The skincare and beauty industry is booming. New brands are coming up and every brand is trying hard to attract and retain customers.
One marketing strategy that is effective is subscriptions. Beauty and skin subscriptions are on the rise.
In this blog, we look at the Skin Authority Shopify subscription strategy for its program called Facial Club. You’ll learn lessons and takeaways that you can apply in your Shopify subscriptions.
What is the Facial Club subscription?
Skin Authority is a brand that is passionate about skin health. The brand creates science-backed skin care products and treatments. The brand has a subscription program called Facial Club. This Shopify brand has aced its subscription program by making it truly unique.
The Facial Club is a premium subscription program that offers high-quality products, treatment, and skincare solutions to its subscribers. The subscription billed annually carries a premium price tag and a considerable discount for its subscribers.
An in-depth look at this Shopify subscription strategy reveals that the Facial Club is not just any subscription plan offering just discounts and free delivery, the brand takes its value proposition seriously. From customized skincare kits that change every season to at-home services, it offers much more than meets the eye.
Skin Authority Shopify subscription strategy breakdown and lessons
While 80% of brands offer some sort of subscription or membership program, only a few are able to sustain and really engage their subscribers. Most customers tend to disengage within a few months and leave. But here’s how Skin Authority has made Facial Club subscription program stand out from the crowd.
1. Dedicated section on the website
The way a brand presents its eCommerce subscription model can heavily influence the way customers perceive the program. And of course, the subscription program’s success.
Skin Authority has a dedicated page for Facial Club subscription, on their website. This page is useful and informative, giving all the important details about the subscription program. Customers who want to understand the program can simply go to this page and look for any information.
This clear organization of information communicates the subscription program’s importance and makes it easy for potential subscribers to find detailed information without digging through the site.
The page details out:
- How the Skin Authority Shopify subscription program works
- The benefits and perks subscribers can avail
- FAQs that answer basic questions
- Testimonials by subscribers
- Details about pricing
2. Multiple benefits and perks
Another key factor of Shopify subscription strategy is the benefits or perks they offer. Why should customers become members? What value is the brand offering? Skin Authority details out the benefits and perks of its Facial Club Shopify subscription program.
- High-quality products in personalized kits: Subscribers receive curated skincare products and kits that are delivered three times a year. Every delivery kit is valued at $498 and includes premium products that are tailored to address specific skin concerns and goals of the subscribers.
- Professional skincare treatment: Apart from products, subscribers also receive professional treatments for skin or at-home skin care treatment kits. This can be availed three times a year and each treatment is valued at $125.
- Personalized skin care coaching: Skin Authority Shopify subscription strategy offers personalized skin coaching sessions to subscribers. Each session is valued at $75. Skin care experts evaluate subscribers’ skin conditions and offer personalized advice and guidance.
- Exclusive discounts: Subscribers of the Facial Club get a 15% discount on every purchase they make. This also applies to individual purchases they make outside of the subscriptions, improving sales for the brand. This ensures Shopify recurring revenue.
- Birthday rewards: The Facial Club members get special treatment on their birthday with birthday rewards. This helps the brand strengthen emotional connection with the subscribers.
3. It works in an easy and straightforward way
Skin Authority has a straightforward approach for its subscription model. And believe it or not, but keeping things simple is a Shopify subscription strategy you must consider. The Facial Club provides a user-friendly experience with a simple and functional format. Even though the brand offers a comprehensive list of benefits, perks, and curated subscription boxes, it has set up clear instructions and expectations. Simplicity minus confusion and uncertainty for subscribers makes it easy for new and old customers to make purchases.
4. Subscription kits are curated to customers’ needs
A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work with subscriptions, and especially if the products are skincare and beauty. These products have to be used based on skin types, conditions, and goals. An effective subscription retention tactic is to offer personalized and customized subscription boxes.
The Facial Club subscription kits are curated to match each individual subscriber’s specific skincare needs and concerns. Moreover, each subscription kit is different from the other, carefully curated by the skin coaches based on individual subscribers’ needs. This enhances the subscription’s perceived value. This can be done with the help of AI in subscription management.
5. Clear pricing structure
Another critical Shopify subscription strategy is pricing. The price of this premium subscription offers significant savings to subscribers. The annual subscription membership costs $1,199 compared to the total value of products and services it offers, which are worth $2,500.
