Subscription Radio

Streamlining workflows is a common business need. Consolidating the suite of apps you use for your subscription service is no different. Whether you are a brand or a developer, there are increasingly more and more ways that you can take the dozen isolated apps you currently use and turn them into a handful of hardworking, integrated solutions. In this episode, we explore what caused apps to become so soiled in the first place, and emerging ways to integrate them.

Show Topics

• The challenge of app consolidation
• Shopify’s new central hub
• The shortcomings of SMS and email marketing services
• The advantages of a custom Shopify solution

Show Links

• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

Shopify Unite 2021, the annual partner and developer conference, delivered much to get excited about. It also left us with some questions. How will bespoke themes transition to Online Store 2.0? Now that merchants can create payment gateways as an app, will there be extra fees? What is the future for Shopify Plus? We discussed the highlights and did our best to give you our predictions.

Show Topics

• Troublesome theme transitions to Online Store 2.0
• Enhanced developer toolkit with Hydrogen
• Create payment gateways as an app
• Calculate international payments
• Improved developer experience
• Shift in value of Shopify Plus

Show Links

• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

Should you buy or build? Hire an engineer? Go headless? These are the questions that can consume DTC brands, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. We were joined once again by Ben Kochavy, who helped shed light on the questions above. The key takeaway is this: there’s a time for brands to live on a platform like Shopify, and a time to go custom. There’s also a middle ground, where you can build custom apps for your Shopify-based business. What you don’t want to do is drown your early-stage company in engineering costs, or hobble your growth with systems that prevent agile pivots.

Show Topics

• When to buy versus build
• The pros and cons of custom
• Why Shopify is the best bet for new brands
• Tech doesn’t always add value
• Invest in custom apps
• Aim for fewer failure points

Show Links

• Check out ColdBru Digital
• Connect with Ben Kochavy on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

DTC brands might see subscriptions as the go-to framework, but it’s not so simple. For supplements or other easily-timed products, they work great. But for other non-linear products, subscriptions are hard to get right. So, what’s the solution? Ben Kochavy of ColdBru Digital talked with us about the benefits of bundles, why cash flow needs to be taken as seriously as LTV and CPA, and how brands need to bring a VIP experience to reduce churn.

Show Topics

• Subscriptions are a tradeoff
• Bundles are sometimes better than subscriptions
• Cash flow is as important as LTV
• Churn is a big problem for subscriptions
• DTC brands need to bring a VIP experience

Show Links

• Check out ColdBru Digital
• Connect with Ben Kochavy on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

Subscriptions may be the future. But that doesn’t mean they’re perfect for every brand. Some products and services lend themselves to subscriptions more easily than others, period. Other times, it’s simply in the approach. For example, is the delivery cadence appropriate? Is the customer ending up with too much or too little? Is an on-demand option possible? We don’t have all the answers, but we explored those questions and more in this episode.

Show Topics

• The issue of subscription replenishment
• The concept of “just in time” subscriptions
• The advantage of large brands
• Subscriptions as outsourcing
• Digging into the customer experience

Show Links

• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Explore Grove
• Explore Clockwork Nutrition
• Explore Daily Harvest
• Explore Motion
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

Subscriptions are becoming more popular than ever before. In fact, a recent report estimated that 75% of businesses that sell direct to consumer are expected to offer subscriptions by the year 2023. So what exactly counts as a subscription product, and when does the user benefit from a subscription model? In this episode, Ben and Joel dig into where subscriptions win, and where they sometimes fall flat.

Show Topics

• The three types of subscriptions
• Impacts of the hosting platform
• The importance of customization
• When the subscription algorithm fails
• The volume dilemma
• Dogfooding your subscription experience
• Subscription upsell tactics

Show Links

• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter

In this inaugural podcast episode, Ben and Joel dive into their shared obsession with subscription eCommerce. While Ben comes from a background of deep Shopify expertise and Joel has spent his career on custom builds, both entrepreneurs are passionate about creating a stellar experience for brands and customers alike. In the world of subscriptions, the landscape is particularly interesting. Ben and Joel discuss everything from the birth of subscription DTC tools to recent changes at Shopify to what the future of subscription eCommerce may hold.

Show Topics

• Shopify’s first-mover advantage
• Flexibility as a must-have for subscription platforms
• The impact of Shopify changes on the subscription landscape
• Deciding whether to build or buy a subscription platform
• The difference between CPG and tech companies

Show Links

• Check out 1-Click Pony
• Connect with Ben Fisher on LinkedIn or Twitter
• Connect with Joel Van Horn on LinkedIn or Twitter