Subscription eCommerce Success: Building Recurring Revenue

Subscription businesses are worth more and sell for higher multiples than regular eCommerce. Learn how entrepreneurs built predictable recurring revenue.

Subscriptions have grown like crazy over the past decade, and it makes sense. Predictable revenue, higher customer value, and better business valuations when you want to sell.

However, subscription businesses differ from traditional e-commerce. Keeping customers happy month after month is harder than making a one-time sale. These entrepreneurs figured out how to make it work.

What you’ll learn:

Different subscription models and which ones work best
Pricing strategies that maximize customer lifetime value
Keeping subscribers happy so they don’t cancel
Finding and curating products for subscription boxes
Marketing strategies that work specifically for subscriptions
The technology you need to run a subscription business

Perfect for: Entrepreneurs interested in generating recurring revenue, existing store owners considering subscription services, and anyone looking to build a predictable income.

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Listen to all our Subscription eCommerce brands Episodes on the Podcast:

Growing Your Subscription Business: iFit’s 4-Bucket Framework for Success with Jeremy McCarty (episode 563)

Jeremy McCarty is the Chief Subscription and Content Officer of iFIT, a global leader in connected fitness via their NordicTrack, Pro-form, and Freemotion brands. In this episode, Jeremy breaks down the 4-Bucket Framework his team uses to grow one of the world’s leading connected fitness brands. From attracting the right customers to keeping them engaged…
Increasing Philip Kingsley’s Profits with Strategic Promotions with Lauren Duncan (episode 510)

Lauren Duncan is the Head of eCommerce at Philip Kingsley, creators and sellers of Trichological Hair and Scalp products. Founded in the 1950s, Philip Kingsley now sells via their Magento eCommerce store, wholesale via salons and other retailers, and runs 2 clinics in London and New York. Their number one Hair Mask sells one unit…
The Subscription Business Model: Customer Retention Strategies with Grub Club’s Alessandro Di Trapani (episode 447)

Alessandro Di Trapani is the co-founder and CEO of Grub Club, an insect-based dog food brand. Alessandro reflects on his journey in building the startup and the importance of customer retention and community building.
Loyalty Points, Referrals, and User-Generated Content with Laura Crawford from Mama Bamboo (episode 446)

Laura Crawford, co-founder of Mama Bamboo, shares valuable marketing insights behind the award-winning and eco-friendly nappies and wipes brand.
Growing Skincare brand Blossom Essentials 3x to 7 figures with Sarah Vilenskiy (episode 405)

Sarah Vilenskiy is the Founder and CEO at Blossom Essentials, a line of clean and non-toxic hydration products directly addressing chronic dry and irritated skin problems. Founded in 2020 they sell on Shopify from the USA to the world. They are experiencing 300% growth and are on track to hit $1.4m this year.
Subscriptions and fast growth DTC with Kristina Smith from Big Island Coffee Roasters (episode 401)

Kristina Smith is the Head of DTC at Big Island Coffee Roasters. A multi-award-winning coffee business with sustainability at its core, founded seven years ago they launched a DTC Shopify site 3 years ago and are aiming to double sales both this year and next.
Growing a baby clothing subscription service with Eve Kekeh of Bundlee (episode 360)

Eve Kekeh is the founder of Bundlee – the UK’s first baby clothing rental subscription service. Founded in 2018 NEW subscribers are increasing at 53% YoY.
What it takes to get to 8-figures on Shopify & Amazon with Bakblade’s Matt Dryfhout (episode 341)

Matt Dryfhout is the founder and CEO at BakBlade a men’s grooming brand founded in 2009 they now do over 8-figures a year with growth at 15-20%.
Side Hustle into a 1,000+ monthly subscription service with Jessica Principe from All Girl Shave Club (episode 334)

Jessica Principe is the founder of All Girl Shave Club, a razor subscription service for women. Founded in 2016 they now serve 1,000s of women across North America every month.
DTC brand 0 to 7 figures in 3 years via content and email with Shivraj Bassi from Innermost (episode 301)

Shivraj Bassi is the Founder and CEO at Innermost. Originally Innermost sold their nutritional products B2B, but in 2019 shifted their focus to DTC. The combined DTC and B2B operation is now 3 years old and achieving a 7-figure run rate.
Getting the foundations right for exponential growth with Bouq’s John Tabis (episode 287)

John Tabis is the founder and chairman at The Bouqs Company, an online florist. Founded in 2012 they have sold 100s of millions of dollars worth of flowers to millennial females.
RestoraPet’s Brian Larsen explains how they grow 500% year on year (episode 280)

