Subscription upsell strategies
that sell into the renewal.
Most subscription upsell strategies stop at checkout. The value is lost after it: renewals are smaller than the first order, and only one subscriber in five ever buys anything else. We sell into every renewal, in your subscription app and in Klaviyo, and measure it on the orders that follow.
Where subscription value is lost.
Before you choose subscription upsell strategies, see where the value goes. Our subscription LTV research followed new subscribers in the stores we run and audit from their first order on. At the typical store:
of new subscribers buy something on top of their plan in a later order. Four in five are worth their plan and nothing more.
is what a later order is worth against the first. The first order carries the bundle or the bigger pack; the renewals are the plan alone.
of add-on buyers reach a fourth order, against 46% of the rest. The subscribers who add something are the ones who stay.
come back for a second order, so most subscribers are still there to be sold to when the first renewal ships.
Add one to the next box.
The cheapest sale a subscription brand makes is one more item in a box that is already shipping: no new checkout, no shipping cost, a customer who already trusts the product. At the typical store 20% of new subscribers ever make it; the rest are never asked at the right moment.
In the billing reminder
Every reminder before a charge carries one add-on for this box, chosen for what they already get, added in one tap and charged with the renewal. The subject is what the box brings, never the charge.
One product, not a catalogue
The add-on that goes with their plan: the refill of the thing they use up, the companion product, the travel size. One choice converts; a grid of twelve is browsed and closed.
A one-time price that reads as a deal
Priced as an add-on, not a new order: the subscriber price, shipping included because the box ships anyway, and what it costs said plainly beside the button.
On the thank-you page
The first add-on offered while the first order is still open, for the next box or this one, so the habit of adding starts at order one.
Confirmed with the date
Every add-on confirmed with what ships, on which day, and what it adds to the charge. No surprises on the card statement, no refunds.
The upgrade before the first renewal.
The first renewal is the order most likely to be smaller than the first. A week before it, the subscriber on the smallest plan is offered the next pack size of the same product at its lower price per unit, switched in one tap.
The number first
The saving per unit, in the unit they think in, with the old price and the new. Under about 8% a unit with no change in shipping the offer is too weak to carry an email.
Seven days, then five
A designed email seven days before the first renewal, then a short letter from a named person two days later, both landing ahead of the billing reminder, never on the same day.
One tap, both ways
The switch made in the subscription app by a quick action, tested on a staff subscription first: what changes (the pack, the rhythm, the price per unit) and what does not, said once each.
A new angle at the second renewal
Halfway through their timeline, with what they have noticed so far. Only the switch repeats.
Never stacked
One upgrade flow per brand. If one already sends and earns, it stays; ours is built where none exists, and its price agrees with the post-purchase offer.
The second product.
Add-on buyers stay: of the subscribers who placed a second order, 66% of those who bought something on top of their plan reach a fourth order, against 46% of the rest, and 40% reach a sixth, against 25%. The second product is how a one-product subscriber becomes one of them.
After the second order, not the first
The first weeks belong to the product they bought: how to use it and when to expect results. The cross-sell starts once the habit is set and the second order has shipped.
Matched to what they use
The product that answers the next problem for the customer they are, chosen from what buyers of their product go on to buy, not from the newest launch.
A sample on the rewards ladder
The second product as the gift on a set order, then offered as an add-on to the box after it: tried for free, bought once it works.
Added to the plan, not a new one
One subscription with two products in it, on one date. Two plans mean two charges, two reminders and two moments to cancel.
A portal that sells the next box.
Subscribers open the portal to change something. If the only things to change are the date and the cancel button, nothing is ever added. 86% of the order value is all a typical renewal keeps; the portal is where the rest is sold back.
Add-ons on the first screen
The product that goes with their plan, with its price and one tap, above the next delivery date, not two menus down.
Different for each product
The portal changes with what they subscribe to: its own add-ons, its own bigger pack, its own tips.
Swap before skip
A subscriber tired of one flavour or scent gets a swap first, so the box ships and the value stays.
The next size, beside the plan
The bigger pack at its price per unit, shown next to the one they are on, every visit.
Why renewals shrink.
A later order is worth 86% of the first at the typical store, and at three stores in four the later orders are smaller. The first order is built to sell: the bundle, the gift set, the bigger pack. The renewal is built to repeat, so it ships the plan alone.
