81 BUSINESS ADVICE For craft retailers offering subscription boxes, this research could help retailers make small changes that could ensure that customers’ expectations are clearly being met. Technology could be used to prevent accidental cancellations A clear issue for retailers is the problems caused by accidental cancelations. Passive customer churn could be caused by simple errors such as a customer forgetting to update their credit card details. Sherwen Studios believe that to combat this, retailers should add in a two-step cancellation process which would confirm a customer’s intention to cancel, while also alerting a customer to a potential payment issue. Beyond this, Sherwen Studios are advocating for ‘oneclick resubscriptions’ that allow a former subscriber to re-sign up and pick up their subscription from where they left off. Matt says: “Just because a customer chooses to cancel their subscription doesn’t mean that you can’t focus on finding ways to win them back. Unfortunately, we’ve seen too many examples of subscription platforms that have needless barriers that could prevent a former subscriber from resubscribing. If the process is lengthy, or you’re asking them to fill in information that they’ve previously already submitted it could be off-putting. If your digital marketing or SMS marketing activities are focusing on past subscribers, signing up again should be as easy as clicking a button and receiving a confirmation message.” Matt wants retailers to view their white paper as a starting point for technical innovation. He adds: “Through our white paper, we’ve been able to identify that customers are really looking for subscriptions that are quick and easy to navigate. But this is only possible when you have the right technical foundations in place. We’ve highlighted several areas where technology can be improved in ways that will enhance the overall subscription experience, from easy sign ups to frictionless payments. We’ve also highlighted the ongoing complexities surrounding auto-renewals and the importance of having systems in place to seamlessly communicate with wider supply chains.” Sherwen Studio’s latest white paper, titled The future of subscription commerce is up for renewal can be downloaded directly from: https://www.sherwen.com/subscriptioncommerce-whitepaper
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