Subscription Ecommerce Live

Katharine McKee is founder of Morphology Consulting, a digital commerce consultancy that creates long term profitable growth for clients by helping them understand and adhere to algorithmic systems online. She helps ecommerce brands focus on building clean processes.

In her career, she's built out digital commerce for companies in CPG, Luxury, Beauty and Apparel. To date, Katharine has overhauled the digital go-to-market for more than 50 brands (including Fortune 500s like Coty, Luxottica, and IPG Media Brands), and has sustainably increased client revenue up to 600% YoY.

Topics we covered:

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify + BigCommerce)

Timestamps  

0:00 Intro

0:19 Katharine's journey to founding Morphology Consulting, and how she helps ecommerce businesses clean up systems to improve margins

4:28 Shopify template mistakes you might be making + how they impact your expenses and revenue

11:58 How do you fix these sorts of mistakes to help Google recognize you as credible, which should result in less expensive ads?

14:19 When you set up your template in Shopify, make it scrapeable and indexable (not necessarily "pretty")

19:52 When you buy Google ads, "you're buying up the difference between what you said you do and what Google confirmed you do"

21:36 Discount popups aren't worth the hit you take from Google 

25:12 Common product page mistakes that decrease your quality score

30:58 Katharine's preferred subscription vs one-time purchase customer journey

33:49 How Morphology works with merchants to improve site performance and improve margins

41:44 Why recommending the best-fit products to subscription customers can be powerful

48:46 Advice on launching a new product line

59:12 Why you should stop trying to sell people things they don't want and get clean data that tells you what they would actually consider buying

In this episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, we spoke with Jon MacDonald, Founder and President of The Good.

This episode is primarily a screenshare of Jon doing a conversion-focused teardown of Primal Kitchen, covering what they're doing well and what they might test/improve. Jon does a great job of describing what's on screen, but if you'd like to visually follow along with the teardown, you can check out the YouTube recording here: https://youtu.be/X0gp-FBBYtM

During our conversation, we discussed:

About Jon:

Jon MacDonald, Founder and President of The Good, advises on ecommerce conversion rate optimization and customer experience.

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify + BigCommerce)

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

0:17 Jon's journey to The Good, and how he helps ecommerce businesses optimize conversion rates

4:55 Why he doesn't love discount email popups, and what you might consider instead (Start of Screenshare)

7:50 Why keeping the hero imagery simple by featuring a new product / category is better than trying to include a bunch of products or information

8:33 How to think like a shopper and create navigation that helps them buy, especially when it comes to the top navigation (including how to avoid sending them back up the sales funnel instead of down)

11:50 Why you should set really clear expectations of what filling out an email sign up form means, and what that should include

14:05 The case for clear calls to action

15:19 The pitfalls of carousels

17:20 The challenge with using Add To Cart on the homepage 

18:56 Why you should consider creating visually consistent, clear CTAs

19:35 Don't bury subscriptions/memberships toward the bottom of the page

20:46 The optimal "Shop our Instagram" experience

21:31 How to make testimonials stronger

23:43 Consider adding a Need it Today section if the site visitor can buy local (+ language you can pair with this to encourage subscriptions)

24:13 How to arrange your site's footer

27:25 Consider beefing up category pages to do more than show just the products in that category

28:35 The danger of not offering a Learn More / View Details type CTA in addition to Add to Cart

30:40 Product page pointers, including images, product description, subscription expectation setting, reviews, and the optimal order of the content on this page

47:45 The value of A/B testing

51:46 What should happen after someone converts on a subscription (this includes the emails you should send and how to manage your brand's relationship with a subscriber)

56:40 When should you promote more products to subscribers?

58:50 How much email is too much email in addition to an upcoming shipment notification?

To kick off 2022, we spoke with Austin Gardner-Smith of Bainbridge.

We discussed:

About Austin:

Austin is Co-Founder & President at Bainbridge, an integrated SaaS solution that combines data, analytics, and finance for DTC brands. They help ecommerce companies (including subscription brands like MUD\WTR, Geologie, and Wandering Bear Coffee) take control of data and finances.

You might want to check out their Weekly DTC Benchmarks Newsletter.

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/ This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify + BigCommerce)

Timestamps:

2:11 Austin's journey to Bainbridge, and how they help DTCs understand the Money Numbers

7:29 Why it's important to understand CAC AND LTV (Austin wants you to understand something he calls Contribution Margin)

9:46 Example: One DTC brand discovered how accessorial fees were hurting their contribution margin and negotiated better rates

18:47 Additional metrics subscription merchants should monitor (+ why LTV should be specific to a certain time period)

20:18 The value of understanding Delay Retention Rate (yes, that's an ARPU term we're in the process of creating)

24:10 Predictability in subscriptions is finicky. Cohort analysis can help keep you out of a cash trough

26:59 Should a 1:3 CAC:LTV ratio be the goal in DTC ecom?

