10 Subscription Box Growth Strategies You’d Be INSANE Not To Use in 2024

 A few days ago, I held a subscription box Strategy Webinar where I talked about the 10 most important promotional strategies that I see 100 million-plus dollar subscription box businesses that I work with at Ordergroove using to increase their customer lifetime values, scale their recurring revenue, and optimize their CAC.

I received a ton of messages from people who weren't able to attend, so I wanted to share a webinar recap with all of you here. We'll discuss each strategy with performance benchmarks, live discussions, financial modeling, case studies, and, as always, you can download the model in the description below. Okay, let's get started.

1. Optimize Lead Gen with Giveaways

One of the biggest unlocks for subscription box business growth strategies is optimizing lead generation through massive giveaways. Give away something huge that your customers would love in exchange for their email.

For example, giving away a high-value, aspirational product can capture emails from website visitors who might otherwise leave without a trace. This strategy can significantly boost your email list and ultimately your revenue.

2. Combine Discounts & CAC

When planning your promotional strategies, consider your discounts and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) together. They both reduce your customer lifetime profit equally.

Managing them from the same budget pool helps you find the right mix to maximize sales and lifetime value.

For instance, offering a discount might reduce your CAC by increasing conversion rates, but the key is to balance the total spend to ensure profitability.

3. BOGO vs. 50% Off

BOGO (Buy One, Get One) offers often outperform percentage discounts. To the customer, BOGO feels like a great deal, and to the business, it often results in higher average order values and better profitability.

This is because customers perceive more value in receiving an additional product rather than a mere price reduction.

4. Avoid Flash Sales

Flash sales can damage your subscription program by conditioning customers to wait for discounts instead of subscribing at full price.

This can lead to lower lifetime value (LTV) as customers become one-time buyers rather than loyal subscribers.

It's crucial to avoid frequent deep discounts that can undermine the perceived value of your subscription.

5. Optimize Product Pages

Your product page should be optimized to convert visitors into subscribers.

Highlight the benefits of subscribing, use high-quality images, and create compelling product descriptions.

Include clear calls to action and leverage design elements like strikethrough pricing and differentiated colors for subscription offers. This can significantly boost your subscription conversion rates.

6. Increase Lifetime Discounts

Increasing discounts over the customer's lifetime can enhance retention and loyalty. Implementing a tiered discount structure—such as starting with a 10% discount on the first order and increasing to 20% over time—can boost lifetime value (LTV) by encouraging long-term commitments.

This strategy rewards loyal customers and makes them more likely to stay subscribed.

7. Launch Prepaid Plans

Prepaid subscriptions offer immediate cash flow and reduce churn rates. Offering discounts for prepaid plans can increase lifetime value (LTV) and stabilize revenue.

For example, customers who prepay for a year can receive a significant discount, providing value to them and financial stability to your business.

Prepaid plans can lead to substantial revenue growth, as customers are often willing to commit to long-term savings.

8. Enable Upsells

Encouraging subscribers to add products to their upcoming orders—either as one-time or recurring additions—can significantly boost your average order value (AOV).

Effective upsell strategies can lead to customers spending 50-60% more per order.

Implementing a seamless upsell process can enhance the overall customer experience and drive higher revenues.

9. Offer Subscription Bundles

Bundles are a powerful way to increase customer value and revenue.

Offer static or rotating bundles, or allow customers to build their own.

Bundling can increase average order values while keeping your CAC flat, improving your LTV-CAC ratios.

Customers love bundles, and offering them can lead to higher adoption rates and increased overall spending.

10. Sell Subscriptions In-Store

Selling subscriptions at the point of sale (POS) can be an effective conversion strategy, especially if you have a physical retail presence. In-store subscriptions capture customers who are already engaged with your brand without additional CAC.

This strategy can significantly boost your subscription base by capturing customers who are already purchasing in-store.

By implementing these subscription box business growth strategies, you can significantly enhance your customer acquisition, retention, and overall profitability. These strategies are proven to work for large subscription box businesses and can help you scale your recurring revenue effectively.