CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...

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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
CONSUMER PRODUCT
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS
Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the
most interesting online subscription models
January 2020
CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
CONTENTS
Executive Summary              P3
About Practicology & Pattern   P4
Amazon Subscribe & Save        P5
Beauty Pie                     P6
Bloom & Wild                   P7
Dollar Shave Club              P8
GoodnessMe Box                 P9
Gousto                         P10
Graze                          P11
Hotel Chocolat                 P12
HP Instant Ink                 P13
Ipsy                           P14
KiwiCo                         P15
Kong Box                       P16
Nespresso                      P17
Nike Adventure Club            P18
Sniph                          P19
Stitch Fix                     P20

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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Welcome to our report taking an in-depth look at the subscription           •   Curation: Providing inspiration with an edited selection of products
models that established consumer brands and start-ups have                      that may be personalised to customers’ tastes;
developed in order to create long-term relationships with consumers.        •   Replenishment: Providing convenience by automating the ordering
In the following pages we profile 16 subscription models from around            of items that customers regularly require.
the world to highlight best practice, and provide inspiration to consumer   Some of the examples are trying to excel at meeting one of these aims –
brands who want to create online subscription propositions of their own.    such as Amazon’s Subscribe & Save proposition for the replenishment
Monthly subscription boxes have generated buzz in the last couple of        aim. Others, such as health snack provider Graze, meet all three of the
years. Brands and retailers are also adding subscription options to their   aims to some degree.
existing ecommerce sites.
Research shows that 15% of online shoppers in the USA have signed up        Key takeaways
for at least one ecommerce subscription service (McKinsey, 2018). The
number of online subscriptions offered has also proliferated in other       Each example provides different inspiration, but there are some clear
markets in the past five years, particularly Europe and Australia.          themes from our research that it is worth highlighting.
                                                                            •   The model must support customer acquisition and retention. Long
                                                                                subscription terms will limit sign-ups, but churn rate is also a crucial
Why subscribe?                                                                  metric. Discounts for longer subscriptions, and discounts for paying
When analysing the 16 examples we’ve looked at both the proposition             in full upfront are both mechanisms to encourage loyalty.
and the business that has introduced the idea. Subscriptions succeed        •   To meet the replenishment aim, it’s helpful to allow the customer to
where they deliver against one of the three following aims. They are:           choose the shipping cycle, or offer the exact amount that’s required
•   Access: Providing customers with products they can’t get elsewhere,         for a standard cycle, such as Dollar Shave Club with its monthly
    or at a cheaper price through subscription;                                 delivery cycle. ►

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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

•   Ensure your offer stays relevant to subscribers beyond the minimum
    time-frame. What’s going to ensure that they renew? Nike’s and                        About Practicology & Pattern
    KiwiCo’s propositions are designed to adapt with the customer.
•   Add value for customers who commit to longer subscriptions, or pay       Together Practicology and Pattern act as the premier ecommerce
    the total cost of the subscription upfront. Create a model that adds     partner to global consumer brands.
    value for additional commitment, such as GoodnessMe Box has.
•   If you have an existing ecommerce site, how could a subscription         Practicology is a global digital consultancy with a track record of
    model complement this? Amazon’s Subscribe & Save option is one           supporting retailers and consumer brands with all types of
    that relevant D2C brands could consider adding to their website.         ecommerce challenges, including helping them to define and
                                                                             create online subscription models.
•   A subscription model can test new products, or generate feedback
    from customers. KiwiCo uses customer feedback for product                Pattern is the leading global marketplace expert, acting as the
    development, and the brands supplied by GoodnessMe Box want              authorised Amazon seller for more than 80 brands across North
    their products sampled to generate exposure.                             America, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. We are
•   Technology can be both an enabler and a blocker. Ensure systems          also an authorised Tmall Trade Partner in China.
    don’t limit your ability to create an optimal proposition. Gousto uses
    AI to predict demand and HP is dabbling in the Internet of Things.       Brands we work with include: Atrium Innovations, Google, Lego,
In conclusion, we’ve found that the best models solve a customer             Lipault, LVMH, Pandora, Skechers and Skullcandy. Pattern also
problem and happen to do it with a subscription, rather than the other       runs Kong’s subscription offer Kong Box, profiled on P16.
way around. Spotting a customer pain-point or gap in the market should
be the first aspect of any subscription model development.                   For strategic and operational support with an ecommerce
                                                                             challenge, please contact us at hello@practicology.com

