The BFCM season is around the corner. Most eCommerce brands have set up their special campaigns. But while most brands focus on marketing their individual products, they ignore subscriptions all together.
What if you could promote your Shopify subscriptions by setting up BFCM subscription marketing strategies?
Curious? We share 12 strategies that you can easily implement in your Shopify store this BFCM season.
Let’s get started!
TL; DR
- BFCM subscription marketing strategies can help with recurring revenue and go beyond simple discounts
- Risk-free trials: Offer 1-month trial subscriptions at discounted rates to reduce commitment fears and increase sign-ups
- Mini subscription series: Create a 12-day experience with daily perks to build customer habits and drive conversions
- Founders Club: Launch an exclusive tier for early BFCM subscribers with lifetime perks like early access and priority support
- Gift subscriptions: Enable short-term gifting options (2-3 months) with personalized digital cards
- Bundle with experiences: Add exclusive experiences like masterclasses to subscription boxes for enhanced value
- Secret subscriber sales: Run exclusive BFCM deals only accessible to subscribers to convert one-time buyers
- “Set and forget” positioning: Market subscriptions as stress-free holiday gifts for busy shoppers
- BFCM vault: Create limited-edition products available only in subscription boxes to drive FOMO
- Mix & match options: Let customers build personalized subscriptions to increase control and reduce risk concerns
- “Freeze anytime” guarantee: Promote flexible pause/cancel options to reduce commitment anxiety during busy shopping periods
- Mystery bonuses: Add surprise gifts to BFCM subscription orders and encourage unboxing content
- Post-holiday renewal campaign: Offer incentives for long-term commitments tied to New Year’s resolutions to combat post-BFCM lulls
- Focus on subscriptions during BFCM to build recurring revenue beyond one-time holiday sales, using tools like Appstle Subscriptions App for implementation
12 BFCM subscription marketing strategies you can implement before this year ends
Think beyond the tried and tested BFCM strategies, such as discounts and incentives; market your Shopify subscription plans, increase sign-ups, lifetime value, and engagement with these strategies.
1. “Try before you commit” holiday subscription
Customers want the least amount of risks when making purchases from sales. When it comes to subscriptions, they do not want to get locked into long-term commitments. This is one fear that keeps them away from signing up even though they may love your products. That’s why offering a risk-free trial of your subscriptions can drive customers to sign up. Here’s what you can do:
- Allow customers to start with a 1-month trial plan during the BFCM period
- Offer this subscription plan at a discounted rate to increase sign-ups
- Set up an automated system that signs up customers after the trial period ends
- Send a reminder to customers when the trial period is going to end
Pro tip: Install Appstle Subscriptions App and use its flexible billing and plan-switching features for this strategy
2. Offer a mini subscription series
Another BFCM subscription marketing strategy is to offer a 12-day experience of your subscription. Instead of a limited-time subscription, in a mini series format, customers can be offered a small perk, tips to use products, discounts, etc.
These perks create urgency and FOMO and the limited timeframe makes customers feel like it is a BFCM season special offer. The benefit of this strategy? The daily touchpoints for 12 days can turn into customer habits, and eventually, they might want to sign up.
3. BFCM founders club for early subscribers
Set up a subscription plan that has an exclusive tier that makes early subscribers feel special. Call it “Founders Club”. Offer a limited edition subscription badge to all customers who sign up during the BFCM time.
Offer lifetime perks to these subscribers, for instance, first access to new collections, exclusive content, special discounts, or priority customer support. When you provide customers a sense of belonging and recognition, they feel more obliged to sign up and stay for long.
4. Gift subscriptions with a twist
Enable customers to give your subscription to their loved ones. Make this offer even more appealing by allowing them to gift the subscription for just a few months, for example, three months or two months.
Implement this BFCM subscription marketing strategy by creating special promotion campaigns, creating digital cards that allow people to add personalized messages, etc.
Pro tip: Market this subscription gifting plan as a ‘gift that keeps on giving’, making it more appealing.
5. Bundle subscriptions with exclusive experiences
Enhance subscriptions by combining them with exclusive experiences. While your subscription boxes and deliveries will have products, every now and then, you could add in an experience with it.
For example, a wellness box might come with access to one-on-one wellness masterclass with an expert. Experiences add value, create emotional connections, justify premium pricing, and reduce price sensitivity in shoppers.
6. Run a secret sale for subscribers only
Create a BFCM secret sale that is accessible only to subscribers. Promote this sale via special campaigns before the BFCM season. This will encourage and entice customers to sign up. Create FOMO by sending targeted marketing messages, such as, “The best deals of the year only in the secret sale for subscribers.”
