Are Subscription Models in E-commerce Worth It? & The Strategy That Transformed Stagnant £5K Months Into £175K Revenue
We're firmly in recovery mode after another sensational DTC Live conference in New York yesterday!
Keep an eye out for some of the incredible content and insights that were delivered on stage by our amazing speakers and panellists - all coming your way very soon!
And the buzz doesn’t stop there… this October we’re back in the UK with a packed line-up of events.
First up…
DTC Live London | 16 Oct | The Fable, London
Why not check out some of our top sessions from our last conference?
How Loop Earplugs scaled globally
Goele Desmedt 顾思乐 revealed how Loop prioritised mobile-first UX, testing, and speed, balancing aesthetics with performance while embracing AI and localisation.
Watch it here.
Building modern beauty brands
Hair Syrup, La Prairie Switzerland, and Pattern® explored what brand control really looks like across TikTok, retail, and Amazon, from viral growth to prestige positioning.
Watch it here.
From influencer to founder: Lorna Luxe
With 1.4M+ Instagram followers, Lorna shared her journey from creator to founder of LA Space, highlighting why authenticity, community, and connection remain the ultimate growth drivers.
Watch it here.
Join us in London on October 16th
Why not join us at the next conference? Get your tickets here and, if you're a brand, use code JAQRGFUAX for a free ticket!
How to cut through the Q4 chaos: Build your 2026 plan
Annual planning is one of those things we all know we should do, but when Q4 hits, the urgent usually wins over the important.
That’s why we built the DTC Live Learning Labs, to give you time, space, and structure to actually plan properly for the year ahead.
This October we’re back with our Annual Planning editions in London and Manchester. These aren’t conferences with endless talks. They’re focused, collaborative workshops designed so you leave with something concrete:
- A plug-and-play planning pack of templates to take back to your team
- Peer insight from other founders and operators facing the same challenges
- Clarity on your priorities so you hit January running, not scrambling
We keep the groups intentionally small so the sessions stay honest and practical, everyone has the chance to share, problem-solve, and benchmark against what’s really working in DTC right now.
Upcoming dates:
🗓️ London: 9th October at Menier Lounge
🗓️ Manchester: 22nd October at Huckletree Ancoats
Both sessions run from 9:00am–3:30pm and include coffee, lunch, and plenty of time for networking in between.
Reserve your place now 👇🏼
If your brand has big ambitions for 2026, don’t leave it to chance.
Join us in October and build a plan that actually sticks.
Are Subscription Models in E-commerce Worth It?
Subscriptions have exploded beyond magazines and Netflix, into food, skincare, fashion, and even pet care.
The global eCommerce subscription market is projected to hit $904B by 2026, growing at 65% CAGR (Business Research Co.).
But are they right for your brand?
What is a subscription model?
Instead of one-time purchases, customers pay a recurring fee (monthly or yearly) for products/services delivered on repeat.
For eCommerce, this often looks like:
- Replenishment | Essentials shipped regularly (e.g., Quip toothbrush heads, Dollar Shave Club).
- Curation | Personalised boxes with discovery built in (e.g., HelloFresh, beauty/fashion boxes).
- Access | Exclusive discounts, perks, or content (e.g., Amazon Prime, Spotify).
Why brands love subscriptions
- Predictable revenue → easier cash flow and forecasting.
- Customer loyalty → subscribers stick longer than one-time buyers.
- Personalisation opportunities → data-driven upsells and retention marketing.
Why customers love them
- Convenience → no need to reorder basics.
- Value → discounts, exclusives, and perks.
- Experience → surprise & delight from curated deliveries.
The challenges you can’t ignore
- Inventory sync | Stock-outs or overstock kill trust.
- Billing glitches | Failed payments frustrate and drive churn.
- High churn | Subscribers need constant value reinforcement.
- Upfront acquisition costs | Ads, deals, and freebies eat into margins.
- Subscription fatigue | Too many subscriptions can overwhelm consumers.
So, are they worth it?
Yes, if done right. Subscription models work best when they:
- Deliver genuine customer value (not just convenience).
- Offer flexibility (pause, swap, or cancel easily).
- Prioritise experience and innovation to fight churn.
- Build trust and transparency into billing and fulfilment.
Subscriptions can unlock loyalty and recurring revenue, but success isn’t automatic. To win, you need a customer-first strategy, tight ops, and relentless optimisation. Otherwise, you risk becoming just another forgotten subscription in someone’s bank statement.
Book a call with our CRO expert to find out more.
The strategy that transformed stagnant £5K months into £175K revenue
When we took over this account, they’d plateaued at £5K months for 4 months straight.
Seven months later?
£175K revenue months.
Here’s the structure that made the difference
Not because of Meta.
Here’s exactly how we did it: Cut the noise.
We killed testing across 3–4 products and focused budget on one hero product.
Structured testing
Very ad tested a different persona/angle (not two similar ones that muddy the data).
Tight kill switches
Ads cut at 3–4x target CPA, no wasted spend.
Scale the winners
Winning angles got rebuilt in fresh formats (UGC, testimonial, expert-led, persona-driven) to avoid fatigue.
Landing page tests last
Only once we had proven angles did we bake them into listicles, advertorials, and PDP headers.
This is why their account stopped bleeding and started scaling.
Want to watch how we did it?
An overview on our upcoming events
DTC Live London
16th October | Fable, Holborn Viaduct, London
Talks, panels, drinks, and deep dives with teams from leading brands. More details to follow.
Free brand tickets, use code JAQRGFUAX
Learning Labs Manchester: Annual Planning
22nd October | Huckletree, Ancoats
Everything you need to get your annual plans sorted, actionable workshops, templates, and honest discussion with other brands.
Gran Canaria Brand Retreat
24th–27th September | 5-star wellness resort
An all-expenses-covered* escape for founders, leaders and decision makers, focused on trends, tactics & transformation (*except flights).
If you’re interested, fill out this quick application: Exclusive Brand Retreat Application
Want a look at last time?
Take a look at our highlights video, photos, and last year’s agenda!
Sculpt & Scale, An event of beauty and wellness brands
5th November | Reformer Pilates Studio, London
A private reformer pilates session, juices and breakfast, plus a chance to connect with other brands in health and wellness.
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