Stages of Subscription Customer Journey in eCommerce

Have you ever thought about how random a person becomes your loyal customer? Or what stages - journey he went through to subscribe to your products? 

Understanding the subscription customer journey helps you create effective strategies for acquiring and retaining subscribers. Unlike one-time purchases, subscriptions create an ongoing relationship that requires careful nurturing at each stage.

This journey consists of distinct stages that require specific approaches to maximize customer lifetime value (LTV) and reduce churn.

What is Customer Subscription Lifecycle

Customer subscription journey is basically about how subscribers find your offering, decide to commit, maintain their subscription, and potentially become brand advocates.

The ecommerce subscription customer journey extends beyond the traditional sales funnel. It's a continuous cycle that begins with discovery and ideally (and, hopefully) never ends. 

For Shopify merchants, mapping this journey provides critical insights into customer behavior and expectations. 

A subscription journey has 5 stages, from first visit to long-term use, and each step comes with different needs and questions. When you understand each touchpoint, you can give the right help at the right time and guide people smoothly from one step to the next. 

This drives conversion and retention and improves the overall subscription experience. This proactive approach helps prevent churn while maximizing customer satisfaction and revenue.

First Stage: Awareness

The awareness stage is where potential subscribers first discover your brand and subscription offerings. This critical first impression shapes how customers perceive the value of committing to recurring purchases with your business.

How to treat customers in the awareness stage?

Shopify merchants can optimize this stage by highlighting subscription benefits prominently on product pages and collection pages. Consider adding a subscription benefits banner to your homepage that showcases convenience, savings, and exclusive perks available only to subscribers.

👉 Create Educational Content

Educational content helps potential customers understand the value of your products or services.

Create blog posts, videos, or guides that explain how your subscription works and the problems it solves.

For example, if you sell skincare products, publish content about the benefits of consistent skincare routines that your subscription facilitates. This approach builds trust while positioning your subscription as the solution to a recurring need.

👉 Build Trust

Social proof is particularly powerful for subscription products because it addresses commitment concerns. Display reviews specifically from subscription customers on your product pages.

In your Shopify store, consider creating a dedicated "Subscriber Stories" section that highlights positive experiences from long-term subscribers. These testimonials should emphasize convenience, cost savings, and quality consistency that subscribers enjoy.

Second Stage: Consideration

During consideration, potential subscribers evaluate your subscription against alternatives and one-time purchases. This stage is about removing friction and addressing objections before they become barriers to conversion.

Shopify merchants should ensure subscription details are crystal clear, including pricing, delivery schedules, customization options, and cancellation policies. Transparency at this stage builds trust and reduces abandonment.

How to treat customers in the consideration stage?

👉 Offer Flexible Subscription Options

Flexibility reduces the perceived risk of committing to a subscription. Allow customers to choose from multiple delivery frequencies such as weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly options.

Within your Shopify product pages, clearly show the pricing difference between one-time purchases and subscription options. Highlight the percentage saved with subscription purchases to make the value proposition immediately apparent.

Here's how our customer Sniff n Snack explains their subscription:

👉 Implement Subscription Upsells

When customers add products to their cart as one-time purchases, present the subscription alternative as an upsell. This gentle nudge can convert one-time buyers who might not have initially considered the subscription option.

In your Shopify checkout flow, you can implement a popup that shows the long-term savings of switching to a subscription. Include a simple one-click option to convert the cart from one-time to subscription purchase.

👉 Engage them with marketing materials

Consumers in the consideration stage already know you. Since you’ve already got their interest, you should keep them engaged with helpful reminders—emails, on-site messages, and gentle retargeting.

Share simple comparison guides, FAQs, and short videos that answer common questions. Show proof with reviews, ratings, and real results. 

Make next steps easy with a clear call to action, transparent pricing and shipping, and a low-risk offer like a demo, sample, or money-back guarantee.

👉 Further reading: Subscription Email Sequences That Improve Customer Engagement and Retention

Third Stage: Decision

The purchase stage for subscriptions differs from one-time purchases because customers are committing to a relationship, not just a transaction. The focus here should be on reinforcing the customer's decision and setting clear expectations.

Create a frictionless checkout experience specifically designed for subscription signups. Minimize form fields and clearly highlight subscription terms at this crucial conversion point.

How to treat customers in the Decision stage?

