Subscription programs are a cornerstone of any retention strategy.
Customers can hop on the program for automatic recurring delivery and, in many cases, save a few bucks each order.
It’s not enough to merely offer a Subscribe & Save as an option on your product pages.
Some will take up that offer, but MANY will not — even if they order routinely.
This is what a Push to Continuity Flow is for.
The Push to Continuity Flow turns “repeat one-off” buyers into subscription customers to create recurring revenue streams…
Laying the groundwork for stability OR faster growth.
Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of locking in more subscriptions with this flow, then walk through the basics of building one for your brand or clients.
| Table of Contents |
| Benefits of the Push to Continuity Flow How to Build a Push to Continuity Flow More Recurring Orders = Key to Growth What To Do Next |
Benefits of the Push to Continuity Flow
The primary benefit of the Push to Continuity Flow is that it gets one-off customers onto subscription orders on autopilot.
This does a LOT for you:
Adds Predictable Recurring Revenue
Subscription orders mean predictable, recurring revenue. Forecasting and planning your finances becomes easier.
This makes growth easier, too. You raise your “revenue floor” by adding recurring revenue to the rest of your relatively predictable sales (like email flows and campaigns).
Indeed, you may forego some revenue. But you can make up for that by selling more to those same people.
Boosts Cash Flows
Like I said, merely having a program and mentioning it on product pages isn’t enough.
New customers are not likely to take the offer. Even existing ones may skip over it.
Just look at me. I am NOT subscribed to recurring delivery for some Amazon items… even though I order them regularly.
A few automated emails, properly structured and sequenced, and targeted toward the right customers, can turn many newer AND long-time “one-off repeat buyers” into subscription customers.
That could mean a shorter time between purchases, and, therefore, higher cash flows.
For instance, someone who buys every 40 days hops on a 30 day subscription. That’s 10 fewer days until you get the next sale.
Strengthens Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty
The flow alerts customers to the opportunity to subscribe — possibly getting access to other savings and perks.
Customers appreciate that.
As for the subscription itself… Customers don’t have to remember to reorder every month. Stuff just shows up at their door. And they have a central account to manage their subscription.
Oh, and by locking in that subscription, customers become more invested in your brand. They’re less likely to mess around with alternatives. The “cost of switching” increases.
Creates Upsell/Cross-Sell Opportunities
Subscribe & Save + other goodies does shrink your margins. However, subscriptions ALSO create upsell/cross-sell opportunities.
That happens via other flows outside the scope of this article, but you could up their subscription amount, sell them complementary products… or even get them to subscribe to complementary products.
Improves Inventory/Ops Planning
Recurring demand makes it easier to forecast future inventory needs. Helps reduce stockouts or overstocking.
You can reduce the amount of capital tied up in inventory without running out of key items.
Funny enough, I had a client who reserved some inventory specifically for subscription customers.
It made it easier for him to know how much he needed for THESE customers… while becoming a SELLING POINT to join the program (high-end pet supplement needing specific ingredients).
How to Build a Push to Continuity Flow
Here are the basics for building a Push to Continuity Flow:
Triggers/Filters
I like to trigger the flow to send to anyone who has placed at least two orders from a category (or product if you want to get that specific).
One order does not demonstrate a need for the subscription aspect. Two or more orders does.
Once that person places their second order of the same product/category, they now have a “problem” (placing manual orders regularly) that the subscription solves.
All that said, I’d delay the first send until some time between post-purchase and replenishment flows.
So if your post-purchase flow runs 14 days, and your replenishment triggers in 30, I’d send this probably around the 21-day mark.
As for filtering people out, pretty obvious.
Anyone who gets on a subscription order. Also, anyone who’s already ON one.
Email Content
Here is how I like to do these emails:
1.) Introduce the program
2.) Explain the benefits BEYOND the savings (auto-orders, never running out, extras, etc.)
3.) Frame it as a lifestyle shift
4.) Highlight social proof specific to consistency or your subscription program
Now, for a longer explanation…
The first email should acknowledge their loyalty, introduce the subscription program, and highlight the features.
Things like:
- Subscribe & Save discount
- Extra perks (for example, meat delivery company Good Ranchers adds free chicken wings every few deliveries)
- Recurring delivery
- Pausing/canceling
And, of course, the benefits of these.
For example, why is recurring delivery important?
Answer:
Get your favorite XYZ product every month without lifting a finger.
The rest of the emails should sell on belief. Show why the subscription program is necessary for customers to reach their goals.
For instance, I built a Push to Continuity Flow for an animal-based nutrition brand.
I wrote copy showing the customer why they won’t achieve the results they want with only 1-2 months of use…
But that regular, ongoing use is the key.
And, further, that it’s a lifestyle shift, not just a “limited-time regimen.”
See? Now I’ve framed the subscription as MANDATORY for true transformation.
I like to back this up with social proof. Testimonials that highlight the benefits of long-term and/r consistent use.
Testimonials that say “I use this daily and see great results” or “I’ve been using this every night for a year and have been sleeping way better” hit HARD here.
Segmentation
Like what I discuss in my piece on post-purchase personalization, you’ll want:
- A general flow
- Category-specific flows
Build a category-specific flow first. Clone that and tweak the language.
Then make a general flow with more generic copy to present the subscription program and its benefits more broadly.
At this point, you might be wondering about upselling to larger amounts of subscription.
Like being subscribed to one jar of Product A vs. two jars.
There’s a flow for that already. It’s the Subscription Renewal flow. Opportunities to upsell more of the same product, or upsell additions of the same/cross-sell complementary products.
Also worth building. Boosts LTV and reduces the risk of canceling the original subscription.
But you must go from zero to one first. Push to Continuity Flow first.
More Recurring Orders = Key to Growth
Subscription programs are amazing revenue drivers. But you have to get people to subscribe in the first place…
And a button on the product page isn’t enough.
Set up your Push to Continuity Flow, and it’ll upgrade one-off customers to ongoing delivery 24/7.
That compounds much faster than regular, one-off sales… because now you’re adding new ongoing revenue streams rather than individual sales.
And then later, you can upsell and cross-sell more one-offs or subscriptions to them.
Whether you want faster growth or more financial security, a Push to Continuity Flow is the way to go.
So go build it (or ask me if you need help).
What To Do Next
- Share this article with someone who might find it helpful (or entertaining).
- Get my free eBook using the form below to learn the 5 things stopping you from turning “one-and-done” customers into repeat buyers.
- Reach out to me if you have a sizable email list and make less than 20% of your revenue through email.