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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                         How Subscribe & Save works
                                             The marketplace Amazon offers a subscription
AMAZON                                       option for suitable products that allows users
                                             to select a delivery schedule and receive an up
                            Replenishment    to 15% discount if they receive five or more
                                             products in a single order.
Key takeaways                                Delivery is free, and Prime members receive an
                                             up to 20% discount products in a couple of key
•   Subscription is offered on products      categories – nappies and baby food. Extra
                                             discounts are also available for first-time
    that customers are likely to want to     subscribers on select products.
    purchase regularly, with a discount on   Eligible products are shown in the Subscribe &
                                             Save Store. Reminder emails are sent before
    products for larger order sizes          each delivery, so the customer can amend
                                             their order. Orders can be skipped and
•   Targets time-poor parents with           subscriptions cancelled at any time.
    savings on frequently required items –
                                             About the business
    such as nappies and baby food
                                             You’ll already know who Amazon is, the behemoth marketplace has circa three
                                             million active sellers in addition to selling product itself. Its free delivery plus content
•   Builds on its Amazon Prime offer, and    subscription package, Prime, passed the 100 million global subscriber mark in 2018.
    is complemented with additional          Prime adds value with access to entertainment content and is designed to lower the
                                             barrier to purchase from the marketplace, with free, expedited delivery, so that
    developing subscription offers, such     Amazon is subscribers first port of call when looking for a product.
    as for prescribed medications            Amazon is also developing other subscription offers. It acquired PillPack in 2018 to
                                             offer automated replenishment of prescriptions; and just registered the name
                                             Amazon Pharmacy in Australia.
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           How Beauty Pie works
                                               Beauty Pie describes itself as buyers club for
BEAUTY PIE                                     beauty, where members choose a plan – and
                                               pay a monthly membership fee – dependent
    Access      Curation       Replenishment   on how much they want to spend each month.
                                               For example, a customer signed up for the £10
                                               monthly membership can buy up to £100 of
Key takeaways                                  product each month at the discounted price. If
                                               they want to buy more they pay a premium for
•     Adds value by bringing premium           the items over their spend threshold. It’s also
                                               possible to buy products at the premium price
      beauty products to consumers at          without subscribing.
      accessible prices                        The minimum subscription length is three
                                               months, and there is also a shipping fee per
•     The subscription element provides a      order. Beauty Pie offers the first month free to
      tier of discount on purchases, rather    new subscribers.

