Subscription or one-time purchase, what suits your product?
Products people run out of can suit repeat billing, while gifts and one-off buys usually do not, and a good reorder reminder can do much of the same job.
The word subscription is attractive. Imagine customers who order every month without you chasing them. But repeat billing only makes sense for some products, and it also adds responsibility. Here is how to think about it before you promise anything.
What a subscription asks of you
A subscription is a promise to deliver on a schedule and charge the customer each time. That means you must hold stock for people you cannot yet see, handle skipped months, pauses and cancellations, and be ready to answer "why was I charged?" It also needs a payment system built for recurring charges.
Note that Varchas Stores does not offer subscriptions, so everything below is about how to think, and how to get close to the same result with what a store can do today.
Products that suit replenishment
Things people finish and need again can fit repeat buying.
- Tea, coffee, spices and pantry staples.
- Soap, shampoo and skincare in regular use.
- Pet food or treats.
- Refills for a candle, a diffuser or a pen.
The test is simple. Will the customer run out? And will they know when?
Products that suit one-time buying
- Gifts, where the next purchase depends on an occasion.
- Furniture, decor and art, which people buy once for a space.
- Clothing and jewellery, where taste changes.
- Anything with a long life, like a brass lamp.
For these, pushing a subscription feels odd and customers will notice. The better question is how to bring buyers back when something new arrives.
Getting repeat orders without a subscription
You can earn regular reorders by remembering that the customer is the asset. Keep their details, note what they bought and message them close to when they would run out. If someone bought a 250 gram pack of tea, a polite note three or four weeks later asking if they would like a refill is useful, not pushy. See how to encourage a second purchase after the first and refill box pricing per delivery maths.
Your store keeps a record of your customers and their orders, and you can export them, so you have what you need to send a reminder from your own phone. Make sure people have agreed to hear from you, as in how to get customer permission for WhatsApp updates.
How to decide
- Does the customer finish the product on a roughly known schedule?
- Can you keep stock without tying up too much cash?
- Can you cope with pauses and cancellations by hand?
- Would the customer be annoyed to be charged again without a reminder?
If you answer yes to the first two and can handle the rest, a manual reorder routine is a safe place to start. If the product is bought once and loved, do not force it. Spend your effort on new products and good photos instead.