the middle.”

Daniel Nunn, Carpe

By segmenting BFCM subscribers and adapting communication to match their motivations, Carpe turns value-seekers into loyalists—proof that with the right structure, even deal hunters can become high-LTV customers.

4. Redefine success beyond the weekend

If there’s a single theme uniting these perspectives, it’s patience.

These customers aren’t necessarily less sticky. They’re just really value oriented. And so, like Kendall said, we’re giving them credits. We’re giving them extra lifetime discounts. Just trying to keep them in it for the long term with that value.”

Daniel Nunn, Carpe

For these brands, success isn’t measured by weekend revenue, it’s measured by how many subscribers remain as time goes on.

Whether it’s a disciplined ad strategy, leveraging loyalty credits, or cohort-based retention offers, the most successful brands are optimizing for profitability and LTV over promotional volume. 

And for subscription businesses, that’s the difference between chasing a sale and building a brand.

The bottom line

This BFCM, sustainable growth will come from focus, not frenzy.

• Resist deep discounts that attract one-time bargain hunters.
• Reinforce loyalty with meaningful subscriber rewards.
• Treat BFCM customers as their own cohort with unique retention needs.
• Measure success in retention curves, not revenue spikes.

This season will test every brand’s discipline, but the ones who prioritize lifetime value over last-minute sales will come out stronger, steadier, and far more profitable.

To explore the tactics behind these insights—from loyalty credits to cohort analysis—tune in to the full webinar replay of The Subscription Guide to Winning BFCM.

The post Why Smart Subscription Brands Are Skipping the Flash Sale: A Sustainable Path to LTV This BFCM appeared first on Recharge.

The good news? Fixing these pitfalls doesn’t require a full rebuild. With the right tactics, and solutions like Concierge SMS and Upsell/Cross-sell tools, you can turn common BFCM challenges into long-term growth.

Here are four of the biggest subscription revenue killers to tackle before the rush.

1. Ignoring your subscribers

Too often, brands pour their energy into new customer acquisition during BFCM and forget about the people who are already most valuable: their subscribers. When subscribers see promos aimed only at first-time or one-time buyers, it creates churn risk. They stop feeling like VIPs and start feeling overlooked.

What to do instead:

• Run subscriber-only offers like early access to BFCM discounts, exclusive products, or increased loyalty credits
• Spotlight their value: remind them of their perks and consider gifting them something extra for sticking with you
• Leverage them in your acquisition efforts by creating opportunities to earn rewards for BFCM referrals

Turnkey tactics:

The most important tool here is foresight – planning a unique BFCM experience for your subscribers to mitigate churn risk and maximize value. Be sure to communicate subscriber benefits to subscribers early on by leveraging email marketing, and in-portal banners. Take your tactics a step further with Retain, and leverage Recharge’s Rewards and Referrals to build exciting incentive programs to increase engagement. 

2. Missing cross-sell opportunities

Deep discounts can work against you if you’re not careful—customers check out with only best sellers or promoted products and nothing more, leaving average order value flat despite the surge in traffic. When you overlook the chance to nudge shoppers toward complementary products, you miss out on incremental revenue that can make the season profitable.

What to do instead:

• Showcase relevant add-ons and can’t-miss offers when buying intent is at its peak 
• Incentivize larger carts using tiered offers (ex: deeper discounts over $100, free gift over $250)
• Create holiday bundles that pair slower-moving products with best-sellers to spread demand and increase perceived value

Turnkey tactics:

Promoting additional products doesn’t have to be complex. In just minutes, brands can turn on Checkout and Post-purchase Cross-sell tools to recommend complementary items at the right moments, or use flexible bundling to create curated packs without adding SKU bloat. 

3. Chasing one-time buyers

BFCM traffic is a gift, but if your subscription offer isn’t front and center, you’re letting those shoppers walk away after one purchase. A one-time spike looks good in November, but recurring revenue is what pays off in Q1 and beyond.

What to do instead:

• Position subscriptions in BFCM campaigns—email and social media marketing, paid ads, banners, and checkout messaging.
• Make your subscription widget unmissable with clear perks like savings, flexibility, and exclusivity.
• Leverage cart and checkout upsell tools to convert one-time shoppers into subscribers with a single click.

