Industry Trends
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5 MIN READ
Convenience alone is no longer enough. Consumers have become more selective than ever, and they’re now gravitating toward brands that offer a seamless, thoughtful, and personalized subscription experience.
The days of “set-it-and-forget-it” subscriptions are behind us.
Convenience alone is no longer enough. Consumers have become more selective than ever, and they’re now gravitating toward brands that offer a seamless, thoughtful, and personalized subscription experience.
At ChargeX 2025, I sat down with Mandy from Boxed Water™ to discuss how forward-thinking brands are evolving their subscription strategies right now.
Here are our takeaways—and what any brand aiming for real growth needs to do next.
Onboarding sets the tone for everything. That initial window is a chance to build momentum. Brands like Fatty15 shared how mapping the first 180 days of a subscriber’s experience led to major gains in their retention and engagement.
“That education piece kept coming up across sessions,” Mandy noted. “Fatty15 laid out their entire lifecycle comms strategy for the first six months, and the results really spoke for themselves.”
That period is a crucial opportunity to welcome, educate, and engage subscribers through personalized touchpoints. Yet subscription messaging on PDPs is still often buried or unclear. Adding clarity earlier in the journey reduces friction and improves conversion.
Next step: Map the subscriber journey from day one through month six. Audit your PDPs for clarity and test variations in copy, placement, and offer structure.
Subscribers have come to expect more than recurring deliveries. They want connection and value at every touchpoint. Mandy and I explored how premium products now demand premium experiences.
“Customers aren’t just subscribing because it’s convenient,” Mandy said. “They’re looking for something more thoughtful. Something that actually feels like a VIP experience.”
It’s no longer about simply offering a subscription. It’s about providing a complete experience that feels personal, intuitive, and worth committing to.
That’s why Recharge’s SMS Concierge was such a hot topic at ChargeX. When used strategically, SMS can become a powerful tool for building two-way relationships. It can help brands anticipate needs, provide fast answers, and deliver concierge-style support at scale.
I saw the demo and shared with the group, “ this is a tool that can change how we connect with customers, without adding friction.”
Next step: Start testing SMS as a mobile channel to help customers manage their subscriptions more easily (no login required). Look for fast, meaningful ways to personalize the journey.
Recharge’s Buy Box generated a lot of buzz at ChargeX. It brings subscription analytics front and center, helping teams understand what’s working and what isn’t. Mandy and I discussed the importance of turning those insights into action.
“What excites me about the Buy Box is its potential to drive real decisions,” I said. “But only if we prioritize insights that actually lead to action.”
Mandy added, “It makes me want to revisit what we’re prioritizing. What’s going to really move the needle now, not just look good on paper?”
The challenge today isn’t a lack of tools, it's prioritizing the right ones. Oats Overnight shared a powerful example. When they tested product formula updates, the boost in retention far outpaced any marketing play. That kind of insight only comes from tracking the right metrics and acting on the data.
Next step: Evaluate whether the Buy Box or tools like Peel Analytics align with your retention goals. Let the data inform real action, not just reporting.
One brand found that adding product reviews at checkout increased conversion by over 40 percent.
“Validation is everything in the final step,” Mandy said. “Especially in health and wellness, where the customer is seeking a specific outcome.”
And it makes sense. Checkout is a high-stakes moment and a prime opportunity to establish trust. We explored a few different implementation options, including Yotpo, Shopify checkout customizations, and lightweight extensions.
Next step: Consider adding reviews to your cart preview or checkout flow. Prioritize authenticity and timing to drive stronger conversion results.
For DTC brands already succeeding with subscriptions, expanding into B2B can unlock a valuable new revenue stream.
Wholesale subscriptions make sense for gyms, restaurants, event organizers, and other businesses that rely on consistent restocking. B2B models support predictable growth and stronger customer retention.
I shared how we’ve seen this firsthand, “With Boxed Water, we launched a custom B2B flow with tiered discounts, simplified reordering, and Recharge integration. It led to higher AOV and more streamlined operations.”
Next step: If your DTC subscription is gaining traction, now is the time to explore a B2B offering. Use the Boxed Water case study as a starting point.
Subscriptions aren’t just a business model. They’re a relationship. And like any relationship, they require care, communication, and consistency.
“The brands succeeding today are the ones listening and evolving,” I said. “Every touchpoint is a chance to build loyalty or lose it.”
At eHouse, we’re already putting these ideas into practice. We’re helping brands map smarter journeys, test new tools, and build subscription programs that don’t just renew—they grow.
The subscription space is evolving quickly, and brands that adapt early will come out ahead.
If you're ready to evolve your subscription experience, get in touch or explore our Boxed Water case study.
My recommendation? Evolve now or risk being stuck on pause.
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