I. Introduction
The Otaku Box, established in 2017 by Liz Adkins, is a subscription service delivering a monthly package of anime-related products to its global clientele. Recognized as the premier subscription box for anime enthusiasts on Hulu, The Otaku Box specializes in catering to fans of Japanese anime, manga, and related culture, particularly those with limited access to anime merchandise in their local markets. The Otaku Box migrated to Appstle in February 2022.
Challenges Before Using Appstle
Before Appstle, The Otaku Box encountered various issues with its former platform, including customer experience, offering diverse upsells and downsells, retargeting, and subscription product management. The company had to rely on multiple third-party solutions to operate their business.
II. Appstle Integration
The Otaku Box discovered the answer to their subscription challenges with Appstle. This platform allowed them to transition from their smaller platform, gain valuable business insights, and utilize Shopify’s analytics. With Appstle, The Otaku Box could now offer direct subscription items and more upsells and downsells.
“We were wanting to use Shopify Plus because what we had before was so limiting in regards to data andcustomer experience. It limited our ability to offer different types of upsells and downsells, and retargeting.
However, we wanted a strong subscription software too. So once we found Appstle in the Shopify ecosystem, we were moved away from our older and smaller platform.
With Appstle we have way more insight into our business because it’s built on top of Shopify analytics.”
About Appstle
Appstle is a subscription, membership and loyalty management platform that as on Q2 2024 over 25,000 merchants, including The Otaku Box, in running their subscription business model through Shopify. The platform provides three core software products, ‘Appstle Subscriptions’ and ‘Appstle Memberships,’ and ‘Appstle Loyalty & Rewards’, with more in the pipeline. Appstle’s software are available on Shopify and Shopify Plus.
With over 3,000 5-star reviews on Shopify, Appstle holds the #1 position in the subscriptions category among 50+ apps on Shopify and ranks in the top 25 (of 7000+ apps on Shopify) across all categories. Appstle’s commitment to delivering exceptional apps at attractive prices enables merchants of all sizes and geographies to enjoy a successful e-commerce journey. Their powerful solutions address strategic pain points for their merchant partners, allowing them to efficiently and profitably retain customers, foster loyalty, and increase wallet share. Appstle offers tiered pricing to cater to the needs of businesses, from small enterprises to large corporations.
Integration Process and Timeline
Liz Adkins, founder of The Otaku Box, acknowledged that migrating platforms can be intimidating, especially when it involves transferring customer data and formatting it appropriately. However, she expressed satisfaction with the Appstle adoption, describing it as “probably the least painful” experience ever compared to earlier platform switches. Bojan, who managed operations at The Otaku Box, conceded that it was an enormous task, but Appstle successfully completed it in a short span of time.
One of The Otaku Box’s primary concerns was ensuring smooth billing processes to prevent any disruptions in customer experience. Appstle’s customer support, which they praised for being accessible 24/7 and providing immediate communication, helped them ensure the same.
Exceeding Customer Expectations
Appstle’s customer support played a vital role in The Otaku Box’s positive experience with the platform integration. The Otaku Box appreciated the continuous support, the team’s constant availability, and their personalized service. Moreover, Appstle’s extra efforts in ensuring successful billing were highly valued.
“With past platforms and software, anytime we had issues or anytime anything started to fall apart, we were just left there to figure it out on our own and that was a big worry for us.A big reason for our choosing Appstleis the support. Appstle made sure that we were succeeding, and didn’t just hand over a how-to guide and then say, off you go.”
III. Outcomes
The Appstle platform has improved The Otaku Box’s operations in several areas, including increased customer retention, enhanced customer engagement, increased revenue, improved customer experience, and advanced data insights.
1. Enhanced internal processes, scalability, and competitive edge
Before Appstle, The Otaku Box’s customer support was time-consuming and involved searching through multiple platforms for information. Now, they utilize the Appstle customer support, directly connected to Shopify, enabling customer support representatives to easily access order information and resolve issues swiftly. Consequently, the company has seen a significant improvement in response times, with about 90% of tickets completed within 24 hours and 50% resolved in under an hour. This has streamlined customer service and allowed the company to concentrate on other business aspects.
2. Expanded Subscription Offerings
The Appstle platform has enabled The Otaku Box to provide more subscription options to their customers, including tiered discounts for longer subscriptions. By offering a diverse range of subscription options, The Otaku Box can cater to various customer preferences and budgets, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Furthermore, offering discounts for longer subscriptions has encouraged customers to commit to long-term subscriptions, stabilizing The Otaku Box’s cash flow and increasing recurring revenue.
“We’re just able to offer so much more to the customer now than we were in the past to meet their needs. And that was the goal that we had from the beginning. Now we offer different types of subscriptions for customers’ specific needs.
Before Appstle we weren’t able to do annual subscriptions for our customers. Now we can, in that has really helped our business. We are seeing a big bump in our revenue and customers.”
3. Advanced Data Insights
The Appstle platform has also simplified subscription management for The Otaku Box by providing real-time data and analytics on subscriber behavior. This has allowed the company to make informed decisions about pricing, product offerings, and marketing strategies.
The Appstle platform grants The Otaku Box access to more data and insights than ever before. With Appstle, they can identify popular products, understand customer interactions on their website, and determine factors influencing retention. This information enables the Otaku Box to make data-driven decisions and adjust their business strategy accordingly. They can also segment their customer base and tailor marketing efforts to specific groups, resulting in more effective campaigns and improved results.
Overall, the Appstle platform has been instrumental in helping The Otaku Box grow its business and thrive in the highly competitive subscription box industry.
4. Improved Internal Processes resulting in Scale
The Appstle platform has streamlined internal processes for The Otaku Box. They can now manage subscriptions and orders in one location, facilitating workflow and making inventory tracking and management easier. This has allowed them to scale their business more efficiently and reduce errors.
They no longer need to rely on multiple third-party solutions to run their business and can manage subscriptions and orders in one place. This has reduced complexity and allowed them to focus on growth.
5. Competitive Advantage
By using Appstle’s platform, The Otaku Box has gained a competitive edge in the market. They can offer more subscription options and upsells, streamline customer service, and make data-driven decisions. This has allowed them to provide a superior overall customer experience and stand out in a crowded market.
IV. Conclusion
In summary, the Appstle platform has been transformative for The Otaku Box. They overcame the challenges they faced with their previous platform and enhanced their operations across the board. Offering more subscription options, streamlining customer service, and gaining access to advanced data insights allowed them to scale their business efficiently and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The personalized customer support they received from Appstle was also crucial to their success. They plan to continue using the platform and are excited about the future prospects of their business.