      than specific products being chosen
                                               About the business
      for the customer each month              Beauty Pie was founded by Marcia Kilgore, a serial entrepreneur in the beauty
                                               category, who also created Bliss Spa, FitFlop and Soap & Glory among other brands.
•     Is particularly interesting as its       Her goal with Beauty Pie is to disrupt the industry, by giving beauty product lovers
                                               insider access to shop from the world’s 10-20 best beauty labs.
      founder has a strong track-record in
                                               Founded in late 2016, the business makes its profits from monthly subscription fees,
      the beauty industry                      and prices products to subscribers to be profit neutral. In comparison, big brands
                                               might charge up to 10 times as much to cover the cost of high-end packaging,
                                               marketing, corporate overheads plus brand and retail margins.
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           How Bloom & Wild works
                                               Online florist Bloom & Wild allows subscribers
BLOOM & WILD                                   to choose between three types of bouquets,
                                               two of which are packaged in a way that they
    Access     Curation       Replenishment    can fit through letterboxes, and one that comes
                                               hand-tied so no arrangement is required, all
                                               with free next-day delivery.
Key takeaways
                                               Subscribers can pay up front for subscriptions
•     Designed to solve for the problem of     of varying lengths to their home or as a gift. A
                                               pay-as-you-go option is also available for
      missed deliveries in the traditional     deliveries every week, fortnight or month; this
                                               option can be paused or cancelled at any time.
      flower delivery model. Boxes are
                                               The price of each bouquet is less for those who
      designed to fit through letterboxes to   pay in advance and sign up for the longer
      ensure delivery is possible even if no   subscription lengths. Customers can also
                                               make individual purchases.
      one is home; flowers are packed by
                                               About the business
      hand with additional packaging to
                                               Bloom & Wild was founded in 2013 in the UK, but has seen demand grow
      protect buds                             substantially in the last year. Revenue surged by 70% in its latest financial year, with
                                               four million packages sent since the business launched, and two million of those
•     Strong bias to female customers, with    sent in 2019 alone. Around 80% of purchasers are women, and this rises to 90% for
                                               recipients. Mother’s Day is the firm’s busiest one-off event.
      the majority of purchasers and           The English customers can have deliveries shipped to Ireland, France or Germany as
      recipients being women                   well as the UK, and the business also has localised French and German sites. The
                                               founder Aron wanted to solve the problem of making flowers easier to send, and
                                               spent a lot of time researching letterboxes sizes.
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                          How Dollar Shave Club works
                                              Dollar Shave Club sells what it considers to be
DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB                             the best shaving products on the market, with
                                              the subscription model designed to remove the
    Access                    Replenishment   pain-point of buying products that often have
                                              anti-theft protection in stores.
Key takeaways                                 New subscribers are encouraged to choose
                                              one of the brand’s starter sets, that are
•     Identified a replenishment pain point   tailored to different shaving requirements and
                                              then can set up regular shipments from every
      for consumers – razors are often in     month to three times a year.
      security boxes or tagged – and used a   Products from its complementary growing and
                                              oralcare ranges can be added and removed
      subscription model to reduce friction   from orders. Membership can be cancelled at
                                              any time, and the brand also offers a 30-day
•     Grabbed US online market share with     no-quibble money back guarantee.
      genuinely disruptive model
                                              About the business
•     Creates a lot of online content         The start-up disrupted the disposable razor market when it was launched in 2012
      focused on male health, wellbeing       and enjoyed viral marketing success, including a YouTube advert that focused on the
                                              quality of its products. Despite imitators springing up it had grabbed 54% of the US
      and lifestyle, to give subscribers a    online shaving market by the time it was acquired by Unilever in 2016; an attempt to
                                              take on rival Proctor & Gamble’s Gillette brand. The purchase signalled the beginning
      reason to keep coming to its site       of a wave of D2C brands being bought by large consumer goods manufacturers.
                                              Dollar Shave Club is still run as a separate company and retains its own brand
                                              identity. It has branched out with grooming products and an oralcare range.
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
How GoodnessMe Box works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                            GoodnessMe Box is an Australian health food
GOODNESSME BOX                                  subscription service offering 7-10 clean eating
                                                food items each month, as well as recipes and
                                                usage suggestions. Some products in the box
    Access     Curation                         are also available to buy from its online store.
                                                Subscriptions are for 3 or 6 months, or
                                                recurring. 3 and 6 month subscriptions are
Key takeaways                                   billed in total upfront, but attract a discount on
                                                the pay-monthly option and also include free
•     Sampling model with a second              shipping. The six month subscription also
                                                includes a bonus extra box. Gift options are for
      revenue stream selling the individual     3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions.
                                                It has branched out with a monthly nut-free
      products included in the boxes            Kids Box, and a quarterly Beauty Box.
                                                A loyalty scheme earns points that can be
•     The discount structure encourages         converted into store credit.
      new customers to sign-up for a longer
                                                About the business
      length of time in return for paying for
                                                GoodnessMe Box describes itself as Australia’s largest health food sampling service,
      the full subscription length upfront      and was founded by Peta Shulman when she was 25, after a doctor recommended
                                                she cut out processed foods from her diet. She started the business with AU$20,000
                                                of her own money, and turned over more than AU$1m in year one. Five years on the
•     Perfecting the web platform was an        business has continued to grow and achieved profitability.
      obstacle to early growth                  More than 600 brands have been sampled in the boxes, and the exposure has
                                                increased demand and helped them to get onto the shelves of bigger retailers.
                                                Shulman says her biggest early obstacle to growth was developing an effective
                                                website platform to support the business model.
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTION MODELS - Inspiration for consumer brands from 16 of the most interesting online subscription models January 2020 ...
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                            How Gousto works
                                                Gousto offers weekly, fortnightly or monthly
GOUSTO                                          recipe boxes on subscription or as a single
                                                order. Customers choose between a box for a
    Access      Curation       Replenishment    couple or a family, and can select two to four
                                                recipes per box. Named day delivery is free,
                                                and specific delivery timeslots are £2.99.
Key takeaways                                   Subscribers can increase or reduce the size of
                                                their order every week before the order cut-off
•     Is one of the most successful of many     point. Skipping an order and pausing a
                                                subscription are both allowed.
      weekly meal/recipe box start-ups          Customers select recipes for each order, and if
                                                subscribers don’t choose in time, recipes are
•     Profit is not yet its stated short-term   chosen for them based on their dietary
      motivator, and it has received much       preferences. Subscribers also have priority
                                                access to new recipes.
      investment to help it reach scale
                                                About the business
•     There is flexibility to pause, skip       Gousto is the UK’s largest recipe box delivery business, having been founded by
      orders and make one-off orders            German-born entrepreneur, Timo Boldt – an ex-hedge fund employee – at the age of
                                                just 26. Since then Boldt has raised more than £100 million in funding from a group
      rather than force customers to            of investors that includes FMCG giant Unilever.

