Turning Your Buyers into Subscribers with Automatic Reordering

What if your customers converted themselves? What if they could click a button to have their orders repeat indefinitely? What if they could take advantage of seasonal promotions and update their orders?… All without needing a bit of assistance.

You can probably guess what we’re getting at here.

Why It Makes Sense to Turn to an Ecommerce Subscription Model

From Netflix and mail-order prescription drugs to monthly cosmetics boxes and weekly food deliveries, consumers have embraced the convenience of a set-and-forget ecommerce subscription model. For merchants, they’re a dream come true. Subscribers are typically loyal, low-hassle customers who provide a predictable revenue stream. If your online ecommerce platform supports subscriptions, you may want to consider giving it a shot.

Automatic Reordering vs. Subscription Boxes

Automatic reordering, which involves customers signing up to purchase the same product at set intervals, is great for locking down customers who may be tempted to make convenience purchases from other vendors when they forget to order from your store.

If customers are interested in a merchant’s products but are not just stopping by to purchase a single item, the merchant can give them the option of signing up for a subscription box. In this subscription model, the merchant creates an assortment of products that will be sent to each subscriber. Many customers enjoy the element of surprise associated with these boxes while merchants can use them to introduce new products or reduce excess stock.

Yon-Ka Skincare is just one of many online stores currently offering an ecommerce subscription model. An international luxury skincare brand with an emphasis on clean, plant-based formulas, Yon-Ka is preferred by customers for the high quality and natural effectiveness of their products. Many of their customers take advantage of Yon-Ka's auto-refill subscription option, through which they receive a significant discount on their orders.  

 Yon-Ka uses several features to encourage subscriptions:  

• Flexible Subscription Periods: Customers can decide whether they’d like to receive orders every month, 2 months, or 3 months. 
• Subscription Savings: Customers receive 15% off their first order and 10% off subsequent refills.  
• Free Shipping: Customers receive free shipping on items they've subscribed to. 

Clear Communication is Key

To keep subscribers active, make sure they have all the information they need to keep on top of their orders.

Reminders: Send your subscribers an alert ahead of their order arrival with an option to pause if they’ll be out of town.

Changes: Make sure your subscribers know how to edit their subscriptions to modify quantities, specific items, and delivery dates.

FAQs: Housing all relevant information in one place makes it easy for customers to find answers if they have questions about the process.

If you intend to offer subscriptions and automatic reordering, you need to make sure your ecommerce platform can keep customer financial data secure. Miva customers can use MivaPay to ensure data safety. You can learn more about establishing subscriptions with MivaPay here.