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“Working with Creative Labs has been a game-changer for our business.”
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Poplar Forest Nursery TeamPoplar Forest Nursery
Subscriptions & retention
Subscriptions and retention that grow LTV, not churn.
Recharge and Shopify Subscriptions set up for the second order, with portals, dunning and win-back flows that keep customers.
Subscription programs for brands like
How it works
We design the Offer so subscribing is the obvious choice, build the Portal customers can actually manage, and watch Churn every week.
#retention
Creative Labs agent↻ Replay
You10:02
Subscribers cancel after the second box. Can we see why?
CL agent10:03
Cancel reasons: 48% “too much product”. Shipped: skip-a-month and frequency change in the portal, plus a day-25 reminder. Month-2 churn 31% → 14% over the last 6 weeks.
Message #retention
Inside a subscription launch
Drag to see the PDP before and after subscriptions.
Four stores we launched subscriptions on. Pick a client, then drag.
proofhardicecream.com
Proof Hard Ice Cream
Subscription box launched in five weeks on Shopify Subscriptions
1
Offer and cadence designed from order data
2
Portal, dunning and skip flows built in
3
Win-back flows wired to churn events
Our process
How a subscription launch runs.
Live in about 5 weeks, then retention monthly. Coloured bars are our work, grey ones are yours.
SUBSCRIPTION LAUNCHAUDIT, BUILD AND MEASURE
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
Y
You
Offer, approvals
Offer
Approve
Launch
S
Strategy
Cadence, pricing, offer
Offer design
B
Build
App, PDP, portal
App + PDP
Portal + dunning
F
Flows
Email, SMS, win-back
Flows
Point at any part to see what happens there.
What we work on
The parts of a subscription that decide retention.
Acquisition is the easy half. We start where the cancel reasons point.
The offer
Discount, cadence and the first-box bonus, tested against margin.
PDP presentation
Subscribe-and-save shown as the default, one-time as the exception.
Customer portal
Skip, swap, pause and change frequency without emailing support.
Dunning
Failed payments recovered with retries and the right message.
Churn flows
Day-25 reminders, win-back offers and cancel-save screens.
Reporting
Active subscribers, MRR and churn by cohort, every Monday.
From our case studies
What subscriptions actually changed.
Real numbers from stores we launched on.
5 weeks
Proof's subscription box, brief to live
+37%
LTV on subscribers vs one-time buyers
−22%
churn after dunning and skip flows
28%
of Wild Goose orders now on subscription
Retention log
What retention work did for Proof Hard Ice Cream.
Each change is logged against the cohort it affected, so the team sees what actually kept subscribers.
Agreed before launch
01
Platform
Recharge, Skio or Shopify Subscriptions, chosen for the catalog.
02
Baseline
Churn by month and cancel reasons, day one.
03
Offer rules
Discount floors and bonus-box cost agreed up front.
04
Guardrails
No change that lowers month-1 margin below the floor.
05
Cohort reporting
Every change measured on the cohort it touched.
Results
From the rollout
Headline result
ROLLED OUT−55%
Month-2 churn
From 31% to 14% after the portal, skip-a-month and reminder changes.
Before31%
After14%
Test
Result
Decision
Skip-a-month in portal
−11 pts
✓ WINMonth-2 churn
Kept
Day-25 box reminder
−4 pts
✓ WINMonth-2 churn
Kept
First box 30% off
+38%
✓ WINSubscribe rate on PDP
Kept
Cancel-save 20% offer
−2 pts
✕ LOSSChurn, margin cost high
Dropped
Want more examples?
A few of our recent subscription launches.
01 / 03
Proof Hard Ice Cream
Subscription box in five weeks
Wild Goose Coffee
Coffee subscription with skip and swap
Oteria
Replenishment flows for beauty
Pricing
A launch, or a retention program.
Fixed price for the project, or a subscription that keeps shipping after launch.
One-time project
$5,500
launch
Subscriptions designed, built and launched, with portal, dunning and the core flows.
✓Offer and cadence design
✓Recharge or Shopify Subscriptions setup
✓PDP and portal
✓Dunning and skip flows
✓30-day support
Subscription
$2,200
/ month
A monthly retention program: flows, offers and tests that keep subscribers.
✓Churn and win-back flows
✓Offer tests
✓Monthly cohort report
✓Pause or cancel monthly
Quality
What every subscription launch is checked for.
Checkout tested
Subscription and one-time in one cart.
Portal
Skip, swap, pause without support tickets.
Dunning
Failed payments recovered automatically.
Consent
Email and SMS consent on signup.
Analytics
Cohorts and churn in one dashboard.
Taxes and shipping
Recurring rules verified.
Mobile first
Portal designed at 390px.
You own it
App and accounts in your name.
Words from the brands we've built for
↗
“Creative Labs has elevated our online presence to a whole new level.”
Read full quote
Care Hope College AdministrationCare Hope College
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“Creative Labs exceeded our expectations in delivering a secure, user-friendly platform.”
Read full quote
Cellocity TeamCellocity
Still got questions?
Your questions about subscriptions
Recharge or Shopify Subscriptions?
Shopify Subscriptions for straightforward replenishment; Recharge when you need build-your-own boxes, more flexible plans or a deeper customer portal. We recommend one from your order data.
How long does a subscription launch take?
A focused launch on Shopify Subscriptions can go live in about five weeks; larger programs with custom portals take longer. The timeline is fixed in the proposal.
Can I offer subscribe-and-save on existing products?
Yes. Subscribe-and-save options can be added to existing products with the discount and cadence you choose.
How do you reduce churn?
We look at why people cancel, then give them easier options than cancelling, such as skip, swap or change frequency, plus reminders before renewal and win-back flows after.
Does it work with Shop Pay?
Yes. Both Shopify Subscriptions and Recharge work with Shop Pay at checkout.
What does a subscription launch cost?
It depends on the app, portal and flows involved. We give one fixed price after reviewing your products. See pricing.
You've reached the end, so now…
Tell us what you're selling.
Send us your store. Within one business day you get a short Loom from a senior: the three things we'd fix first, what it would cost, and whether we're the right team for it.
- No pitch deck, no discovery-call theatre
- You keep the audit whether or not you hire us
- Fixed-scope quotes, no hourly surprises
Prefer to talk? Book 20 minutes with Haniel or call +1 855-764-4977