Turnkey tactics:

The subscription widget is highly customizable, allowing you to flaunt the advantages of subscribing on your product pages and A/B test designs. To capture subscribers at every touch point, all Recharge plans include our suite of upsell tools, making it easy to upgrade one-time purchases to subscriptions in cart and at checkout. 

4. Letting new subscribers churn 

Winning subscribers on discount is easy. Keeping them when the deal ends? That’s where most brands struggle. Retention requires two things: thoughtful engagement that reinforces value and a seamless subscription management experience. Without both, new subscribers often cancel before their second shipment.

What to do instead:

• Audit your onboarding flow to reinforce subscription value right after purchase
• Engage subscribers with proactive, conversational texts that makes managing their orders feel seamless.
• Set up loyalty bonuses for hitting the second or third order milestone

Turnkey tactics:

Features like Cancellation Prevention and Failed Payment Recovery are table stakes in the fight against both passive and active churn. But winning brands go further using Concierge SMS to create a simple, personal way for subscribers to manage their orders through AI-powered conversational texts. The result: fewer cancellations, happier customers, and a retention engine that scales.

Bottom Line

BFCM moves fast, and brands can’t afford to leave money or subscribers behind. Set yourself up for holiday season success by:

• Treating subscribers like VIPs 
• Maximizing AOV through cross-sells and bundles
• Turning new customers into subscribers at every touchpoint, and
• Retaining new subscribers beyond the weekend

And the best part? With Recharge, most of these fixes can be switched on and customized quickly, no engineering lift required. Now is the perfect time to schedule time with our team to learn more or connect with your CSM to develop your BFCM Subscription Success Playbook.

Done right, this BFCM can be the moment you turn seasonal demand into year-round growth.

Want even more holiday support? Join our webinar, The Subscription Guide For Winning BFCM. Register here.

The post Four Black Friday/Cyber Monday pitfalls subscription brands can turn into growth appeared first on Recharge.

Reminder emails lost in spam folders, disjointed login flows and what feels like monthly password resets before your customer can make a change. By the time they get to their portal, they’re not looking to manage their subscription, they want to cancel and never look back. 

In fact, nearly 70% of churn happens before the third order, and often it’s not the product that missed the mark, it’s the experience. 

Customers worry they’ll be charged for something they don’t need, or are frustrated by having to email support to make a simple update to their order. Paired with acquisition costs at an all time high, this retention problem eats directly into your business’ margins. 

The solution won’t be found in incremental fixes. Subscription management has to be rebuilt around the customer.

A vision for the future: conversational subscription management

That’s why we built Concierge SMS: an AI-powered, text-based subscription assistant that lets your customers make changes in seconds.

No apps. No logins. Just a natural, two-way conversation.

Imagine a customer stuck at a red light, juggling a work call and daycare pickup. All they need to do is reply “skip” to a text so their favorite protein powder isn’t delivered while they’re out of town. 

Done. It’s fast, human, and perfectly fits into modern life.

That’s what Concierge is built for. It’s proactive, reaching out before an orders ship, before a payment fails, and well before frustration creeps in.

It gives your brand the ability to meet customers where they already are—on their phones—and deliver real convenience when it matters.

Powered by Recharge AI

This isn’t just a smarter way to manage subscriptions. It’s a fundamentally different kind of software.

Concierge SMS is powered by Recharge AI, trained on insights from over 100 million subscription interactions. That scale gives us an edge that few can match, but we didn’t stop there. 

Recharge AI does what most software doesn’t: take action on behalf of the customer, instantly and accurately. Here’s what it delivers:

• Proactive intelligence: Detects upcoming orders, failed payments, and reaches out before they become problems.
• Natural language understanding: Interprets plain-text messages like “Can I get this next week instead?” and responds like a real conversation.
• Context retrieval: Seamlessly references order history and subscription cadence.
• Confirmation & execution: Verifies the request, confirms the action, and completes the update instantly with no need for the customer to log in.
• Trust layer: Validates every change for accuracy and escalates anything that needs a human touch.

It’s the most human-like automation we’ve ever released and the results speak for themselves.

Early wins: Engagement, retention, and trust

Over 200 Recharge brands are already live with Concierge SMS, using it to deliver healthier routines, better sleep, safer skincare, and more.