Brian Larsen is the founder of RestoraPet a pet supplement subscription eCommerce store. Launched in 2014 sales grew by over 500% in 2018 and they are on track for $10m this year. We chat about everything from email pop ups to split testing. AND he explains how they’re testing WooCommerce against Shopify.
Growing a subscription box to over €60k/m with BusterBox.com’s Liam Brennan (episode 248)

Liam Brennan is one of the co-founders of BusterBox.com. A Dog subscription box service that has thousands of subscribers in multiple markets. BusterBox.com launched in 2016 and are now doing around €60k per month.
Achieving 80% of sales via Instagram and sticking to your strengths with Ella from Fitbakes (episode 216)

Ella Rauen-Prestes is the founder and CEO of Fitbakes, a low sugar high protein bakery. Ella started the business from her kitchen table in 2017, and projecting 2019 annual sales of £170k.
Bryan Lewis of FINCH on getting to $300k subscription sales in 6 months, then starting again (episode 215)

Bryan Lewis is founder and CEO at FINCH. FINCH, is a subscription-based eco-friendly activewear brand that makes technical apparel designed for comfort, performance, and everyday use. The business launched in early 2018 and it took them just 6 months to get to $300k in sales.
The 3 Pillars of a Successful Subscription Business, top tips from our latest Virtual Summit (episode 213)

Welcome to the week that our much anticipated Subscription eCommerce Virtual Summit goes live! It’s just Chloe today, giving you a peek into all the amazing content in store and sharing her favorite Top Tips from the Summit. If you want to have premium access to the information from the Summit on call at all…
Passion, customer service & the Oscars in subscription eCommerce Pat Callwood, True Serenity Tea (episode 211)

Pat Callwood is the owner of True Serenity Teas a subscription box dedicated to the tea lovers of the world. They have just been named top 10 tea subscription box for the 3rd year in a row on top 10 select.com. The business launched in 2016 and now has over 200 monthly subscribers.
Marketing and growing a craft supplies store with Alana Banks of Fridays Off (episode 205)

Our guest is Alana Banks, Alana is the founder of Fridays Off Fabric Shop, an online only fabric store with a monthly subscription club. Alana launched the business in March 2013 and nearly 6 years on they’re achieving sales of over $150k per year.
Influencer Marketing to grow a Subscription eCommerce business to $17m – Live Glam’s Dhar Mann (episode 199)

This episode is part of our 2019 eCommerce MasterPlan Growth Series sponsored by Omnisend, the all-in-one marketing automation platform that empowers ecommerce marketers to boost sales with omnichannel tools. Dhar Mann is the founder of LiveGlam – a beauty subscription box service. The impressive social media follower base (over 1.5m Instagram, over 100k Facebook) is testament…
Growing a B2B Subscription eCommerce business to 7-figures in 1 year – Jonathan from Penji (episode 178)

In this episode we’re taking a dive into a different type of subscription eCommerce business, it’s a bit like SaaS (software as a service), and it’s selling a service rather than a physical product. But there is a subscription, and it is bought online… so it counts as eCommerce! Our special guest is … Johnathan…
Subscription Box Masterclass with Andy Papier of Grand Box inc how to 2x each year (episode 177)

Andy Papier is one of the 3 co-founders of GrandBox – the original subscription box for seniors and grandparents. It connects 1000s of families across the USA, and each box is filled with gifts, treats AND customised content – photos and letters. They’re currently in their 5th year, and have doubled the subscription base EVERY…
Podcasting, SEO, Email, Shopify, Livechat and more – Nik Hawks of Paleo Treats (episode 174)

Nik Hawks is the co-owner of multi award winning Paleo Treats – the best paleo desserts in the world. They started the business from their kitchen table in 2009, and now wholesale and sell worldwide shipping over 1 million desserts since they started and with a turnover fast approaching $500k. Powered by RedCircle
Subscription Stationery Box. Chad Ettelbrick reveals 3 yrs of monthly growth at Scribe Delivery (episode 170)

Chad Ettelbrick is the founder of Scribe Delivery. They are a stationery subscription business who ship 1,000s of orders monthly and have grown every month since they launched 3 years ago. Powered by RedCircle
Subscription eCommerce – what you need to know with subscription specialist Stefan Pretty (episode 156)

If you’re a regular listener you’ll know I have a fascination with subscription eCommerce, and we’re going to be diving deep into this model today. Stefan Pretty is a Scottish-born, US-based entrepreneur. He has launched and run a number of businesses, and since 2014 his focus has been on building Subbly, an eCommerce management platform…
Christine Nicholson explains why and how she closed eCommerce subscription business Divine Legs (episode 154)