      commit to a long subscription             With more than 500 employees, Boldt expects to more than double his workforce in
                                                the next couple of years. The business also employs artificial intelligence and
                                                automation in its supply chain as a differentiator from the competition, which allows
                                                it to improve efficiency and trade with close to zero food waste.
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SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                            How Graze works
                                                Graze offers twice weekly, weekly or fortnightly
GRAZE                                           deliveries of its snack boxes, which are
                                                designed to fit through letterboxes and
    Access     Curation      Replenishment      personalised based on preferences set by each
                                                subscriber. Each snack box has four individual
                                                punnets containing different items.
Key takeaways
                                                Gift vouchers are available for subscriptions
                                                from three to 50 boxes, or customers can gift a
•     Pioneered the subscription model for      one-off box.
      healthy snacks, but has driven growth     Subscribers are encouraged to give feedback,
                                                to drive product development for future boxes,
      and penetration by selling through        its online store and retail channels. The ranges
      retail channels                           available to subscribers in the USA have been
                                                localised to suit American tastes over time.
•     Subscribers are encouraged to give
      direct feedback on the products they      About the business
      receive, which drives new product         Founded in the UK in 2008, Graze is perhaps the UK’s most successful subscription
                                                start-up. Sold to Unilever for a reported £150m in 2019, the business had already
      development and recipe changes            branched out into distribution through supermarkets which powered its growth.
                                                Graze’s CMO has said that these retail deals have had no negative impact on its D2C
•     Customer data also drives insight into    business, as those who have experienced the D2C channel are most likely to go on to
                                                purchase through retail too. It also uses subscribers to get quick feedback on new
      longer term shifts in tastes and trends
                                                products and recipes and to spot changes in demand, such as the veggie protein
                                                trend. Graze says it spotted this trend in the US and developed products for the UK
                                                market within six months.                                                             11
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           How Hotel Chocolat works
                                               Premium chocolate brand Hotel Chocolat
HOTEL CHOCOLAT                                 invites customers to join its Tasting Club, which
                                               offers a box of chocolates based on one of five
    Access      Curation                       taste profiles delivered monthly with payment
                                               taken monthly.

Key takeaways                                  Subscribers are able to score and provide
                                               feedback on the chocolates that they receive
                                               each month. The chocolates sent are new
•     The Tasting Club allows the brand’s      recipes that the brand is trialling with a view to
      most loyal customers to trial new        putting into production and stocking on its
                                               website and in stores.
      products and give feedback while         Members are able to score the chocolates and
      they are still in development, to help   provide additional feedback online. The highest
                                               scoring chocolates are also featured in a
      the brand decide which to launch in      special collection once a year.

