How to Market Subscription Services for Your eCommerce Store?

There are many ways to sell your products in your e-commerce store. You could sell them at a fixed price, in bundles, and more. But one of the best ways to sell them is through a subscription box.

It provides you with a stable income. That means you should be able to make money every month without having to sell anything.

But how can you make subscription boxes? And what can you do not to annoy your existing customers?

What Products Work With Subscription Plan?

However, subscription boxes don’t fit every business. That’s due to the products you sell. Just think about it. Not many people would want to pay every month for a new sofa. Instead, it needs to match the following criteria:

• Consumable: First and foremost, your product should be consumable. Otherwise, it’s tough to sell it again.
• Affordable: The items in your subscription box should also be relatively inexpensive. Your subscription box shouldn’t go over the $50 per month (except when selling a premium box) mark, as very few people would be able to afford it.
• With a need: Lastly, your audience needs or wants these products. If there is none, no one will buy your subscription box.

The Dollar Shave Club is an excellent example! With their $5 monthly subscription, men get all the blades they need and more to keep their shaving in top shape. That makes it more comfortable for people, as they won’t need to go shopping. Instead, all of it will appear on their doorstep.

Marketing Subscription Box Without Annoying Your Customers

Strategy #1 – Upsell Method

One of the best strategies for getting new subscribers to your subscription box is to upsell them when they’re ordering something from your store. That is extremely powerful for affordable subscriptions like $5–10 per month.

However, be sure to upsell them only with products relevant to them. In other ways, it won’t be as convincing.

Strategy #2 – Free Trial Method

What if the customer didn’t buy when you first upsold them? A great way to incentivize you to make them try it out is by giving them a free trial.

Here’s how you do it:

• Wait for two weeks: Let your customers have a little time with your product. If they like it, they’ll be more willing to consider your offer.
• Ask for a Review: Reviews are critical for an online store. So ask them to give you a review and reward them by giving you their first month for free.

That way, they can experience the comfort of using your subscription box and decide if it’s worth it for them. And most probably, they’re going to keep the subscription. Just make sure you don’t make it too expensive

(Contributed by Andreas Ojala & Hermes Fang)