Subscriptions are often seen as the goldmine of ecommerce. Reliable recurring revenue sounds great on paper, but most brands don’t get them right. Jaryd Terkelsen, co-founder of beforeyouspeak Coffee, shared how his team turned subscriptions from an afterthought into one of their most powerful channels. In the early years, they held back, worried about upsetting retail partners. Once they committed to building the right offer and customer loyalty, the results changed dramatically, with subscribers averaging 9.7 repeat orders.
What does it take to turn a routine product into a subscription powerhouse?
beforeyouspeak’s success highlights that strong subscriptions don’t start at checkout. They start with loyalty. Sampling campaigns, community events, and consistent brand-building created the stickiness that gave customers confidence to subscribe. As Jaryd explained, coffee is predictable and habitual, but trust still needs to be earned before locking in repeat orders. The takeaway is clear: subscriptions work best when they’re a natural extension of customer loyalty, not a shortcut to it.
Offers That Encourage Long-Term Value
Once the foundation was set, Before You Speak introduced compelling subscription incentives. Their offer combined a discount with a stainless steel travel mug and extra coffee serves, effectively doubling the value for the first-time subscriber. While it came with higher upfront costs, the long-term retention justified the investment. The key was balancing acquisition spend with predictable subscriber behaviour, turning short-term giveaways into long-term wins.
Elevating Subscribers Into VIPs
FUNDAY Sweets has taken a different path. Subscribers aren’t just repeat buyers; they’re treated as the brand’s VIP tier. Beyond product deliveries, subscribers receive merch, early product drops, and surprise gifts. This approach reframes the subscription as an exclusive membership. For brands that trade on emotion and fun, this kind of treatment turns a transaction into a status symbol within the customer community.
Storytelling That Strengthens Retention
Our Cow, a subscription-based meat delivery service, leaned heavily into content. They didn’t just ship fresh produce on time; they shared stories about farmers, sourcing, and origin. This kept the subscription feeling meaningful, reinforcing the value with every delivery. By embedding storytelling into the service, the brand gave customers a deeper reason to continue subscribing beyond just product quality.
The Real Drivers of Subscription Conversions
Strong subscription systems are built on trust, timing, and perceived value. Discounts alone rarely create loyalty. As Jaryd showed, the real conversion power lies in community engagement, thoughtful incentives, and consistent delivery. The brands that win at subscriptions are those that make customers feel part of something bigger, whether through value-packed offers, exclusive perks, or storytelling that resonates. For ecommerce leaders, the lesson is simple: subscriptions succeed when they feel like a natural and rewarding step in the customer journey.
In this Playbook:
How Jaryd and the team balanced retail partnerships with direct-to-consumer subscriptions
How they’ve designed irresistible first-time offers that drive trial and loyalty
Have they’re building a system that makes churn the exception, not the rule
Before you leave…Join the Add To Cart Community. We’ve got deep dives, events, and practical inspo for ecommerce operators who are playing the long game.
The post Why Most Subscriptions Fail (and How to Fix Them) #558 appeared first on Add To Cart.
