Categories
3pl ai for subscription operators ai subscriptions artificial intelligence authentication billing cancellation card networks churn customer acquisition cost doxo eharmony australia federal trade commission first-party trust generative ai hims & hers lifetime value mastercard mergers and acquisitions onboarding paid content payment authorization payment costs payment fraud payment optimization payment processing payment setup paypal recurring payments regulatory enforcement retention measurement revenue recognition shutterstock siriusxm state of connecticut subscriber acquisition subscriber experience subscriber journey subscriber retention subscription boxes subscription compliance subscription fulfillment subscription insider subscription lifecycle subscription litigation subscription operations subscription pricing subscription technology thirty madison tokenization uber vendor deals visaYour Membership Update
New This Week: Lifecycle, Acquisition Retention, AI, and Payments.
Hi {{ first_name }},
We were busy in the Member Center this week. I have new resources for you on how a subscription business works, the subscriber journey, acquisition and retention, plus the first edition of a new monthly AI briefing.
We also updated several payment resources after new Visa and Mastercard developments.
UNDERSTANDING THE SUBSCRIPTION LIFECYCLE
First up, one I’m excited about. A few years ago, I led a course that taught subscription professionals how the pieces of a subscription business fit together. I pulled some of that training forward and updated it for you.
The traditional funnel gets you to a subscriber. That is exactly where the subscription business really begins. Now they have to get started and receive value. Billing has to work. The experience has to meet expectations. Over time, the relationship has to give them a reason to stay.
The map explains in plain English the parts of the subscription lifecycle and how they relate to one another. It's a good primer if you are new to subscriptions, training a team member or simply want a clearer picture of everything a subscription business has to manage after the sale.
We also published a how-to resource for looking at that relationship from the subscriber’s point of view.
Your subscriber does not experience your company by department. They experience one subscription. They don’t know that marketing owns the offer, finance handles billing or customer service handles problems.
This guide and worksheet walk you through how to map what your subscriber is actually experiencing. What were they told? What happened after signup? Where does the experience move between teams or systems? Where can it break? Use it to find friction, understand handoffs and keep a record of the experience your business was actually delivering at the time.
ACQUISITION DOES NOT END AT THE SALE
Subscriber acquisition does not end when someone buys. That is why you cannot judge acquisition by the first transaction alone.
This guide explains how acquisition connects to what happens before the sale, what happens after it, and whether the subscriber relationship ultimately works. Use it to understand how acquisition connects to onboarding, retention, customer acquisition cost, lifetime value and the quality of the subscriber relationship over time.
It is especially useful for people new to subscriptions, or for anyone explaining to management or new team members how subscriber acquisition works and why it is different from a one-time purchase.
WHEN RETENTION CHANGES, FIND OUT WHY
Your retention changed. Now, you need to understand why and know what to do next.
This extensive resource guide and Excel workbook helps you understand what changed, where it changed and what may be causing it. We show you retention patterns to look for and how to get beyond the top-line retention numbers.
AI FOR SUBSCRIPTION OPERATORS: OUR NEW MONTHLY AI BRIEFING
AI is moving fast, and there is no shortage of AI news.
I didn’t want to give you another AI news feed. I want to help answer a more useful question: What changed that a subscription operator should actually understand?
This first briefing looks at recent AI developments through a subscription lens, including customer experience, payments, vendors and regulation.
Going forward, AI for Subscription Operators will be a monthly Member Center resource to help you keep up with what may matter to your business without following everything happening in AI. Given the pace of change, I think we are going to need this one.
WE UPDATED OUR PAYMENT RESOURCES
Some Visa and Mastercard changes could increase payment costs, depending on how transactions are set up and processed. Here's the news: Card-Network Changes Tie More Costs to Payment Setup
That sent us back into several of our payment resources. We updated:
If payments are not your day-to-day job, these resources help you understand what is changing and why. The recurring authorization guide explains the setup. The network and provider briefs explain what changed, where it applies, and what you may want to ask your payment providers.
Quite a week.
Take a look at what is useful to you, and as always, let me know what would help you next.
Kathy
Kathy Greenler Sexton
CEO & Publisher
Subscription Insider®