This BFCM subscription marketing strategy can help convert customers and one-time buyers into subscribers. Customers that like your products will definitely not want to miss this exclusive opportunity.
Pro tip: Make the deals worth it for people to subscribe and share a few of these deals in your marketing messaging.
7. Position subscriptions as ‘set and forget’ gifts
This strategy can be specifically targeted at stressed holiday shoppers. When you market your subscription plan as a stress-free gifting solution, it can lead to conversion. People are always short of time during the busy holiday season, and this strategy can drive conversions. Create marketing campaigns with messaging that highlights thoughtful gifting and long-term benefits to the receivers of the gift.
8. Create a BFCM subscription vault
Create a special inventory of limited-edition products for the BFCM season which are available only in subscription boxes. Do not provide access to regular customers to purchase these products individually.
By positioning it as an insider access, not available to regular customers, or for subscription vault members only, you can create urgency to sign up, FOMO, and scarcity. These aspects lead to more subscription conversions.
9. Introduce a ‘mix & match’ build-your-own subscription
When customers have flexibility, control, and freedom in subscriptions, their feelings of risk of being stuck reduce, and sign-ups increase. Allow customers to create their own personalized subscriptions by mixing and matching products.
For example, allow them to choose: 1 of product A, 3 of product B, and skip product C all together. You can also add a holiday season touch by creating themes. This sort of personalization not only increases average order value (AOV), but also makes subscribers feel more invested in building their own unique subscription boxes.
Pro tip: Appstle Subscriptions and Appstle Bundles can help implement this strategy.
10. Promote a “freeze anytime” subscription structure
Another BFCM subscription marketing strategy is to implement a “freeze anytime” subscription guarantee. BFCM is a busy time and customers mostly shop in a rush. In this frenzy, they may not want to commit to something like subscriptions.
However, if you promote subscriptions that they can stop or freeze anytime, you can increase the potential of subscription sign-ups. For instance, promote messages, such as, pause anytime, cancel anytime, etc.
11. Add mystery bonuses for holiday subscribers
Create BFCM special promotions for subscriptions. For instance, include surprise bonuses in all BFCM subscription orders. You can add exclusive samples, discount coupons, reward points, limited-edition merchandise, etc.
Also run unboxing campaigns for user-generated content to entice more customers to sign up. BFCM is a time when consumers end up shopping a lot, and these marketing tactics can easily entice them to sign up for your Shopify subscriptions.
12. Launch a post-holiday ‘renew and reward’ campaign
Another holiday subscription campaign idea is renew and reward. Once the BFCM sale period ends, there is usually a dull time. But there’s one BFCM subscription marketing strategy that can help reverse this lull. Offer special bonuses to subscribers who commit for longer-term subscriptions.
For example, offer incentives if customers sign-up for one year or two years. You can market this around New Year’s resolutions, saying how the same subscription can give them more this new year.
Why sell subscriptions during the BFCM sale?
Here’s how adding subscriptions to your BFCM strategy can help your brand stand out as well as ensure future success.
1. Increase customer lifetime value (CLTV)
Many shoppers discover new brands during the BFCM sale. Imagine your Shopify store attracts many such new, first-time buyers. However, there’s a high chance they may never return to your store. And that’s where lies the power of subscriptions to bring them back.
Offering an option of subscription while they checkout from the BFCM sale can provide an opportunity to convert one-time shoppers into long-term subscribers. In this process, you can ensure an increase in CLTV.
2. Customers tend to buy more during BFCM
Data reveals that shoppers have a high spending appetite during BFCM, with the average order value increasing from $120 during non-BFCM period to $159 during BFCM. During the sale time, shoppers are in a buying mindset – comparing deals, filling carts, and more open to trying something new.
For Shopify stores, this makes it the easiest time to introduce a subscription offer. A shopper who might hesitate to subscribe otherwise is far more likely to say yes along with a limited-time BFCM deal.
3. Get more value from your promotion spend
The more you advertise and promote the BFCM sale, the more sales and revenue you can expect. One way to recover the BFCM ad and promotional marketing spends is to include a subscription offer with the BFCM sale price.
Think about it, if customers only buy once, a large part of your spend may never be recovered. Subscriptions fix this by spreading the return over many orders. Customers acquired at a high cost during BFCM keep generating revenue, which also lowers the customer acquisition cost over time.