Sell a renewal you can repeat
If the first order needs a bundle to convert, make the plan that renews carry part of it: the two-pack, the quarterly plan, the refill with its companion.
Do not let the first order set a bar the plan never meets
A first box twice the size of the renewal reads as a downgrade on the second charge. Show what renews, and when, on the buy box and in the first emails.
Win the difference back in the renewal
The upgrade before the first charge and the add-on in the reminder are where the gap between the first order and the plan is closed.
How the buy box sets the first renewal is on our subscription offer page.
Measure subscription upsell strategies on orders.
An upsell email reports revenue it did not earn: some of those add-ons would have been bought anyway. Read every change on Shopify orders, against a group that did not get it.
Three numbers
The share of subscribers who add something in a later order, what a renewal is worth against the first order, and how many reach the fourth order. They are the three numbers in our research.
A holdout for every flow
A random group that never gets the upgrade or the add-on offer. The difference in order value and in renewals kept is what the flow earns.
Renewals, not only order value
An add-on that makes the box too big for the month is skipped next time. Judge each one on whether the subscriber pays the renewal after it.
Every test written down
The date, the change, the result and what it taught, so the next offer starts from the last one.
Subscription upsell strategies we build.
Value read
Your subscribers against our benchmarks: who adds something, what a renewal is worth against the first order, who stays, and the order to fix things in.
Add-ons in the reminder
The billing reminder with one add-on for the next box, added in one tap, in your subscription app and Klaviyo.
The pre-renewal upgrade
The next pack size before the first renewal, a designed email and a letter, with the switch built and tested.
The second product
The cross-sell after the second order and the sample on the rewards ladder.
Portal add-ons
Add-ons, swaps and the next size in the portal, per product, in Loop, Recharge or Skio.
Measurement
The holdouts and the three numbers on Shopify orders, with every test written down.
Proof on named accounts.
quarterly growth from the subscription engine, Zapply UK. Read the case study
subscription churn, Frøya Organics. Read the case study
Real client accounts, named and linked. All case studies.
Repeat customer revenue is up like 50%. So that’s really good. There’s lots of positive things from last month.
Our email and campaign conversion is up 4× since we started. Your team just gets the women’s-health customer.
We really saw a huge impact, especially in the beginning - a huge boost, both in revenue and revenue share. You guys are true professionals, you have a very creative team.
Super happy. Best retention agency in the business.
Find what your renewals leave behind.
We read your orders against our benchmarks and show how much value your renewals lose and where to sell it back. Free, run by the founder, no contract.
Questions founders ask.
How do you upsell within a subscription model?
Sell into the renewal, not only the first order: one add-on in the billing reminder for the next box, the next pack size a week before the first renewal, the second product once the habit is set, and add-ons on the first screen of the portal. Measure each on Shopify orders against a holdout.
What can we do to increase average order value on subscriptions?
Close the gap between the first order and the renewal. At the typical store a later order is worth 86% of the first, because the first carries the bundle and the renewals ship the plan alone. The upgrade before the first renewal and the add-on in the reminder win it back.
How do we get subscribers to attach more products to their subscription?
Offer one product that goes with what they already get, in the box that is already shipping, at the moment they hear about it: the billing reminder and the portal. Add it to the same plan and date, never a second subscription.
When should you offer a subscription upgrade?
A week before the first renewal, to subscribers on the smallest plan: the next pack size of the same product at its lower price per unit, switched in one tap, with a short letter two days later. The second renewal gets a new angle.
Do subscribers who buy add-ons stay longer?
Yes. Of the subscribers who placed a second order, 66% of add-on buyers reach a fourth order against 46% of the rest. Staying and adding feed each other, so it is a pattern rather than proof of cause, but it holds at almost every store we read.
How do you know if an upsell is working?
Hold a random group out of it and compare order value and renewals kept on Shopify orders. Revenue the email tool attributes to the upsell counts add-ons that would have been bought anyway.
Keep reading.
Subscription LTV benchmarks
What subscribers add after the first order, what a renewal is worth and how long add-on buyers stay.
Subscription churn strategy
How to keep subscribers past the third order, moment by moment.
Subscription offer strategy
How the buy box sets how many shoppers subscribe and how many renew.
Your renewals,
worth more.
We read your orders against these benchmarks and give you the list of what to sell into the renewal, in the order it pays.