And the data? It’s early, but powerful:

• 4x higher action rates than traditional emails
• 86% of cancel requests converted to delays
• More than 4 in 5 customers prefer SMS over portal management

Take it from our friends at Nordic Naturals:

“Concierge SMS has been incredibly helpful—instantly deflecting the routine questions that used to flood support. It’s saving time, reducing costs, and freeing our CX team to focus on higher-impact work.”

What’s next

We started with the biggest pain point for your customers: subscription management. But the future is even more exciting.

We’re also working on ways to help you:

• Learn more about your customers through natural, lightweight feedback loops
• Grow revenue with personalized product recommendations
• Deliver tailored product education that deepens loyalty

All of this, through simple, effective text conversations.

Let’s talk

If you’re ready to rethink retention and make subscription management work for your customers, we’d love to show you Concierge in action.

Schedule a call with our team

The post Concierge SMS: The AI-powered shift that’s ending subscription friction appeared first on Recharge.

We launched the Tomorrow Brand Challenge in 2024 with one big idea: to spotlight the brands building the future of commerce—not through short-term hacks, but by delivering subscription experiences built for long-term success.

Hundreds of ecommerce brands joined us, committing to a six-month journey to scale their subscriber base, build stronger customer relationships, and prove the power of retention.

Today, we’re proud to announce the three winners of the Tomorrow Brand Challenge:

Champion winner: Inspired Go
A healthy meal delivery service redefining fresh food subscriptions

Challenger winner: Fuzzball
A UK-based cat food brand building a loyal subscriber community

Startup winner: Bioligent
A wellness brand helping customers biohack their way to better health

Each of these brands delivered standout performance in subscriber growth and loyalty, and they’ve proven what’s possible when businesses invest in long-term customer relationships.

Together, these winners will receive nearly $1 million in total prizes, including:

• $100,000 cash
• $50,000 to fund a big marketing bet
• $50,000 to fund a team retreat experience
• Two tickets to Recharge’s brand trip to the the big race in Monza, Italy

To mark the moment, Recharge co-founder and CEO Oisin O’Connor personally called each winner to deliver the news.

This challenge was about more than prizes and rewards. We wanted an opportunity to celebrate the boldest builders in our industry. The ones creating subscription experiences that truly serve their customers and set new standards for what’s possible in ecommerce.

To every brand that joined us on this journey: thank you. The challenge may be over, but the mission continues. Tomorrow belongs to the brands bold enough to build it.

The post Meet the winners of the Tomorrow Brand Challenge appeared first on Recharge.

Past 

Allow customers to turn back time and easily add to an order they just placed. Studies show that buying intent spikes after checkout, so extend the post-purchase satisfaction by presenting hyper-personalized offers—perfect pairings, proven favorites or timely seasonal picks—when they want them most. Who says impulse buys can’t be smart?

Present 

Make the most of the moment. When a customer reaches the cart, their intentions are clear. Now is the time to optimize their experience and maximize your revenue by offering one-click subscription conversion, spotlight perks like free shipping to keep them moving and use curated cross-sells to increase order value. 

Future

Anticipate what your subscribers need before they have to ask. Whether it’s offering delay options to prevent “too much product” churn or recommending relevant add-ons based on past behavior, these forward-looking touchpoints—delivered by email or SMS— are all about proactive retention. Meet subscribers where they are, deliver what they need, and turn routine reminders into revenue.

The post Bend time to boost revenue: How to unlock hidden value across the customer journey appeared first on Recharge.

So we tapped three of our elite agency partners—CQL, eHouse, and Iamota—to share how they’re helping brands turn one-size-fits-all journeys into tailored, high-impact experiences.

From transforming the customer portal to mapping out the first 180 days of onboarding and using subscriber signals to power retention, these strategies are designed to boost engagement and lifetime value without adding complexity.

They’re simple, effective, and yours for the taking.

Transform the customer portal into a dynamic marketing tool

CQL

“Recharge’s solution empowers brands to personalize the customer experience by transforming the customer portal into a dynamic marketing tool. By leveraging Recharge’s existing customization capabilities, brands can take transactional ‘My Account’ customer portals and optimize them into a canvas for marketing efforts—introducing upselling, cross-selling, and subscription modification options without compromising ease of use.

By enhancing the customer portal, brands can maintain a seamless user experience with the website and the subscription experience, encouraging deeper customer engagement and increased lifetime value.”

