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@joshtCRO
@RubendgrfWhat counts as a subscription test
This collection covers subscribe-and-save options on the product page, whether subscription is pre-selected, bundle builders with a subscription step, and cart toggles that switch one-time items to a subscription.
Three results here are Oliver Kenyon tests of a 2x2 collection grid (+$49,040/month) and two mobile menu reorders (+$48,607/month and +$48,332/month). The descriptions don't mention a subscription change, so they say little about subscriptions.
The win/loss record
6 wins, 1 loss. Of the four tests that touch the subscription offer, all are Dave Diederen's and all are on the product page. The evidence is thin and comes from one practitioner.
Biggest wins and their numbers
A simple checkbox on the right products
Dave added a subscribe-and-save checkbox at 20% off to the top 3 products by repurchase rate, not sales volume. After 30 days: 7,509 active subscriptions and $346K MRR. No control-group figures are given, so read it as a launch result.
Want results like this on your store?
Dave Diederen at Syntra Labs. Dave builds and tests Shopify stores at Syntra Labs, and shares most results in public.
Subscription inside a bundle builder
Dave's new bundle builder with quantity and subscribe-and-save steps gained +85.04% conversion rate and +104.06% revenue per visitor. The whole selector changed, so the subscription step's share is unknown.
Ask who it's for, then show supply
Dave redesigned a supplement bundle selector to ask who it's for, then show supply options with per-day pricing. Conversion rate fell 5.22%, but revenue per visitor rose 9.45%, AOV 15.48% and subscription revenue per visitor 32.81%.
The test that lost
Dave pre-checked the subscription option: -2.86% conversion rate, -9.17% revenue per visitor, -6.50% AOV, and +1,295% subscription share of orders. Dave argues this is the expected trade, and that the test should be judged on rebills, churn and 30/60/90-day LTV, not day-one revenue.
Ideas not yet measured
- Make it clear. Ruben suggests labelling subscribe-and-save clearly and adding "cancel or pause any time".
- Order the prices. Kasper Dolk suggests showing the subscription price first, one-time underneath.
- Longer commitments. Milos suggests defaulting to a 3-month plan with extra gifts to cut month-1 to month-2 churn.
- Catch it in the cart. Kasper Dolk suggests prompting one-time buyers to switch in the side cart; Dave suggests a pre-checked per-item toggle.
How to add subscriptions on Shopify
Shopify supports subscriptions through selling plans, managed by a subscription app. The app usually adds the subscribe-and-save option to the product form; pre-selection and layout depend on the app and theme.
How to test it on your store
- Hypothesis: offering or pushing subscription on frequently repurchased products will raise customer lifetime revenue more than it lowers first-order revenue.
- Metric: first-order revenue per visitor plus subscription share, then rebills, churn and LTV at 30, 60 and 90 days.
- Run time: keep watching after the test ends, because the payoff shows up in later orders.
Questions
Should subscribe-and-save be pre-selected?
In Dave Diederen's test, pre-checking subscription lowered revenue per visitor 9.17% but raised subscription share of orders by 1,295%. Whether that's a win depends on churn and lifetime value, which the first-order numbers don't show.
How much discount should a subscribe-and-save option give?
The one measured example used 20% off. Dave Diederen's checkbox on the top 3 repurchase products reached 7,509 active subscriptions and $346K MRR in 30 days. No test here compares discount levels.
How do you measure a subscription A/B test?
Not on conversion rate alone. Dave Diederen recommends weighing upfront profit given up against recurring profit created, tracking rebills, churn, subscriber lifespan, contribution margin and 30/60/90-day LTV.