Occasionally I have a guest back on the show to update us on how things are going – today we have a repeat guest. Christine Nicholson of Divine Legs (Tights subscription business) was my guest back in episode 103. Back then the business was 9 months old, and Christine took us through how she’d launched…
Content marketing with Jacqueline Parisi of Hello Fresh – we dive into blogs, quizzes, & KPIs (episode 150)

Jacqueline Parisi is a Copywriter at the American arm of meal kit company Hello Fresh. One of her core responsibilities is to write and post 3 blogs a week – including getting them ready AND tracking the KPIs (that’s key performance indicators / results), as well as email copy, product copy and more. She also…
Subscription eCommerce – Jon Butt runs a 7-figure eCommerce business, and launched a seperate subscription site in 2017 (episode 137)

Jon Butt was last on the show in episode 73, when he came on to talk about his multi-million pound B2B eCommerce business Fire Protection Online. The business Jon’s here to talk about today couldn’t be more different. It’s B2C, a much lower AOV, it’s a food product, and it’s a subscription business! In 2017…
HoneyTree’s Sebastian Galbraith-Helps on site migration, subscriptions, and the Foo Fighters segmentation (episode 110)

Sebastian Galbraith-Helps runs the online only eCommerce business HoneyTreePublishing.com, with his wife the artist Lizbeth Holstein. HoneyTree is the UK’s leading bespoke stationery boutique, where customers can pick from over 2,000 unique designs and have the high quality stationery of their choice delivered next day. Sebastian and his team have mastered the logistical and technological…
Divine Leg’s Christine Nicholson discusses her 100 orders in 100 days eCommerce startup strategy (episode 103)

Christine Nicholson is the founder of Divine Legs an online only business selling tights (that’s pantyhose for our American listeners) individually and as subscriptions. Christine started Divine Legs in 5th August 2016 she hit 100 orders in the first 100 days, and things are continuing to grow, 25% of whom are subscribers. Powered by RedCircle
John Warrillow author of The Automatic Customer and Built to Sell discusses Subscription eCommerce (episode 99)

We have John Warrillow on the show, author of both ‘The Automatic Customer’ and ‘Built to Sell’. I found both books really useful, and ‘The Automatic Customer’ is often recommended by our guests, as of course, you will know. Not least because it’s the key text on subscription businesses. I’m going to be discussing The…
The Cornish Fishmonger’s Rob Wing discusses selling fish online, and why customer service is essential (episode 077)

Rob Wing is the founder of the award-winning eCommerce business The Cornish Fishmonger – an online only fishmonger delivering top quality seafood to everyone from us normal people to many of the UKs top chefs. Launched in 2008 the business now processes 4,000 orders per month, 25% is eCommerce based. Click to Tweet: Hear how…
Lick My Dip’s Dave Rotheroe is back! Subscription product optimisation and influencer outreach plus more (episode 076)

Today for the first time our special guest is a returning guest! The last time Chloë spoke to Dave Rotheroe he’d just launched two subscription eCommerce businesses in 6 months, Lick my Dip and Cheese Posties. 8 months on it’s all going well – Dave’s moved to Spain, and the businesses are continuing to grow…
Fresh Clean Tees’ Matthew Parvis 4 months into his startup subscription business and growing 200% per month (episode 049)

Matthew Parvis is the co-founder of the online only subscription business Fresh Clean Tees. Providing the best t shirt you’ll ever wear. They launched end of November 2015 – so only a few months in! 200% growth month on month. Click to Tweet: Special Delivery – Monthly T-shirts – courtesy of Matthew Parvis of Fresh…
Lick my Dip’s Dave Rotheroe on using Crowdfunding and Thunderclap to launch 2 subscription businesses in 6 months (episode 022)

Dave Rotheroe is the proprietor of Lick My Dip and co-founder of Cheese Posties. Clearly a man who can name a business well! Lick My Dip is a subscription discovery service for hot sauce and chilli lovers – each month customers receive a parcel of surprise spicy goods. The first orders went out in May…
Wet Shave Club’s Rohan Gilkes talks subscriptions, tribes, social media and brand – to turnover $350,000 in year 1 (episode 017)

Rohan Gilkes runs WetShaveClub.com which is about bringing back the manly ritual of traditional shaving. It is an online only business with a strong subscription side. They have a tribe of 20,000 and a turnover in year one of $350,000. I’m really looking forward to finding out more about Rohan and WebShaveClub.com’s email sign methods…
Muck Munchers’ Martin Harvey on how to grow fast in year one (episode 003)

How to grow your eCommerce Business, join us as Martin Harvey from Muck Munchers shares his key tips. Martin Harvey is an eCommerce stalwart (launched his first eCommerce site in 2000). A highly respected and experienced managing director and marketing director within the B2C direct marketing sector, with a proven record for defining and delivering…