4. To build predictable, recurring revenue
While BFCM is a peak sales period for brands, the following months are some of the slowest sales periods. This is when subscriptions can help generate steady and recurring revenue. Recurring revenue from subscriptions helps you plan your inventory, cash flow, and other budgets. Therefore, selling subscriptions during BFCM is beneficial to your Shopify business.
5. To turn one-time buyers into loyal customers
Research shows that subscription-based models increase purchases, engagement, and retention. When first-time shoppers buy your products from the BFCM sale, they already have found your product worthy of a purchase. This is a good time to encourage them to sign up for subscriptions as they have a high perceived value of your product. Regular deliveries also have a psychological effect. They keep your brand in the customers’ radar and thus increase loyalty.
How to implement subscriptions into your BFCM strategy: step by step
BFCM is just around the corner. Follow these simple steps to incorporate subscription within your BFCM strategy.
Step 1: Install Appstle Subscriptions App in your Shopify store
Your first step is to install a subscriptions app compatible with Shopify and Shopify Plus. Appstle Subscriptions App is easy to set up. The app works with Shopify checkout, so you can allow customers to buy one-time products and subscriptions in the same order. And if you’re looking to migrate from another app to Appstle, the merchant support team will help you with a smooth transition at every step.
Tip: Install and test the app a few weeks before the BFCM sale. This will ensure you have time to fix any glitches and can be ready for the sale time traffic.
Step 2: Choose a subscription type
Next, you must choose a subscription type that suits your products and customer preference. Here are some types of subscription plans:
- Replenishment: Customers get regularly used products (skincare, food, supplements, pet supplies) delivered automatically, often with a “subscribe and save” discount.
- Curation: Customers receive a surprise or curated box of products at set intervals. This works well for gifting and for introducing customers to new products.
- Bargain or access: Customers pay a fee or sign up for members-only deals and early access to new products.
- Premium membership: Customers get exclusive perks such as free shipping, priority support, or special access to products.
Tip: If you’re new to subscriptions, start with one or two of your best-selling products, ones that customers already buy repeatedly. You can expand to more products after BFCM, once you see how customers respond.
Step 3: Set your pricing and BFCM subscription offers
During BFCM, shoppers are looking for the best deals. Hence, give them a clear reason to subscribe instead of buying once. Here’s how to price your subscription offers:
- Choose offers you can afford. Only discount products that still leave you a healthy profit after shipping, packaging, and the discount itself.
- Offer a BFCM-exclusive discount on the first order or the first few orders, such as a percentage off or free shipping for subscribers.
- Add perks beyond the discount, such as a free gift, early access to new products, or bonus reward points.
- Create tiered or bundled plans (for example, a bigger discount for a larger quantity or a longer commitment) to increase your average order value.
Pro tip: Keep the offer simple and easy to understand. Shoppers don’t have time during BFCM.
Ensure you can adjust pricing. Track what works during BFCM and refine the offer for the next sale
Step 4: Give customers flexibility and an easy way to manage subscriptions
Many shoppers avoid subscriptions because they fear being locked in. The best way to ease that fear is to make managing a subscription simple. Here’s what you can do:
- With Appstle, customers can pause, skip, edit, or cancel their subscriptions on their own. They can also swap products, change quantities, update the delivery date, or update their payment details without contacting your team.
- Make sure this flexibility aspect is visible. Mention it in your product pages, emails, and banners.
- Automated notifications for orders, deliveries, and payments, so subscribers stay informed.
- Set up failed payment alerts, so you don’t lose revenue to expired cards.
- Structure a cancellation flow that asks why customers are leaving and offers alternatives such as pausing or skipping instead.
Step 5: Promote your subscriptions and keep subscribers engaged
Promote your BFCM subscription offer everywhere your BFCM audience will see it. Here are some ways to promote it:
- Product pages: Make the subscription option stand out, with the savings clearly displayed.
- Email and SMS: Send early-access messages to your existing customers and subscribers.
- Homepage banners and popups: Highlight your BFCM subscription deal.
- Social media and ads: Show what subscribers get, whether that’s a discount, a gift, or exclusive access.
Tip: After the sale, keep new subscribers engaged. Send exclusive deals, early access to new products, and samples in their orders. Use cross-sell and upsell offers related to what they already buy, and run time-limited offers for subscribers around their renewal dates.
Wrapping up: Take the first steps to implement subscriptions in your BFCM strategy
BFCM is around the corner. The earlier you start, the better you can plan and implement subscriptions. However, when planning, ensure you take a long-term approach. Your subscription strategy should stay relevant even after the BFCM sale. Moreover, you should be able to adapt and enhance the subscriptions as and when required.
To get started, install Appstle Subscriptions App in your Shopify store today!
