Reflections on Subscription eCommerce: Start with Customer Needs

A much-anticipated Ecom Collab Club session took me out of the office to gather some ‘IRL’ insights around what’s happening at the coalface of subscription eCommerce.

As we gathered in London’s West End, one idea kept coming up in different ways…

Most subscription brands aren’t failing because of the model. They’re failing because of how it’s built.

Or in other words, they’re designed around business outcomes before customer value is clear.

This got me thinking about my own behaviours and how rigid subscriptions affect the customer experience.

But with my commercial hat on, the discussions also promoted plenty of thought on the logistics involved in growing a subscriptions business and preventing churn.

Why Subscription eCommerce Struggles to Hold Attention

Many eCommerce subscriptions fall short because they are built around recurring billing rather than ongoing relevance.

Of course, you need predictable revenue and repeat purchases to operate a subscriptions brand.

But driving the wrong behaviours is a sure-fire way to burn through your budget and your customer base.

As pointed out by Craig Niven (Founder, FILDI), the patterns of bad business are familiar:

• Generic “Subscribe and Save” mechanics

• Limited control over delivery timing or quantity

• Unclear communication around orders

• Cancellation journeys designed to slow the customer down

• Retention driven by price rather than experience

These approaches can drive initial uptake, but they rarely support long-term engagement.

Another point raised during the session by Craig stayed with me. If price is the main reason someone signs up, price will also be the reason they leave. That creates a cycle where growth depends on replacing churn with more discounted acquisition.

For brands offering subscription products it makes more sense to focus on building habits and routines rather than chasing easy numbers.

eCommerce Subscriptions Need Room to Flex

There was a consistent view across the panel, which included John Burke (Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director, The Curious Drinker, formerly Craft Gin Club) and Craig, on retention tactics. Making it difficult to leave damages trust, even if it slows churn in the short term.

Instead, customers should be able to pause, skip or cancel without friction. That creates a different type of relationship. It also creates a route back when circumstances change.

From an operations standpoint, flexibility must be built in. Customers do not consume products in a fixed pattern. They go away. They build up stock. Their needs shift.

If a subscription cannot adjust to that, it becomes a poor fit for real life.

Examples shared throughout the session reinforced this. Brands that improved retention often did so through simple operational changes.

For example, they give more notice before an order is processed. This allows for easier changes to parcel delivery schedules and improves visibility, so customers know what is coming and when.

These are practical changes and they have a direct impact on how long someone stays.

Subscription Products Perform Better as Services

One of the clearest commercial points made by Craig was around the need to shift thinking around offering a service vs a product.

He argued that a subscription product focuses on sending the same item at a set interval. But a subscription service builds value around that delivery. This includes onboarding, community, relevant communication, curated choices or access to support.

I think this is an important distinction because the product on its own is rarely enough to sustain interest.

This also ties-in with how different models operate from the moment a subscription brand decides to launch. A ‘Replenishment’ model relies on consistency whereas a ‘Curation’ setup needs flexibility in stock and selection.

Meanwhile, a ‘Surprise’ model requires coordination and timing.

From an operational point of view, a subscription business needs to pick just one of these routes and stay in its lane.

Because being clear on your model helps align fulfilment and delivery with the experience the brand is trying to offer.

The Operational Side of Subscription eCommerce

Subscription eCommerce places a different set of expectations on operations. Yes, brands need to deliver consistently (and repeatedly) but they also need to allow for change.  

If you run a subscriptions business, ask yourself:

• Can customers adjust upcoming orders without difficulty?

• Are delivery options aligned with how the product is used?

• Is demand planning set up to handle both predictable and variable orders?

• Do communications help customers stay in control of their subscription?

• Are returns and delivery support processes reducing friction or adding to it?

Issues in these areas tend to surface as churn.

To counteract this problem, I heard how brands are using data more effectively to support retention.

An assembled panel gave examples of identifying when a customer may need to pause, timing communication around real usage patterns, and using offline touchpoints such as direct mail to re-engage in a more personal way (a channel that remains at the heart of Whistl).

Together these actions shape the customer experience.

Discounts and the Quality of Growth

There was strong criticism of over-reliance on discount-led subscriptions.

Discounts can help with conversion. But they also tend to attract price-sensitive customers who are more likely to churn. That creates volatility in demand and puts pressure on operations.

A more stable approach focuses on convenience, access, relevance and outcomes.

This changes how the subscription is perceived. It also changes the type of customer it attracts.

An example shared during the event by Janis Thomas (CMO, Clothes Doctor) showed how a brand shifted from single purchases to a subscription model by aligning the offer with a lifestyle need rather than just repeat delivery.

The result was a higher share of revenue coming from subscriptions, supported by clearer ongoing value.

From Subscription to Membership

Another key theme was the move towards membership models.

Subscription can feel transactional whilst membership suggests belonging and ongoing value beyond a single product - as pointed out by John. For some brands, this framing makes more sense.

It also raises expectations. If a brand positions its offer as a membership, every touchpoint must support that idea. Delivery, packaging, communication and service all need to feel connected.
This brings operations and customer experience closer together.

A Subscriptions Starting Point

There is one question that came up implicitly across the discussion:

“Does this model make the customer’s life easier in a way they would notice if it disappeared?”

If the answer is unclear, the subscription may need rethinking.

The best brands in subscription eCommerce are built around routine, convenience and support. However, they also allow for flexibility and avoid unnecessary friction.

Meanwhile, churn is treated as something to understand rather than simply prevent.

That creates a more stable foundation for retention and a more predictable operating model.

Subscription eCommerce still has room to grow and evolve. The brands that perform well will be the ones that align customer experience, operations and commercial intent from the start.

Huge thanks to the folk at Ecom Collab Club for hosting with other honourable mentions for Grace Hatchman (ZAP~POST) and Rob Manning (Commercial Director, Natures Menu). If you’re an eCommerce founder looking to grow your brand and find your tribe then check out their upcoming events. For more delivery management insights, let’s connect on LinkedIn.