      its retail stores and website            About the business
•     Subscribers can submit feedback          The UK-based business takes a bean-to-bar approach, with its own cocoa plantation
                                               in St Lucia and products are mostly sold through its own stores and website.
      online and the most highly rated         Some 55,000 Tasting Club members score the products they receive and Hotel
      chocolates produced are included in      Chocolat’s founder says the business has weekly sessions to review this data and
                                               determine which products to launch.
      an Excellence Collection once a year     In its 2019 financial year, revenues hit £133 million with an EBITDA of £20.7m. The
                                               business is focused on international expansion and has begun to open stores in the
                                               USA and Japan in addition to those in its home UK market.
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How HP Instant Ink works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           HP allows customers to sign-up for auto-
HP INSTANT INK                                 replenishment of ink cartridges when they own
                                               one of its WiFi-enabled printers, which it’s
                                               claimed can save them up to 70% on ink costs.
                            Replenishment      There are five price-plans available, based on
                                               the number of pages that the customer prints
Key takeaways                                  a month, with additional charges if they go over
                                               their monthly page allowance. There is no
                                               difference in price for printing in colour to
•   Utilises the connectivity of its printer   black and white.
    devices to offer automatic                 Cartridge deliveries are triggered by the device
                                               automatically telling HP that it is low on ink,
    replenishment of ink cartridges when       rather than being on a regular monthly
                                               schedule. The monthly fee covers ink, shipping
    the device senses it is running low        and cartridge recycling, and the plan can be
                                               changed or cancelled whenever they like
•   Payments are taken monthly, though         without a penalty.

    deliveries happen as and when more
                                               About the business
    ink is needed
                                               HP is one of the most well-known printer manufacturers in the world. It launched the
                                               Instant Ink programme in 2013 with the promise that it would save customers
•   Simple price plans are all based on
                                               money, as well as ensure that they never run out of ink and the old cartridge is
    the number of pages printed per            recycled.
                                               HP has not released definitive figures for the percentage of printer owners who are
    month, rather than ink used                signing up for the scheme – it says customer adoption is above 20% where retailers
                                               are promoting the scheme. However, it has said that once they do sign up, the
                                               retention rate is over 90%, and customers become advocates of the scheme.              13
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                          How Ipsy works
                                              Beauty sampling service Ipsy offers five or
IPSY                                          more products each month with users able to
                                              greatly personalise the items they receive.
    Access     Curation                       New subscribers begin by taking an in-depth
                                              beauty quiz, which asks for key characteristics
                                              such as eye and hair colour, as well brand
Key takeaways                                 preferences and the frequency they would like
                                              different product types or shades of product
•     Beauty subscription service that has    included in their delivery.
                                              Ipsy allows members to select one of the items
      already managed to disrupt its main     in their delivery each month, from a
      subscription rival Birchbox             personalised selection with the rest chosen for
                                              them based on their preferences.
•     Allows users to provide a huge          Members can cancel at any time.

      amount of detail about preferences as
      well as characteristics to determine    About the business
                                              Ipsy was founded a year after its main competitor Birchbox, but has managed to
      the personalised selections received
                                              overtake its rival with a focus on personalisation and the power of influencer
                                              marketing. This is no surprise given that the company was co-founded by one of
•     Has very successfully used beauty       YouTube’s original beauty influencers, Michelle Phan.
      influencers to drive sign-ups           Ipsy has more than three million active members compared to Birchbox’s one million
                                              subscribers, and $500m annual revenue. The value of its influencer relationships is
                                              considerable; Ipsy’s influencer earned media value (EMV) was estimated to be worth
                                              $45m in 2019, compared to Birchbox’s $1.5m.
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How KiwiCo works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                            KiwiCo offers eight activity “crates” with
KIWICO                                          projects for different ages. 3, 6 or 12-month
                                                subscriptions vary from $19.95 to $29.95 a
                                                month, a discount on the cost of buying the
    Access      Curation                        crates individually.
                                                Customers can switch between the different
                                                crates during their subscription, and can also
Key takeaways                                   pause their subscription for a month. Gift
                                                subscriptions of varying lengths are also
•     Subscriptions remain relevant with        available, and buyers can have the first crate
                                                sent to them to gift in person, with subsequent
      crates for all age groups                 crates sent straight to the gift recipient.
                                                Subscribers do not get to pick the exact
•     Gift subscriptions are possible for any   contents of the crate they receive each month,
      length of time, and the boxes can be      and receive different projects based on their
                                                crate history and availability.
      sent to the gifter or recipient

