That's right: we've tapped into the power of astrology to help us predict your eCommerce Subscription Sign. Customers don't see subscriptions as a one-size-fits-all solution to their problems, and neither should merchants.

The stars have aligned—and they're pointing to a new way of doing business.

Looking to the stars, we begin to see patterns form in how people put their lives on autopilot.  Customers have similar behavioral traits that tell us more about who they are as a person, what they look forward to, and even what skeeves them out! If we know their Subscription Sign, we can build better subscription businesses that result in happier customers, lower churn, and better vibes.

Is your subscriber the kind of person who likes to set it and forget it? Or the type of person who wants to be in ultimate control? Long-term success depends on your subscriber’s personality type and willingness to take on risks. Some like to be surprised, while others love knowing what they're getting into.

There's a universe out there of people who subscribe to things in different ways—and we can learn more about how people want subscriptions to operate based on how they are inspired. People inspired by the idea of being surprised by their subscriptions might prefer that they don't set it and forget it; they might want total control over when and where their items arrive, or maybe they're just really into the thrill of making sure everything is perfect every time!

Subscription Signs are Customer Personas

Every great marketer makes sense of their business through customer personas, and a Subscription Sign is no different. More often than not, one business appeals to several types of customers, so marketers must build out multiple strategies that appeal to each of these personas. You know this already —  marketers have been doing this since the beginning of time (or at least since they watched Mad Men). What is new is the rise of subscriptions and increasing customers’ LTV by getting them to purchase subscriptions instead of making one-off purchases. 

Marketers may not have considered that each customer approaches subscriptions differently. Placing a “subscribe & save” button on your website isn’t going to resonate with every customer or create a successful subscription program (one size fits all?  that’s strong Leo energy). A subscription program's success depends on its ability to provide options and customization and ultimately meet the customer where they are.

What’s your Customer’s Subscription Sign? You don’t need a telescope, a compass, or a star chart; we’ll walk you through it together.

Meet Your Future Subscribers 

If you’re not this person, then you know this person. 

This person loves variety and the process of discovery. They don’t want to foretell their future; they relish the wonder and excitement they feel when the box hits the front step. They want to open a box and be in awe of all the options they can incorporate into different parts of their routine. To please The Sampler, you need a subscription program that allows them to curate a multi-product box. 

A little of this, a little of that

The Sampler’s biggest fear is boredom. Get your customer excited before the package leaves the warehouse by building excitement in email, SMS, and in their account portal. Play into their desire to be amazed by their experiences. 

The Sampler loves a subscription box, sometimes also called a discovery box. Smartrr gives brands the freedom to create a subscription program that resonates with every type of customer.

The Sampler loves a subscription box, sometimes also called a discovery box. Smartrr gives brands the freedom to create a subscription program that resonates with every type of customer. For “The Sampler” consider implementing Smartrr’s “Build a Box” subscription program. We strongly feel that The Sampler will be delighted by this experience, especially when complemented by a stunning UX queue the Smartrr’s subscriber portal!

There’s nothing wrong with indulging from time to time and giving yourself some much-needed TLC. The Gwenyth knows this – and can also recommend exactly the beverage to drink to restore your mind-gut health after a raucous/ rowdy happy hour with the team. The Gwenyth likes to feel special. They prefer luxury but also yearn for simplicity. They can be demanding, but they’re willing to pay for top-notch service. The Gwenyth wants a subscription that feels more like an exclusive club, a high-end membership where she can exchange knowing glances with other well-to-do socialites. 

Don’t goop this up 

It’s not that The Gwenyth is selfish, it’s that she knows exactly what she wants. Brands miss the mark when they think they know The Gwenyth better than she knows herself. Thankfully, Smartrr understands The Gwenyth subscription sign better than anybody, giving brands the tools to build out a complete, bespoke membership program. Use Smartrr’s customer account portal features to offer an exclusive VIP experience. Roll out the red carpet with a membership program that reframes and upgrades the traditional “subscription” experience with member discounts, member-only products, gifts, and early access to product launches.

The Lifehacker is a busy bee! It’s likely The Lifehacker is steering multiple ships, whether it’s at home or at work.  Between all of this and juggling numerous responsibilities, The Lifehacker doesn’t have time to think about repurchasing items. They don’t care about the glitz or glamour of a subscription or a “membership.” They just want their products to show up when they need them and when expected. And when the subscription no longer suits their needs, they want to whip out their phone, click a single, obvious button to cancel the subscription, and have this entire experience over within 5 seconds. They don’t need a lengthy message from the brand that says, “Why did you leave?! We miss you!” The Lifehacker maximizes efficiency and value. 

Autopilot, with a brain

The Lifehacker is ideal for a straightforward subscription program, and Smartrr’s platform has perfected the basics. Subscribers can easily manage their subscription preferences in their customer account portal. Intuitively designed for The Lifehacker to skip, gift, swap their next order, change their subscription frequency, delivery address, and payment method, you name it; they can manage nearly anything your customer support rep can, ultimately decreasing support requests by up to 70%. The Lifehacker doesn’t have time to talk to customer support!

