'Subscribe' instead of 'Autoship': +100% subscription orders
Test run byBlend CommerceCRO agency
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSwapping the label 'Autoship' for 'Subscribe' across product cards, product pages and cart lifted subscription orders per visitor by 100.43% and average order value by 5.79%.
Blend Commerce ran this test for a sports nutrition brand, using Intelligems.
The catch: add-to-cart rate dropped 11.89% in the same test.
- Subscription orders per visitor: +100.43%. This was the primary metric and the main reason the change shipped.
- Average order value: +5.79%. Orders that did come through were slightly larger.
- Add-to-cart rate: -11.89%, a negative result. Fewer visitors added anything to the cart.
- Product-page add-to-cart button clicks: -6.07%, also negative. Blend Commerce noted some secondary metrics were still directional.
The change
Same subscription option and saving, renamed from 'Autoship' to 'Subscribe'
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Recurring orders were called 'Autoship' on product cards, product pages and in the cart. The cart option read 'Autoship & Save 10%', and the existing 'Save 10%' badge sat beside the label.
Variant
The same option was renamed 'Subscribe' on product cards and product pages, next to the unchanged 'Save 10%' badge. In the cart it read 'Subscribe and Save 10%'.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- 'Subscribe' is the word most shoppers already know from other stores, so they may not have to stop and work out what the option means.
- The savings stayed the same, so the gain likely came from understanding, not a better offer.
- The add-to-cart drop may mean the clearer label made the commitment more obvious, putting off some casual one-off buyers.
- Consistent wording from product card to cart removes a small moment of doubt at each step.
Caveats: The test ran for only seven days and sample size was not shared. Some secondary metrics had not settled, and add-to-cart rate fell, so the net effect on total orders is unclear.
Who ran it
Blend Commerce ran this test for a sports nutrition brand and published the results (Blend Commerce A/B test). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Blend Commerce →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we rename our recurring-order option from a branded or unusual term to 'Subscribe', then more visitors will choose a subscription because the option is instantly recognisable.
- Primary metric
- Subscription orders per visitor
- Guardrails
- Add-to-cart rate
- Total orders per visitor
- Subscription cancellation rate in the first 60 days
- Who should test it
- Stores that sell repeat-purchase products and call their subscription something other than 'Subscribe'. If you already use plain subscription wording, there is little to gain here.
Questions
Should I call my subscription 'Autoship' or 'Subscribe'?
In this test, 'Subscribe' doubled subscription orders per visitor for a sports nutrition brand.
It is the more familiar word, but test it on your own store because add-to-cart rate fell.
Does subscription wording affect average order value?
Here it rose 5.79%. That may come from more shoppers picking the subscription, but the source does not break it down.
How long should a subscription label test run?
This one ran seven days, which is short.
Aim for at least two full weeks so weekday and weekend buyers are both covered.
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