What is a personalised subscription?
A plain-English explanation of personalised subscriptions in eCommerce and how they differ from fixed plans.
A personalised subscription is a recurring order that the customer shapes, not one the retailer pre-defines. The customer doesn't pick "Plan A" or "Plan B". They choose which products go into the subscription and how often they receive them.
Fixed plans and personalised subscriptions
Many subscription tools come from software billing, where a product has a few set plans and a set billing cycle. That works for software seats. It works less well for physical products, which people use at very different rates.
- Fixed plan: the same products, the same quantity and the same frequency for everyone.
- Personalised subscription: the products, quantities and frequency are set by each customer, and they can change them later.
Why it matters
As the original Subundl site put it: "There is no average customer, so why offer the same subscription to all?" When a subscription matches how a household actually uses products, customers are less likely to end up overstocked or to run out, which are two common reasons they cancel.
What to think about
- Which products make sense to repeat, and at what intervals?
- How much control customers get: adding products, skipping, pausing, changing frequency.
- How fulfilment and inventory planning will handle orders that vary by customer.