The takeaway
Find the order where your BFCM cohort drops most, usually order three or four, and add a surprise to it: a product they haven't tried, an early release, a handwritten note. Tell them a few days before the renewal that the next box has something extra, without saying what. The teaser gives them a reason not to cancel before that order; the surprise gives them something to talk about after it.
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An example
Illustrative example: order three in January, for the 610 subscribers still active from a cohort of 1,000.
- 5 days before renewal: "Your January box has something extra in it. We're not saying what."
- Order three ships with the regular box plus a sample of a new serum (cost $3 each, $1,830 across the cohort).
- 3 days after delivery: "That was our new serum. Add the full size to your next box at 20% off."
- Order four is where you read the result: retention against last year, and how many added the full size.
The sample is chosen so it can turn into an add-on, which is how the reward pays for itself.
Put it into practice
- Pick the order. Use Cohort Order to find the largest drop between consecutive orders for last year's BFCM cohort. Put the reward in the order just before it.
- Pick a reward that can become a purchase. A sample of something they could add later works better than a generic gift. Keep the cost well under one order's contribution.
- Attach the reward to that order. [confirm with product: whether a free product can be added automatically to a specific order number for a segment.] Include a card in the box saying what it is and that it's free, so it isn't mistaken for a packing error.
- Send the teaser and the follow-up. Teaser a few days before the renewal; follow-up after delivery with one link to add the full size to the next order.
- Test the order. Run a test subscription to that order number and check the reward is added at no charge and the messages go out on the right days.
Watch out for
- A surprise that looks like a mistake. An unexplained extra item triggers support tickets and returns. Label it.
- A reward nobody wants. Excess stock of an unpopular product signals exactly what it is.
- A teaser that oversells. "Something big" followed by a sachet costs more trust than it earns.
Measure the result
Track retention from the reward order to the next one for the BFCM cohort against last year's, and the share of recipients who add the full-size product. Review after the order following the reward. If retention holds but no one adds the product, change the reward, not the timing.
Related entries: Streak Programme · Milestone Ladder · Cohort Order