The takeaway
A subscriber whose next order is due in early December will buy it anyway. Order Now asks them to bring that order forward into BFCM week, with a small incentive and the chance to add to it. You pull revenue into the week and give them a reason to engage with their subscription instead of shopping the public offer. Target only orders due within about three weeks, so the early order is one they will use.
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An example
Illustrative example: a subscriber on the $48, 30-day box from Step-Down Discount, next order due 12 December.
Message on 27 November:
Your next box is due 12 Dec. Get it now for $40, and add anything at 40% off.
| Leave it | Order now | |
|---|---|---|
| Ships | 12 Dec | 28 Nov |
| Box price | $48 | $40 |
| Add-ons | None | 1 item, $9 |
| Following order | 11 Jan | 28 Dec |
The brand gives up $8 on the box, gains a $9 add-on, and the subscriber's following order moves into December, so the cycle forecast has to move with it.
Put it into practice
- Pick the audience. Active subscribers whose next order falls between 1 and 21 December. Exclude anyone who already bought in Portal Early Access, and anyone on a cadence longer than 60 days.
- Set the incentive. A small saving on the box or a free add-on, sized so the early order still clears your costs. It should be smaller than the new-subscriber offer; these customers were buying anyway.
- Build the campaign. Portal banner plus email and SMS, scheduled for the sitewide window (27–30 Nov), with one button that processes the next order now. [confirm with product: how the Order Now action is surfaced in campaigns and whether a discount can be attached to it.]
- Tell operations. Units that were forecast for December now ship in November. Update the Inventory & COGS Forecast with the expected take-up. [confirm with product: whether the next order date resets from the date the early order is processed.]
- Test the full path. Process a test order early. Check the charge, the discount, the add-on and the new next order date shown to the subscriber.
Watch out for
- Pulling orders from too far out. A box that arrives six weeks early gets stockpiled, and the next one gets skipped.
- A bigger discount than needed. These subscribers were already paying $48. A small saving is enough to move the date.
- An unannounced schedule change. Say plainly when the following order will now arrive, or it looks like a double charge.
Measure the result
Track the share of targeted subscribers who ordered early, average order value of those orders, and the skip rate on the order that follows. Review after the December cycle. A high skip rate on the following order means the window reached too far ahead; narrow it next year.
Related entries: Campaign Scarcity Mechanics · Portal Early Access · Inventory & COGS Forecast
Prompt: 03 Order Now