the dtc live newsletter:
September 4, 2025

Are Subscription Models in E-commerce Worth It? & The Strategy That Transformed Stagnant £5K Months Into £175K Revenue

View this email in your browse (*|ARCHIVE|*) :loudspeaker: r (*|ARCHIVE|*) Logo ** The Growth Newsletter for UK DTC Brands ------------------------------------------------------------ Today is DTC Live NYC! 🗽✈️ and we couldn’t be more excited! 🎉 Plus, we’ll be sending out a full debrief over the next few weeks about everything we’ve been up to. But 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 TALKS from our last conference? Just click on the image of the one you want to watch. ** 🎧 How Loop Earplugs Scaled Globally ------------------------------------------------------------ Goele Desmedt revealed how Loop prioritised mobile-first UX, testing, and speed, balancing aesthetics with performance while embracing AI and localisation. ** 💄 Building Modern Beauty Brands ------------------------------------------------------------ Hair Syrup, La Prairie, and Pattern explored what brand control really looks like across TikTok, retail, and Amazon, from viral growth to prestige positioning. ** 👩‍💼 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. Why not sign up for our next one and come join us? use code JAQRGFUAX for a free ticket Sign Up Here ✏️ (https://www.dtclive.com/dtc-live-london) ** 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 spot here: ⭐️London Learning Lab (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/to/jnwEWzZM) ⭐️Manchester Learning Lab (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/to/nkYaO9XM) 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 (https://calendly.com/rainy-city/cro-growth-strategy-call?month=2025-02) ** 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. 7 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. Every 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. Watch our explainer video on exactly how we did it (https://www.loom.com/share/533bf1953f2c4f83b8722fc3707f6043) 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 (https://www.dtclive.com/dtc-live-london) , use code JAQRGFUAX Learning Labs Manchester: Annual Planning October (date TBC) | Huckletree, Ancoats Everything you need to get your annual plans sorted, actionable workshops, templates, and honest discussion with other brands. 🤝 Book your spot (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/to/nkYaO9XM) 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 (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/brandretreat) Want a look at last time? Take a look at our highlights video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_0YscPaf6w) , photos (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fzDcP7h0T4rr7prfb-m6ZULur-vS5STN?usp=sharing) , and last year’s agenda (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VOaL_O_goqUdp2ZmK9ikxcPcs4T-dS65/view?usp=sharing) ! 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. 💪🥤Register your interest (https://2aahovc9gzu.typeform.com/to/YE93NOiQ) Hope to see you soon! Check out our FULL events calendar here 📅 (https://www.dtclive.com/events-calendar) That's it for this week! Thank you for reading :) To help continue to build the DTC Live community, please forward this email on to someone you think might like it. Or if easier, share this link (https://www.dtclive.com/newsletter-sign-up) . We'll be back with more growth strategies and insights for eCom and tech brands next week. Logo Copyright (C) *|2024|* *|DTC LIVE|*. All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences (*|UPDATE_PROFILE|*) or unsubscribe (*|UNSUB|*)
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
© 2024 Rainy City Consulting LTD trading as DTC Live. Company No. 12508308 | VAT 472938650. Registered in England & Wales. Registered Address: Floor 3, Leigh Spinners Mill, Park Lane, WN7 2LB | Website by Curious Frog