You know The Optimizer because they have a spreadsheet for everything. Whether it’s for credit card points, the restaurant bill, every happy hour deal in town, or a trip. The Optimizer is insanely organized and resourceful; they leave us feeling awe and slight horror. Of course, The Optimizer will investigate any subscription offer. They’ll read the fine print and are excited to join a subscription program that offers serious value. But what excites The Optimizer is when they can outsmart the system and “get one over” on the company. The Optimizer wants to beat the company at their own game, thus the tremendous joy and slight adrenaline rush. 

The relentless pursuit of better

The Optimizer is a unique individual and shouldn’t be crossed unless your subscription toolbox is absolutely complete. When it comes to The Optimizer, you must start thinking like one. That’s where Smartrr comes in, by offering a subscription-led loyalty rewards program. The Optimizer will absolutely love this and will know exactly which order milestone will get them that free shipping reward so they can purchase that larger bulk item at an even more cost effective rate. The Optimizer will also gravitate toward Smartrr’s intuitive subscription preferences to set their order delivery arrival to the precise day they will run out of product.   

The Super Saver prides themselves on getting better bang for their buck. They are thrilled by the hunt, seeking out and snagging the best deals. They scour coupon blogs, search deal sites, and have multiple browser plugins installed to ensure they’re never being taken advantage of! They are prone to share their deep discounts with others, are even more prone to churn than The Lifehacker. Because The Super Saver is price-sensitive, offering a one-time discount for subscription can be a quick converter, but can easily turn them off in the long run if the product doesn’t overdeliver on their expectations.

A penny saved is a penny earned  

The most difficult to please of all the Subscription Signs. You will likely struggle to keep them happy, so minimizing emphasis on discounts is a better strategy for building a long-term relationship with The Super Saver. Over communicating, and providing easy, frictionless control over rescheduling shipments, pausing, and even canceling, will endear The Super Saver to you. The Super Saver can be persuaded with empathetic copy and can be enticed with freebies and upgrades. 

Subscriptions with discount milestones for 1st, 3rd and 5th purchase are perfect for The Super Saver. They know that if they subscribe long enough, they’ll get the lowest price available. You guessed it, once again, Smartrr makes this incredibly easy to set up on the back end.  Its robust Admin portal inclusive of out-of-the-box subscription programs and advanced analytics to track LTV so you know when to set those exact milestones. In addition, and only if your product calls for it, Smartrr’s admin portal gives you full control over displaying cost savings and defaulting to a subscribe and save option directly on the PDP page.

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The Giver is the most flexible, and altruistic, of the Subscription Signs. Willing to swap or gift before she’d ever skip, The Giver puts subscriptions to use to be a blessing to those around her. The Giver makes use of a monthly subscription to fill in the gaps of everyday life. Multibrand retailers provide near-infinite choices for The Giver to put a subscription to work as a means of budgeting and planning. A planned getaway or an upcoming birthday for a friend? “I’ll just use my monthly credit!” says The Giver.

‍Give it away, give it away, give it away now ‍

Once again, Smartrr predicts the future. The Giver wants to be seen as thoughtful and prepared. 

Smartrr’s gifting options will light up every star in their constellation with two main features. The first, being able to gift your next subscription order in lieu of swapping or skipping that month.  The second feature is on a core subscription program-level. Brands targeting The Giver need an admin portal that allows the program manager to easily set up a maximum billing cycle, so customers can gift trial subscriptions to a friend or family member.

For example, the holidays are just around the corner — imagine if your customer could purchase a monthly gift subscription for a 6-month term for their loved one? Once the 6-month mark hits the subscription would automatically end and said loved one could then potentially become a net-new customer of yours. It’s a win-win-win.

The future is bright

No matter what your Subscription Sign is, there is one thing we can all agree on: customers deserve a subscription service that treats you like an individual, not just another customer.

When it comes to building out a subscription program, there’s no easy, one-size-fits-all answer. Brands who understand this are much more likely to create a successful, subscription program and increase customer LTV. The best way to start a subscription program is by understanding which customer persona(s) are likely to become subscribers and then building unique programs based on this information. If you need help, are overwhelmed, or still aren’t sure if you need a subscription program, look no further than Smartrr. There are galaxies of case studies to explore and their customer success team is second to none. 

Built with your end customer in mind, Smartrr increases brand engagement and LTV with a variety of out-of-the-box subscription models, a beautifully branded subscriber account experience, member-only benefits, and more. Join the likes of high-growth brands such as Starface, Remi, The Earthling, Stix, and Jolie who have seen an average of 15X more sales over the lifetime of a subscriber.

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This guide was developed in partnership with Smartrr. Help the stars align for your brand. Customers don't see subscriptions as a one-size-fits-all solution to their problems, and neither does Smartrr Subscriptions—the Shopify app setting a new standard for your end-consumers post-purchase journey.

See why brands saw 2x subscription revenue in just 60 days, 94% subscriber retention rate, and 5x more sales over a subscriber's lifetime with Smartrr.