29:05 Do you really have a subscription business if people subscribe and churn quickly?

35:37 Levers sellers can pull to impact the bottomline (including increasing prices!)

42:30 What Bainbridge actually does for DTC merchants

For the last episode of 2021, we talked with Jamie Levy of Shopify Plus.  We discussed: 

About Jamie:  

Jamie is the Head of Engagement at Shopify Plus (North America). Her career has spanned both ecommerce and supply chain logistics. She is passionate about ecommerce strategy, storytelling, and relationship development. At Shopify Plus, she works to find ways to connect merchants with each other. 

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/ 

We're taking a break for the Holidays, but we'll be back in January with more amazing guests and discussions.

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify + BigCommerce)

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro: Jamie's journey to Shopify Plus

8:59 The value of providing ways for customers to connect

12:15 Why brands should have a mission that goes beyond selling products

16:08 Don't punctuate your sentences: How brands can be more human and open lines of communication

25:35 How Jamie connects customers and the product team to ensure roadmap decisions are made with them in mind (Great idea to borrow, y'all)

27:49 What happens when brands create reactions and connections

37:26 What community really means (spoiler: Jamie thinks it's a buzz word and I like her reasoning)

47:47 Connecting isn't for everyone, and that's ok!

53:26 Why brands should be generous 

59:07 Reconsider how you reward subscribers: try letting them tell you what they'd like those rewards to be

In this episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, we sat down with Kelly Vaughn, Co-founder of Govalo and Founder and CEO of The Taproom. We discussed

About Kelly:

She’s the Co-founder of Govalo, a brand new Shopify gift card solution that offers send scheduling and an out-of-stock integration.  She is also Founder and CEO of The Taproom, an agency that builds custom development solutions for ecommerce sellers on Shopify and Shopify+. Her team has worked with clients including All Girl Shave Club, Eat Your Coffee, and Mask Moments.  

Kelly co-hosts both the Ladybug Podcast and Commerce Tea, and authored Start Freelancing Today.

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/ 

We'll be back every other Wednesday.   

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify + BigCommerce)

Timestamps

2:58 The story behind Govalo: a better Shopify gift card experience

5:16 How offering more powerful gift cards could help with supply chain woes

9:03 The benefits of giving and receiving gift cards to specific stores

12:26 Govalo's plans to integrate with Recharge

14:04 Why merchants should make subscription management as easy as possible

18:23 Why you should create compelling reasons for customers to subscribe

22:03 Taproom examples of how to build out subscription benefits on your website

25:43 Why Kelly prefers community-based subscriptions

29:14 Don't be afraid of having a small community

30:40 How to use gift cards as part of a retention strategy

47:38 How you can use ARPU and Govalo together right now

In this episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, we talked with Kristen LafFrance, Director of Community at Repeat.

We discussed

You can check out the video recording of this discussion here: https://youtu.be/Y6RkrpdNTNg

About Kristen:

She’s currently the Director of Community at Repeat (https://www.getrepeat.io/) and is on a mission to bring humanity back into ecommerce. Kristen has worked with hundreds of top companies (including ButcherBox, Box of Style, Four Sigmatic, and LOLA) to improve MRR and build deeper connections with their customers. Before joining Repeat, she served as Head of Resilient Retail at Shopify and Director of Growth & Community at Churn Buster.

If you learn something from this discussion, we’d love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

We’ll be back every other Wednesday. Register for the live recording here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu6pqz0jGNFoEIBB4LJvCW9jKwf8GjPG

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify))

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:14 Q&A with Kristen LaFrance of Repeat

4:17 A walk through the journey from one-time, to repeat, to subscription customer

7:04 The reality of subscriptions: they're like marriages and shouldn't be rushed

9:59 The danger of defaulting to subscription: It's a battle between a short-term win and a long-term customer

12:01 How to be a more human, empathetic brand: creating a customer experience in every touch point

17:29 How to test messaging to create amazing flows

21:13 Why you should teach your buyers to expect good email content from your brand

23:23 The value of building segments based on engagement 

25:21 Why you should prioritize understanding your buyer's life goals and build something that is bigger than the product

33:14 Which messages you should (and shouldn't!) send buyers

53:25 Why you should run a retention audit (experience the product as the consumer)

For this episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, we chatted with Matt Houlemard, Tech Partner Manager at Recharge.

We discussed:

You can check out the video recording of this Q&A here: https://youtu.be/KqFJUS-VwrQ

About Matt:

He’s a Tech Partner Manager at Recharge (former Account Manager) where he builds relationships across Recharge tech partners, merchants, and the ecommerce industry. Recharge is a subscription payments platform used by over 15,000 merchants to reduce churn and increase lifetime value. Matt offers a valuable perspective on subscription ecommerce strategy, selling, and customer journey optimization and experience.