Skin Authority Shopify subscription program has an annual billing cycle, ensuring Shopify recurring revenue. By doing so, the brand ensures longevity and a longer commitment by customers, as well as it is able to offer them significant discounts. An annual billing cycle also helps reduce administrative costs for brands.
6. Social proof and trust
Social proof influences 90% of consumers. By displaying social proof on eCommerce websites, brands can impact consumers’ perception of their brand, increase sales, build trust, and confidence.
Skin Authority Shopify subscription strategy leverages customer testimonials by featuring videos of customers sharing their experiences. By sharing these authentic stories with customers’ faces and videos, the brand builds customer trust and confidence, leading to subscription sign-up decisions for many.
Moreover, Skin Authority highlights the fact that their skincare solutions are science-based and have professional experts working with subscribers to recommend the most-suited treatments to them. This also helps build trust and credibility for the brand.
7. The brand offers a community experience
Whether it’s the exclusive discounts and benefits or the personalized treatment approach, Skin Authority offers a community experience to its subscribers. They feel a sense of belonging to an exclusive community, which is a proven subscription retention tactic.
The Facial Club has an educational element provided by the coaching sessions with skin experts. These educational sessions and personalized curated kits make subscribers part of an exclusive community, and improve brand loyalty.
8. Clear and prompt communication
Skin Authority customers pay a premium price for the subscriptions. And the brand ensures seamless communication. The website has an FAQs page that answers basic subscriber questions. Alongside, the website also offers a live chat option – an excellent way to use AI in subscription management.
9. Seasonality and convenience factors
The Facial Club subscription emphasizes bringing professional-quality skin care experiences into the subscribers’ homes. This is an appealing strategy to busy consumers who value convenience without sacrificing quality.
Moreover, the delivery schedule of the subscription kits is every four months, which allows the brand to adapt products and treatments to seasonal skincare needs, providing relevant solutions throughout the year. This adds convenience and relevance to subscribers’ experience of the program.
5 key takeaways from Skin Authority Shopify subscription strategy
There are lots of lessons we can learn from Skin Authority’s Shopify subscription strategy. We’ve shared nine of the strategies we thought are effective and worth adapting for Shopify stores. And here, we have narrowed down five takeaways from its subscription strategy.
1. Offer value to your subscribers
The Facial Club subscription offers value beyond the typical perks that other subscription brands offer. For instance, most subscription models stop at discounts, quick delivery, and a few surprise gifts.
But Skin Authority Shopify subscription program offers much more that is exclusive to the brand. For instance, one-on-one skincare treatment coaching with experts, personalized skin care kits that change with seasonal changes, and at-home sessions.
2. Create exclusivity
By creating experiences and benefits only for your subscription members, you will be able to position your subscription experience as something unique and truly exclusive. Today’s customers want to feel special and exclusive. Build exclusivity into your Shopify subscription strategy by offering them unique experiences. This way you can also build an exclusive community for subscribers. This can help increase customer loyalty and increase the customer lifetime value.
3. Provide transparency
Just the way The Facial Club page clearly communicates with its customers about the premium pricing structure, the amount paid and saved, and other details, by ensuring transparency, you can build trust with subscribers. Trust and confidence are key to retaining customers and growing your customer base. Happy and satisfied customers often become your brand advocates, bringing in more potential customers to your brand.
4. Personalization is key
Whether you’re looking to build a skincare and beauty subscription, a food subscription, or an entertainment membership model, focusing on personalization is a must. There are at least five different generations of consumers you are catering to, and hence, their needs and preferences are going to be different. Personalization is the only way to keep all customers satisfied.
5. Bridge online and offline experiences
Even though online shopping is taking over in-store experiences, creating hybrid experiences that combine the two can truly enhance your subscription business. Including phygital experiences in your Shopify subscription strategy can help expand your customer base, increase sales and revenue, and increase the perceived value of your Shopify subscription program.
Want to set up your Shopify subscription strategy?
With increasing competition amongst brands, it’s a must for you to be on top of your marketing plans and processes. However, creating a Shopify subscription strategy for your brand is one thing and executing it is another ballgame.
To run your Shopify subscriptions program smoothly, you will need a tech partner to help you with automation, AI features for subscription management, and other processes.
Meet Appstle Subscriptions App – a smart and intuitive app designed for Shopify and Shopify Plus brands preferred by successful brands, such as Skin Authority. To ensure a strong foundation for your Shopify subscription and a successful journey, install Appstle Subscriptions App on your Shopify website.