•     Customer feedback drives quick            About the business
                                                KiwiCo was founded by Sandra Oh Lin in 2011, whose ecommerce pedigree includes
      product development cycles to keep        running eBay’s fashion business and launch Director for PayPal Mobile. She spotted
                                                a gap in the market for science, technology, engineering and maths products (STEM)
      subscribers hooked                        while creating craft and science projects for her own children.
•     Word-of mouth has kept customer           The business shipped four million crates in 2018, with $100m in revenue. It’s been
                                                debt free and profitable for three years, after taking $10m in venture capital in three
      acquisition costs down                    small rounds. The company encourages feedback from parents to drive new product
                                                development, and has a loyal customer base; 25% of sales are to families ordering
                                                more than one crate each month. It relies on word of mouth recommendations, and
                                                Lin says that its customer acquisition costs are low and gross margins improving.         15
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                         How Kong Box works
                                             Kong Box provides a monthly subscription box
KONG BOX                                     with dog toys and treats that are tailored based
                                             on your dog’s profile which is created by
              Curation       Replenishment   answering a quiz about the dog, its behaviour
                                             and preferences. The contents of each box is
                                             handpicked, and caters for different sizes of
Key takeaways                                dog and issues such as a box for dogs who
                                             chew or are easily bored.
•   Subscription model for a brand which
                                             Discounts are provided for subscribers the
    has traditionally been sold through      longer they sign up for. If a customer cancels
                                             before the end of their subscription term, they
    retail and marketplace channels
                                             are charged for the savings given on boxes
                                             already sent to them.
•   Personalised product selections are
                                             Gift subscriptions can be set up or gift codes
    designed for different sized dogs, and   purchased so the recipient’s owner can set up
    tailored to help dog owners with         the profile themselves.

    specific behaviours
                                             About the business
•   A discount structure encourages          US-headquartered Kong creates durable dog toys that are sold around the world. It
                                             was founded by Joe Markham in the 1970s when his dog Fritz was destroying things
    customers to sign up for longer terms,   with his chewing habit.
    but there is flexibility to cancel       The Kong Box subscription concept was developed by Pattern, the brand’s authorised
                                             Amazon seller, as a way to build a direct relationship with Kong’s best customers.
                                             Further developments to the site are planned, to allow customisation of orders, and a
                                             box for cats is also on the cards.
                                                                                                                                     16
How Nespresso works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                          The coffee machine and capsule brand has a
NESPRESSO                                     number of subscription offers through its Club,
                                              dependent on whether they already own one of
                                              its branded machines or not.
    Access                   Replenishment    New members can receive a coffee machine
                                              from as little as £1, with a one-year
Key takeaways                                 subscription from £18 a month. The
                                              subscription fee is stored in a customer’s
•     Best-in-class D2C experience with       account for them to choose the coffees that
                                              they want delivered, and accrues if they don’t
      subscriptions element that predates     place an order.
                                              Subscribers on plans that do not include a
      the internet, but has adapted to it,    machine can cancel at any time. Subscriber
      and has now extended to physical        benefits include free events in its boutiques,
                                              and a recycling scheme that allows customers
      locations too                           to drop them off or have capsules collected.