If you learn something from this discussion, we’d love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

We’ll be back every other Wednesday. Register for the live recording here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu6pqz0jGNFoEIBB4LJvCW9jKwf8GjPG

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify))

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

0:05 Q&A Matt Houlemard of Recharge

2:53 Matt's background and role at Recharge

8:45 Why being human (instead of transactional) is important

10:20 Focus on the customer journey as you introduce subscriptions

12:48 Positioning the value of your subscription

15:26 Going beyond "we offer a subscription"

32:44 Why the post-purchase experience is important

37:15 The current data on subscription growth and what will be important for sellers

40:34 Scaling subscriptions

46:06 Why making it convenient to modify subscriptions is successful

On this week’s episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, Niccolò Gloazzo, director of ecommerce at Kettle & Fire and founder of Qbrico, joined us to talk about

You can check out the video recording of this Q&A here: https://youtu.be/EPdMpjEyg2w

About Niccolò: He is the Director of Ecommerce at Kettle & Fire and the Founder of Qbrico. Niccolò is passionate about ecommerce growth and has first-hand experience in American and European markets.

If you learn something from this discussion, we’d love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

We’ll be back every other Wednesday. Register for the live recording here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu6pqz0jGNFoEIBB4LJvCW9jKwf8GjPG

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify))

0:00 Intro

1:30 Q&A with Niccolò Gloazzo

02:58 When to offer a subscription

04:37 The value of offering a subscription service

06:00 Core metrics you should focus on: Opt-in rate

10:37 Leveraging benefits for your subscription

12:24 Core metrics: Churn rate

15:19 Which customer touchpoints are essential

18:09 How to make a fun cancellation flow that doesn't irritate customers

20:31 Delays as a core metric

22:27 Core metrics: Reactivation

26:49 The core metric that small businesses need to focus on

28:21 Core metrics: Upgrading/Downgrading

29:56 Alternatives to replenishment products in a subscription service

35:30 How to succeed in customer retention

38:25 Metrics to focus on during Q4

On this week’s episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, John Erck of Rebuy joined us to chat about

You can check out the video recording of this Q&A here: https://youtu.be/3Elpv_5cHkA

About John: He’s the co-founder of Rebuy (https://rebuyengine.com/), an omni-channel personalization engine built to increases online sales and conversions by upselling, cross-selling, recommending products, and personalizing the online shopping experience.

If you learn something from this discussion, we’d love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

We’ll be back every other Wednesday. Register for the live recording here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu6pqz0jGNFoEIBB4LJvCW9jKwf8GjPG

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify))

0:00 Intro

0:06 Q&A John Erck of Rebuy 

2:04 John's background and what Rebuy does

2:44 Why we should look to the restaurant industry for cross-selling, upselling, and recommendations inspiration

5:19 It's up to brands to build trust so that recommendations work

11:07 The power of personalization when it comes to retention

14:17 How Kettle & Fire uses personalization to drive retention

17:17 Two major opportunities to promote subscriptions

21:41 How John set a Guinness World Record

26:26 What subscription sellers should plan for Q4

38:44 How brands sometimes overthink recommendations

41:09 When someone adds an extra item in checkout, they're 4x more likely to complete that checkout

On this week's episode of Subscription Ecommerce Live, Eli Weiss of OLIPOP joined us to chat about

You can check out the video recording of this Q&A here: https://youtu.be/fPZSYWlAIqA

About Eli: He’s currently the Director of Customer Experience at OLIPOP. Eli has spent 7+ years building and operating early-stage startups. He’s particularly known for his work around Customer Experience and Retention at DTC brands.

If you learn something from this discussion, we'd love to have you join us next time. Learn more about this series here: https://liveseries.getarpu.com/

We'll be back every other Wednesday. Register for the live recording here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApfu6pqz0jGNFoEIBB4LJvCW9jKwf8GjPG

This series is brought to you by GetARPU.com, which helps subscription sellers make more money and retain more customers with upcoming shipment notifications that offer 2-click upsells and delays. Check us out if you want to provide an amazing experience for your subscription customers. (Syncs with ReCharge (Shopify))

Timestamps

0:00 Intro

0:22 Q&A with Eli Weiss of OLIPOP

4:31 Listening to consumers is something that feels very simple, but brands don't do it

5:24 The most underutilized part of CPG and DTC is support

9:19 Most brands have a rigid approach to putting out fires but you win when you get human

13:30 How to build an experience team that gets it

17:03 How to learn what subscription members really want

20:14 Why you shouldn't shift blame. Just own mistakes.

23:48 Why setting clear expectations is critical

33:35 An interesting approach to loyalty and subscription: create a journey

38:33 How OLIPOP customizes messaging to offer subscriptions on the 2nd order