👉 Offer Subscription Trial Periods

Trial periods reduce the perceived risk of subscription commitments. Consider offering a discounted first delivery or a satisfaction guarantee for the first month.

Using Shopify's discount code functionality, create special first-order offers like "FIRSTMONTH30" to give new subscribers 30% off their initial delivery. This incentivizes conversion while allowing customers to experience your product with reduced financial commitment.

👉 Design Welcome and Onboarding Sequences

The first few weeks of a subscription are critical for long-term retention. Develop welcome sequences that educate new subscribers about how to get the most value from their product subscription.

Include product usage instructions, subscription management tutorials, and expectations for future deliveries. This early education reduces support inquiries and builds confidence in the subscription decision.

👉 Implement Custom Subscription Bundles

Custom bundling gives customers control over their subscription experience. Allow customers to select multiple products to be delivered at their preferred intervals.

For example, a coffee subscription in your Shopify store could let customers build a bundle with different coffee varieties and complementary products like filters, with options to receive certain items monthly and others quarterly. This personalization increases perceived value and commitment to the subscription.

Creating effective custom subscription bundles requires careful planning for both customer experience and operational efficiency. Learn more about building custom subscription bundles for Shopify to implement this strategy successfully.

Forth Stage: Retention

The retention stage is where subscription businesses truly thrive or fail. This critical phase focuses on keeping customers engaged and satisfied with their recurring purchases over time.

Implement proactive communication strategies to maintain subscriber engagement. Regular touchpoints before and after deliveries help reinforce the value of the subscription and reduce churn risk.

How to treat customers in the Retention stage?

👉 Develop a Failed Payment Recovery System

Payment failures are a common cause of involuntary churn in subscription businesses. Implement automated systems to retry failed payments and notify customers of payment issues.

Set up smart dunning emails in your Shopify store that alert customers to payment problems with clear instructions on how to update payment methods. Learn about how to set up failed payment recovery in Shopify to minimize revenue loss from declined transactions.

👉 Create a Customer Portal for Subscription Management

Self-service options empower subscribers and reduce support requests. Provide a customer portal where subscribers can manage their subscription preferences independently.

Your customer portal should allow subscribers to easily pause deliveries, change frequency, swap products, or update payment information. This control reduces cancellations by giving customers flexibility instead of forcing them into an all-or-nothing decision.

👉 Monitor for Churn Signals

Proactively identifying at-risk subscribers allows for targeted retention efforts. Watch for behavioral signals that indicate potential churn, such as decreased engagement with emails or website visits.

When customers show signs of disengagement, consider sending re-engagement campaigns with special offers or product education. Understanding how to spot churn before it happens can significantly improve your retention rates.

Fifth Stage: Advocacy

Satisfied subscribers can become powerful advocates for your brand. The advocacy stage transforms customers from passive subscribers into active promoters who help acquire new customers.

Develop a structured approach to identify and nurture potential advocates among your subscriber base. Long-term subscribers who consistently engage with your products are prime candidates for advocacy programs.

How to treat customers in the Advocacy stage?

👉 Create Referral Programs

Referral programs incentivize existing subscribers to introduce others to your subscription service. Offer rewards like free months, product upgrades, or store credit for successful referrals.

Using Shopify apps, create subscriber-exclusive referral codes that provide benefits to both the referrer and the new customer. Track these referrals to identify your most valuable advocates and potentially provide them with additional perks.

👉 Develop Exclusive Communities for Subscribers

Communities foster deeper connections with your brand and between subscribers. Create subscriber-only groups on social platforms or private forums through your Shopify store.

Communities can share product usage tips, provide early access to new offerings, and create a sense of belonging. The stronger these community bonds, the higher your retention rates and advocacy levels will typically be.

👉 Implement Subscription Email Sequences

Strategic email communication is essential throughout the subscription customer journey. Different stages require specific messaging to maintain engagement and prevent churn.

Create stage-appropriate email sequences that address the unique needs of subscribers at each point in their journey. From welcome sequences to renewal reminders, timely communication enhances the subscription experience.

👉 Further reading: Subscription Email Sequences That Improve Customer Engagement and Retention

With the right subscription management tools, you can increase customer lifetime value and establish a predictable revenue stream for your Shopify store.

Start building a more profitable subscription business today by optimizing each stage of your customer journey with RecurrinGO.

This article was created with assistance from vevy.ai and proofread, fact-checked, and validated by its author.