Prioritize their first six months

eHouse

“Focus on the first 180 days. At eHouse, we’ve seen that the most successful subscription brands prioritize onboarding. Mapping out those first six months with thoughtful education and personalized touchpoints can dramatically boost retention and engagement. Start by auditing your customer journey and identifying ways to add clarity and value early on—because first impressions really do matter.”

Leverage Subscriber Data & Analytics to power retention plays

Iamota

“The best retention plays are rooted in understanding your subscribers—not just who they are, but where they are in their subscriber journey. Dig into key signals like order history, order cadence, churn risk, and engagement. These can inform simple, but powerful retention plays that feel personal and timely.

This could be a win-back offer triggered by a skipped order or a loyalty boost for a long-time subscriber. It’s all about leveraging touch points that show you’re paying attention, adding value and keeping the relationship strong.”

The post Steal this Strategy: Personalizing the customer experience appeared first on Recharge.

At fatty15, a science-backed C15:0 supplement designed to support healthy aging, Dennis has helped achieve standout retention metrics, including 95% month-over-month retention and 55% retention at one year. Their approach transforms customer data into insights, and insights into action.

Here’s how you can apply fatty15’s retention playbook to build a strategy that keeps customers around for the long haul.

1. Retention is not one-size-fits-all

A strong retention strategy isn’t just about holding on to customers—it’s about understanding why they stay, how they engage, and what drives their loyalty over time. Fatty15 uses cohort analysis to break down customer behavior by subscription type, acquisition channel, and timing. By identifying patterns unique to each cohort, fatty15 tailors messaging, offers, and engagement strategies that speak directly to different groups.

For brands, this means digging into customer data to see which acquisition paths deliver the stickiest customers, which product packages foster long-term engagement, and where customers are most likely to fall off. Retention becomes far more powerful (and scalable) when it’s tailored to the unique paths of each customer journey.

2. Focus on early-stage retention as much as long-term loyalty

Many brands think loyalty happens months down the line. Fatty15 knows it starts in the first few days. That’s why they tailor onboarding to match the customer’s subscription type and build early momentum.

Whether a customer signs up for a 30-day or 90-day subscription, the brand adjusts its onboarding and nurture flow to match the customer’s commitment level and expectations. Early communications focus on reinforcing the value of the product, setting milestones to look forward to, and creating momentum toward the first refill decision.

This focus on early-stage retention recognizes that loyalty is built from the very first interaction, not after several months. Brands that prioritize onboarding and habit formation early are more likely to earn customers who stick around for the long haul.

3. Watch your retention curves like a hawk

A retention curve tells the story of how your customers experience your product over time. Fatty15 monitors retention curves across different cohorts and subscription types to understand exactly when customers are likely to disengage. Every dip is a signal—an opportunity to step in, whether through proactive communication, special offers, or educational content.

By closely tracking engagement trends, fatty15 can identify whether retention efforts are improving, holding steady, or slipping. For other brands, this kind of regular analysis turns retention from a reactive challenge into a proactive practice, helping teams spot patterns and pivot strategies before churn becomes a trend.

4. Move customers from passive to engaged

Not all retention is equal. Some customers remain subscribed because they’re truly invested; others simply haven’t gotten around to canceling. Fatty15 focuses on moving customers from passive retention to active engagement—because engaged customers are more likely to renew, refer, and advocate.

They measure engagement through behaviors like content interaction, portal logins, referral participation, and product reviews. Customers who exhibit these signals are nurtured into brand advocates, while those showing signs of passivity are targeted with re-engagement campaigns to pull them back into the fold. Subscription is just the start—the goal is genuine connection. Fatty15 looks beyond it, asking: How involved are our customers in the brand experience?

5. Use predictive signals to spot churn before it happens

Churn rarely comes out of nowhere. Fatty15 watches for early warning signs like skipped refills, declining portal logins, or a drop in email engagement. These behavioral cues serve as red flags that a customer may be preparing to leave. When these red flags appear, the team intervenes with reminders, personalized offers, or direct outreach to keep relationships on track..

This predictive approach shifts retention from firefighting to foresight. By identifying subtle signals of disengagement, brands can step in at the right moment and preserve customer relationships that might otherwise slip away unnoticed.

6. Make your customer portal a retention engine

For fatty15, the customer portal isn’t just functional, it’s a strategic tool for engagement. The portal shows customers where they are in their lifecycle, highlights the benefits they’re likely experiencing now, and sets expectations for what they can look forward to with continued use of the product.