•     Uses subscription model to provide a
      low-cost way of getting machines into   About the business
                                              Nestlé-owned Nespresso was launched to consumers in Switzerland in the 1989 with
      customers’ homes                        exclusive and personalised services offered through its Nespresso Club. Customer
                                              acquisition was exclusively through customer recommendation. It launched its first
•     Recommendations from friends and        website in 1996, and has allowed direct online ordering from 1998.
      family drives customer acquisition      Nespresso came joint first in Practicology’s 2019 benchmarking study of 100 direct-
                                              to-consumer websites due to added value provided by nespresso.com.
                                              Nespresso says that around 50% of new Club members have experienced the brand
                                              through family or friends before they sign up.
                                                                                                                                    17
How Nike Adventure Club works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           Sportwear giant Nike got into the subscription
NIKE                                           game in 2019 with this subscription model to
                                               provide kids with Nike and Converse footwear.
                                               Customers can choose from a delivery
    Access                    Replenishment    schedule from four times a year up to once a
                                               month, and can be cancelled at any time.
                                               There are discounts per order for signing up for
Key takeaways                                  a longer period.
                                               Delivery is free. If the shoes don’t fit, or the
•     Supports Nike’s stated business aim of   child doesn’t like them, then exchanges are
                                               also free.
      growing the percentage of revenue        Nike has also considered the environmental
      from its D2C channels                    impact of its products, and sends a prepaid
                                               post bag to subscribers twice a year so that old
                                               shoes can be recycled or donated to charity
•     Capitalises on kids’ feet growing        depending on their condition.
      quickly with new shoes being a
                                               About the business
      regular purchase
                                               Nike came joint first with Nespresso in our 2019 study of direct-to-consumer
                                               websites. This subscription model shows how serious it is in innovating to drive sales
•     Also helps customers get rid of old      through its D2C channels; and also supports its aim of focusing on product and
      shoes that kids have grown out of in     experience to increase revenue and margins. It complements the product
                                               personalisation offered on its website and in its Nike Town stores.
      an environmentally-friendly manner       Kids footwear is a key category for the business, with back-to-school sales driving its
                                               highest revenue quarter. If this model proves successful we would expect Nike to look
                                               at subscription models for other customer segments to increase purchase frequency
                                               and/or lifetime value.
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SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                           How Sniph works
                                               Perfume subscription service Sniph has been
SNIPH                                          designed to solve the problem of spending a
                                               lot of money on a premium bottle of scent that
                                               the customer decides that they don’t like, or
    Access      Curation
                                               gets bored of.
                                               Members receive an 8ml bottle of scent each
Key takeaways                                  month that fits into the dispenser they receive
                                               upon signing up; and can select from several
•     Curated fragrance service that           fragrance profiles, for men, women or unisex. A
      provides access to scents from artisan   scent quiz helps new members decide on the
                                               best profile. Full-size bottles from previous
      perfume houses around the world          collections can be bought from its online store.
                                               Members can change their scent profile, pause
•     Designed so subscribers can build a      or cancel their subscription at any point. Digital
                                               giftcards for a 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions
      “scent wardrobe” over time, at a
                                               are also offered.
      much lower cost than if they were
      buying full-size bottles of the high-
                                               About the business
                                               Swedish-headquartered Sniph has members in more than 30 countries. Led by two
      end fragrances offered                   scent ‘noses’ Lisa Kjellqvist and Tara Derakshan, it launched in the UK in September
                                               2017. Support has come from investment by a group of Swedish investors including
•     Bespoke bottles and a dispenser allow    Martin Lorentzon, who previously founded Spotify.
                                               2018 revenue stood at $0.5m, and the business said that in May 2019 paying
      it to deliver scent in small amounts     subscriber numbers were 300% up year-on-year.
                                               It sources fragrances from Swedish distributors or the perfume houses themselves,
                                               and say that they are investing in data-driven product development.                    19
How Stitch Fix works
SUBSCRIPTION MODELS:                          Online styling service Stitch Fix offers curated
STITCH FIX                                    clothing deliveries for men, women and
                                              children on a one-off basis, or with an
                                              automated delivery schedule. Users pay a $20
    Access      Curation                      styling fee per delivery, and clothing is hand
                                              selected by personal stylists taking the
                                              customer’s size and taste into consideration.
Key takeaways                                 Users are also encouraged to give their stylist
                                              notes on what type of items they would like.
•     This highly personalised fashion        The styling fee is credited towards items that
                                              the customer decides to keep, and both the
      curation service is designed to match   delivery and returns are free.
      time-poor, choice-rich customers with   Stitch Fix does not describe the automatic
                                              delivery option as a subscription, as it wants to
      items that suit their personal style    make it clear that the customer can stop
                                              deliveries at any time. Delivery options vary
      using a mix of AI and expert stylists   from every 2-3 weeks, to every 3 months.

•     The site makes it clear that            About the business
      customers are not obliged to sign-up    Stitch Fix’s founder shipped her first order in 2011 while still attending Harvard
                                              University, with the aim of mixing styling expertise with proprietary algorithms to help
      for fixed-term subscriptions            customers find clothes they love.
                                              Fast-forward nine years and there are more than 3.2 million customers who received
•     Offers family accounts with multiple    at least one box in the preceding 12 months. It has a repeat order rate of 88% and is
                                              estimating revenue of $1.9 billion in its 2020 financial year.
      user profiles
                                              The CEO has credited its data science capabilities as the reason for growth, as this
                                              drives the algorithm that helps finds styles and brands that customers want to keep.
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challenges - please contact us at
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