A Complete Guide on Launching a Subscription Ecommerce Service

Subscription-based e-commerce is a growing trend that can be very successful if done correctly. In this guide, we'll go over everything you need to know about launching your first subscription based e-commerce service. Start by learning what subscription services are and the benefits of launching one in 2019. Then, read about different types of subscriptions as well as how to build a successful model for your business. We'll also show you how Rebillify can help with merchant accounts and connecting them with billing providers so you can start accepting payments immediately!
Julian Galluzzo
January 6, 2023

Introduction

Subscription-based e-commerce is a growing trend that can be very successful if done correctly. In this guide, we'll go over everything you need to know about launching your first subscription based e-commerce service.

Start by learning what subscription services are and the benefits of launching one in 2019. Then, read about different types of subscriptions as well as how to build a successful model for your business. We'll also show you how Rebillify can help with merchant accounts and connecting them with billing providers so you can start accepting payments immediately!

What is Subscription-Based Ecommerce?

Subscription-based ecommerce is a model that allows customers to pay for a subscription on a recurring basis. This can be monthly, quarterly, or annually. It's also known as recurring revenue or recurring billing. The idea is simple: you pay for something and get it delivered regularly, rather than having to buy it in one go like you would at the grocery store or in an online shop.

Subscription-based ecommerce has been growing rapidly because it provides an easy way for businesses to generate recurring revenue. In fact, just last year alone saw over $30 billion dollars generated through subscriptions!

Benefits of Subscription Based Ecommerce

In this section, we'll outline some of the benefits to using subscription-based ecommerce. These are just a few of the reasons why you should consider launching a subscription-based ecommerce service.

  • Keep customers coming back: Recurring revenue means more sales for your business and can help with customer retention by offering recurring services that customers won't want to give up.
  • Build a recurring revenue stream: A recurring revenue stream is one of the most effective ways to grow your business because it helps you generate more money over time, even if it's not always at once.
  • Increase customer lifetime value: Customers who use subscription services are likely to spend more than those who don't use them, so they're valuable in terms of generating higher revenues long term (and also creating repeat customers).
  • Revenue stability: Having stable consistent income from subscriptions is great because it means that sales won't fluctuate as much due to product lines or discounts given by competitors--you'll be able to plan ahead better because you know how much money will come in each month!

What are the Different Types of Subscriptions?

Subscription box services have become increasingly popular in the past few years, with many companies offering a variety of beautifully packaged products sent to customers on a monthly basis. But before you start building your own subscription ecommerce service, it's important to know the different types of subscriptions out there and how they work.

The most popular form of subscription service is one where customers sign up to receive a box full of surprise products every month at an introductory price. This is what you've come to expect from Birchbox or Ipsy — but this isn't always the most profitable model. There are other ways that you can use subscriptions to grow your business, including:

  • Buy-box model - With this method, customers pay upfront for all future shipments but don't receive any boxes until they've paid for them in full (and usually won't even know what those boxes will contain). A great example is Dripworks' coffee-of-the-month club—which only offers one type of coffee each month!

How to Build a Successful Subscription Model

When it comes to launching a subscription model, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to offer. The first step is understanding your customer's needs and how you can help them. This could be anything from providing access to certain services, offering discounts on products or services, or even providing help with other problems (for example, if they are struggling financially). Next is knowing what exactly it is that you're selling and how much it will cost.

It's also important for businesses considering this kind of model that they know how long the subscription should last. While most businesses choose either quarterly or annual subscriptions because those seem like reasonable time periods at which users would be interested in renewing their subscriptions, there are many different options available depending on the product being sold by merchants who choose this method as well

Launching a Subscription Offer with Rebillify

In this article, we’re going to talk about launching a subscription ecommerce service in the easiest way possible.

We will discuss:

  • How to launch a subscription business with Rebillify.io
  • Why Rebillify is the best platform for launching your subscription business.

1. Choose your Payment Processor

Payment processors are companies that process payments for you. They take your customers' credit card information, process their payments, and handle the logistics of delivering these transactions to your bank account.

  • The fees associated with using a payment processor will vary depending on the size of your business and what kind of services you need from them.
  • Payment processors can help you build your subscription model by integrating features like recurring billing and subscription management into their software or APIs.
  • Payment processors can also help you scale when things get busy by offering tools like fraud protection, automatic refunds, and advanced reporting capabilities.

2. Create Your Membership Offer

With an understanding of what it is you’re selling, your next step should be to create a membership offer that resonates with your target audience.

A good place to start is with the value proposition. What is the value of your membership offer? Think about the benefits consumers will get from becoming a member, and how it will meet or exceed their expectations.

Here are some examples:

  • “Get access to exclusive content, discounts on products and services outside of those included in this package”
  • “Receive weekly tips from industry insiders on how best to use our platform”
  • “Go behind-the-scenes at our company headquarters for an insider view into how we work”

Take a look at other subscription services like Netflix and Spotify for inspiration on how they describe their offerings through words like ‘unlimited’ or ‘exclusive content’.

3. Apply for Merchant Accounts - Rebillify Can Help!

A merchant account is a payment gateway that allows you to accept credit cards online. Most merchants use a third party payment gateway, such as Stripe or PayPal, but some choose to use their own. It’s important to have one because it makes it easier for customers to pay you and also helps you avoid chargebacks and other problems with payments.

Rebillify has many merchant account solutions that come with real-time inventory management and automatic invoicing capabilities (among other features). It works directly with your chosen payment processor so that you can get paid faster without needing extra software or apps on top of your subscription service app!

If this sounds like what you need, then don't worry about applying for a merchant account on your own!

4. Connect Your Merchant Account to Your Billing Provider (Rebillify)

  • Connect Your Merchant Account to Rebillify

If you haven't already, sign up for a merchant account with Rebillify and connect it to your Rebillify CRM. Once done, you can easily create recurring payments from your Rebillify CRM!

Wrapping Up

Rebillify is a tool that can help you setup subscriptions on Shopify.

For more information on how it works, check out the Getting Started Guide.

If Rebillify is not for you, take a look at our other tools to find what's right for your business!

If you're thinking about starting a subscription e-commerce business, check out our complete guide on subscription services and how to use Rebillify to launch your e-commerce store!

If you're thinking about starting a subscription e-commerce business, check out our complete guide on subscription services and how to use Rebillify to launch your e-commerce store!

We all have things we want to buy that come in regular intervals. Think of magazines, cable TV, or even razor blades. These are all examples of subscriptions, which is a popular business model today thanks to the internet. By offering recurring payments for products and services, companies can avoid having to make large upfront investments in inventory or infrastructure while still getting paid regularly over time.

In this post we'll cover:

  • Why people subscribe?
  • How does it work?
  • Why does it matter?

Conclusion

That’s all for our guide on subscription ecommerce. We hope that you now have a better understanding of how this type of business works and what it takes to get started. One thing we want to make clear: there are no shortcuts or quick fixes when it comes to building a successful subscription service. You will have to put in the time and effort, but if you do so correctly then there is no doubt that you will see results!