Customization plays a key role here. The portal adapts to different customer behaviors, offering personalized recommendations, self-service options, and subscription flexibility. It becomes a proactive touchpoint rather than a static account page, empowering customers to manage their subscription with confidence while reinforcing their value in the program.

7. Design retention as an ongoing, evolving strategy

The most powerful insight from fatty15’s approach? Retention is never finished. Dennis and his team regularly test, measure, and refine their tactics based on new data and changing customer needs.

For brands, this means committing to continuous learning and iteration. Long-term retention success comes from building systems that evolve with your customers, not systems that stay still as your customers move on.

Retention is a science you can learn

Fatty15’s approach shows what’s possible when brands go beyond simply keeping customers and start deeply understanding and supporting them. Fatty15 proves that loyalty isn’t luck—it’s the result of smart systems, tailored experiences, and timely actions.

By tracking retention curves, segmenting customers, personalizing experiences, and acting on predictive signals, brands can build a strategy that not only retains but strengthens customer relationships over time.

The result? Customers who stay, engage, advocate, and become the foundation of long-term growth.

The post The science of staying power: 7 ways data can help you retain customers for the long haul appeared first on Recharge.

At ChargeX, we were joined by Jennifer Kelly, Director of Digital Product Management at Bobbie, who shared how her team has built their thoughtful, data-driven customer journey. By weaving trust-building, education, and community into every step, Bobbie has built a subscription model that doesn’t simply sell formula—it supports parents through one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.

Here’s what every subscription brand can learn from Bobbie’s retention playbook:

1. Build trust before the first purchase

Trust isn’t earned at checkout—it starts before customers even place an order. Bobbie focuses on answering questions before they’re asked, understanding the potential anxieties of parents choosing formula, and positioning the brand as a supportive partner rather than just a product provider.

Actionable takeaways for brands:

• Map out the questions, doubts, and objections customers have during discovery.
• Create content like blogs, FAQs, and comparison guides that proactively addresses these concerns.
• Use early engagement tools like quizzes to gather data to further personalize your customer’s experience. 

2. Use the waiting period to strengthen the relationship

For Bobbie, the window between a customer placing their first order and receiving it is a critical time to build the relationship, not a dead zone. Rather than leave new customers waiting, they deliver education, onboarding content, and a warm welcome into their community.

For parents switching formulas or trying formula for the first time, these touchpoints reduce anxiety and ensure that they’re confident and prepared when the product arrives.

Actionable takeaways for brands:

• Identify “quiet” periods in your fulfillment or onboarding flow.
• Use those days to deliver targeted, reassuring communications like how-to guides, best practices, or a thoughtful brand introduction.
• Introduce customers to brand-owned resources like blogs, podcasts, expert webinars that reinforce their choice.

3. Use personalization to strengthen loyalty at every milestone

Engaging customers over the long term requires more than re-order reminders. As subscribers mature, their needs may evolve, and providing both personalization and flexibility can boost retention. Bobbie uses milestone-based communications tied to a baby’s development, combined with predictive refill models and a flexible subscription experience that puts control in the customer’s hands. With personalized touchpoints, loyalty perks, and content that meets parents where they are, Bobbie transforms routine moments into opportunities to build trust, value, and lasting engagement.

Actionable takeaways for brands:

• Use predictive data to align communications and refills with key moments in your customer’s lifecycle.
• Design your subscription to offer both convenience and control—flexibility builds trust.
• Layer in loyalty incentives and content across multiple channels to reinforce engagement from every angle.

4. Build belonging through brand-driven community

Bobbie creates meaningful connections by offering more than just a product. Through expert-led feeding classes, candid conversations on their podcast, and their mission-driven Bobbie for Change platform, the brand opens up a shared space for learning, encouragement, and purpose. These moments of community give customers reasons to stay engaged even when they’re not actively thinking about formula.

By weaving in education, advocacy, and connection throughout the customer lifecycle, Bobbie reinforces its role as a partner in a parent’s journey. Over time, that emotional alignment becomes a key factor in driving loyalty, referrals, and long-term affinity.

Actionable takeaway for brands:

• Build touchpoints beyond the transaction with classes, content, and causes that align with your customers’ values and experiences.
• Foster connection between customers by creating shared spaces for learning or storytelling.
• Use community initiatives to extend engagement beyond product use and reinforce emotional investment in your brand.

5. Plan for churn and celebrate “graduation”

At Bobbie, churn is treated as a milestone of their model. Stopping formula is a natural progression for many families. Instead of fighting this, Bobbie designs offboarding moments to celebrate the milestone with a graduation, transforming former customers into enthusiastic advocates.

At the same time, they differentiate between graduation churn and product dissatisfaction churn, using baby-age data and behavior signals to tailor interventions like promotions or re-engagement campaigns.

Actionable takeaway for brands:

• Segment churn into categories you can act on: inevitable vs. preventable churn.
• For predictable churn, design a positive offboarding experience: milestone celebrations, social sharing prompts, thank-you gifts.
• For at-risk customers, build early detection signals and create targeted retention offers.

Loyalty isn’t a destination—it’s designed

Bobbie’s customer journey is a carefully architected ecosystem of trust, education, and community. Subscription brands that want to earn true loyalty borrow from this playbook:

• Build trust early and often.
• Use every moment from discovery to graduation as an opportunity to support, delight, and empower.
• Think beyond transactions to design a journey that meets customers where they are and grows with them.

Because in the end, retention isn’t about holding on tightly—it’s about building an experience so thoughtful, timely, and trustworthy that customers choose to stay.

The post Subscription loyalty at scale: Lessons from Bobbie’s customer journey playbook appeared first on Recharge.

While we can’t recreate every incredible conversation, impromptu meetup, or booth experience, we can offer you a bite-sized look at what you might have missed.

1. Concierge SMS: Welcome to the future of subscription management

One of ChargeX’s biggest reveals was our new conversational SMS product, the AI-powered Concierge SMS. Recharge co-founder and CEO Oisin O’Connor shared a powerful vision of how AI can unify brand data with consumer insights to provide an elevated experience for the end user. 

With a 98% read rate, SMS is where customers pay attention. Concierge SMS makes it easy for customers to change shipment dates and modify orders without having to log in to their customer portal or remember a password. Our AI-powered subscription concierge understands natural language, so it’s as simple as texting a friend.

Wondering how powerful SMS can be for your bottom line? Subscribers who manage their accounts via SMS drive 30% more lifetime revenue.

Concierge SMS is currently in limited release; join the waitlist here to get early access.

2. Resilience in the real world: Brands navigating tariffs & turbulence

Ecommerce isn’t always smooth sailing, especially in today’s landscape. That’s why our Resilience Toolkit session hit home for so many attendees. Bryan Starck, founder of 100 Celsius, opened with an energizing presentation, reminding the audience that subscription brands have a built-in profitability advantage. Now is the time to look more closely at pricing, promotions, and operations to uncover opportunities hidden in plain sight. 

Following Bryan’s insights, a panel including Dale Traxler of Shopify and Alex Ledoux of Karta Ventures joined to tackle the broader challenges ecommerce brands face today: economic headwinds, supply chain volatility, and shifting customer expectations.

The panelists shared real-world tactics to build resilience into business operations: diversifying sourcing, leaning into flexible fulfillment models, and using subscription data to anticipate and prevent churn. The biggest takeaway? Resilience isn’t just about surviving challenges; it’s about using them as a catalyst to innovate and grow stronger.

3. Unlocking greater value: Insights from 100 million subscribers

On our way to powering 100 million subscriber journeys, Recharge has built a substantial dataset and gained invaluable insights into the subscription economy. And the good news is it’s still growing.

Total subscribers rose 25% in 2024, signaling continued demand even as the market matures. But we’re also seeing subscribers become more selective, narrowing their subscriptions to the products that truly earn a place in their routines. 

This intentionality is unlocking a new level of value. An average subscriber is worth 3x a one-time customer, but digging deeper reveals a value ladder with an even bigger divide at the top—some cohorts reach up to 21x the value of one-time shoppers.

But moving subscribers up this value chain isn’t automatic. Brands that focus on personalizing the subscriber journey and offering flexibility are the ones unlocking that potential. It’s not just about acquiring subscribers—it’s about perfecting every step of the experience to maximize lifetime value.

4. Brands that last + powerful partners

In a world where anyone can sell a product, what does it take to build a brand that lasts? Throughout ChargeX, we celebrated brands doing exactly that. Best-in-class subscription programs from brands like quip, Estrid, Kollo Health, Wild Earth, Primally Pure, Balance of Nature, and NULASTIN took center stage. 

These brands, and the powerhouse partners supporting them, are proof that staying power isn’t just about selling a product. It’s about creating exceptional experiences that earn your brand a permanent place in customers’ routines. 

Alongside these triumphant stories, we also had the honor of announcing and celebrating this year’s Partner Award winners:

• Shopify as Partner of the Year
• Absolute Web for Outstanding Results in Retention and LTV Growth
• iamota for Exceptional Collaboration

Their work exemplifies the collaboration and innovation that make the Recharge ecosystem thrive.

5. The magic in the room

No matter how big the venue or how packed the schedule, ChargeX proved that meaningful connections happen face-to-face, sometimes in the most unexpected moments.

From a morning of wellness activations to kick things off with energy and intention, to a Partner Day filled with strategy, collaboration and shared wins, the event wasn’t just about content—it was about community. 

Our opening party kicked things off with celebration and camaraderie, while subscription audits and partner kiosks provided one-on-one time to sharpen their strategies. We came together for captivating brand stories on main stage, then split up for more intimate experiences like breakout sessions and the Women in Ecommerce lunch, where candid insights and shared stories sparked meaningful dialogue.

And to close it out? An unforgettable party at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where everyone from first-time attendees to longtime partners came together to toast the future of ecommerce.

If you were there, thank you for showing up with curiosity, generosity, and ambition. If you missed it, we hope this recap gives you a taste—and inspires you to join us next time.

The post Inside ChargeX25: The innovations, insights, and ideas driving subscription commerce appeared first on Recharge.

1. Directly after an order is placed

In the moments after a purchase, customers are excited and highly engaged, which makes the order confirmation page the perfect place to introduce additional products. Offering one-click upsells or recommendations based on their order can increase your average order value and deepen their connection to your brand. Think about complementary items that fit into their routine, or limited-time offers that can’t be missed. You’ve got their attention, so make it count.

Example: A pet food brand offers 50% off dog treats after a full-size order of food. Depending on the dog food variant, customers are presented with the treat flavor that best aligns with the size and age of their dog. 

2. Transition from trial to subscription

If you’re seeing more one-time purchases than subscriptions, you’re not alone. To improve your subscriber share of wallet, offer trial or sample sizes that seamlessly transition into a full-sized subscription. This allows new customers to test drive your product, while automating the conversion to keep customers from slipping away. 

Example: A Health & Wellness brand offers a 10-ounce trial size of their collagen powder. After the first order, it automatically converts to a monthly subscription for the full-size, 20-ounce supply. 

3. Between first purchase and delivery

The 3–5-day window between your customer’s first order and delivery is a prime opportunity to build trust and set the stage for long-term retention. During this period, offer relevant product education, introduce them to your brand, and remind them of all their subscriber perks. When they feel prepared and excited for what’s coming, new customers can go from unboxing to using the product instantly. 

Example: A beauty brand sends an email sequence to new subscribers reiterating their commitment to clean ingredients and educating customers on the best sequence to apply products for results (a question they are asked frequently).

4. After a starter kit

Kits are a great way to introduce customers to your brand, but long-term retention requires flexibility. By automatically unpacking the kit and transitioning subscribers to individual product subscriptions, you allow them to customize their delivery schedules—ensuring they get exactly what they need, when they need it.

Example: A home supply company offers a starter kit to introduce new subscribers to their full cleaning line. After the first delivery, subscribers have the ability to customize how frequently they receive each item based on their usage.

5. At your most common churn points

Rewarding your customers at critical moments in the subscriber lifecycle is a powerful strategy for boosting retention. Using cohort analysis to identify key touchpoints—like when customers are most likely to churn or when loyalty is solidifying—gives you the chance to implement meaningful rewards. A small incentive at just the right moment can reignite excitement, encourage continued engagement, and increase overall loyalty.

Example: A wellness company notices that probiotic subscribers tend to churn after two months, but research shows that their product needs three months of use to produce results. To combat early churn, they offer a discount on order three and add a surprise gift to order four as incentives for customers to stick with their new routine.

These post-purchase moments might seem small, but they have a big impact on retention. By leveraging personalization and automation throughout the subscriber experience, you not only boost retention, but also create a smoother, more supportive journey for customers.

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