Optimizing User Flows for Subscription Services

When I was head of growth, our team reached 40% activation rates, and onboarded hundreds of thousands of new users. Without knowing it, we discovered a framework. Here are the 6 steps we followed. 1. Define value: Successful onboarding is typically judged by new user activation rates. But what is activation? The moment users receive value. Reaching it should lead to higher retention & conversion to paid plans. First define it. Then get new users there. 2. Deliver value, quickly Revisit your flow and make sure it gets users to the activation moment fast. Remove unnecessary steps, complexity, and distractions along the way. Not sure how to start? Try reducing time (or steps) to activate by 50%. 3. Motivate users to action: Don't settle for simple. Look for sticking points in the user experience you can solve with microcopy, empty states, tours, email flows, etc. Then remind users what to do next with on-demand checklists, progress bars, & milestone celebrations. 4. Customize the experience: Ditch the one-size fits all approach. Learn about your different use cases. Then, create different product "recipes" to help users achieve their specific goals. 5. Start in the middle: Solve for the biggest user pain points stopping users from starting. Lean on customizable templates and pre-made playbooks to help people go 0-1 faster. 6. Build momentum pre-signup: Create ways for website visitors to start interacting with the product - and building momentum, before they fill out any forms. This means that you'll deliver value sooner, and to more people. Keep it simple. Learn what's valuable to users. Then deliver value on their terms.

If I were starting to work on a new subscription app today, here are five things I'd be sure to focus on. After working on monetization for dozens of apps—from early MVPs to 7-figure ARR—I’ve learned what actually drives upgrades, retention, and LTV. Most of these lessons came from failed tests, leaky funnels, and trial-and-error pricing. 1️⃣ Seasonal apps need seasonal pricing psychology. Insight: For apps with peak seasons (e.g. Dec-Jan), retention plummets in the off-season—but perceived value doesn’t have to. Takeaway: Experiment with short-term plans or in-app purchases to match user behavior, not just subscription cycles. 2️⃣ A paywall is a landing page—optimize it like one. Insight: If users drop-off even after tapping “Start Trial.” That’s a trust gap. Takeaway: Test copy, proof, risk reducers, and benefit framing like you would in paid ads. 3️⃣ High refund rates often mask deeper trust issues. Insight: A 3%+ refund rate isn’t just about price. It’s often tied to unmet expectations, vague trial terms, or unclear cancellation flows. Takeaway: Improve how you set expectations—before you try to improve how you monetize them. 4️⃣ Don't split personas by demographics—split them by intent and usage. Insight: For travel apps, “trip planners” and “professional drivers” may both be 45+ and in the US, but their motivations differ dramatically. Takeaway: Segmenting by usage frequency and purpose leads to sharper messaging, better feature prioritization, and smarter monetization. 5️⃣ Cancel reasons are gold mines, not graveyards. Insight: Users who cancel and say the app wasn’t “needed.” That’s not churn—it’s unmet value. Takeaway: Use cancellation reasons to build smarter winback campaigns, improve onboarding, and reshape feature messaging. I share practical growth lessons from the field—no fluff, just findings. Let’s connect or drop a comment with your biggest growth “aha moment.” Follow me 👉🏻 Alice Muir Kocourková #SubscriptionOptimization #SubscriptionStack #Subscription #PLG #MobileGrowth #Monetization

80% of DTC brands get replenishment timing wrong, killing their profits. The "every 30 days" approach is bleeding your business dry. Because here's the brutal truth about your customers: Your customers don't repurchase in perfect 30-day cycles. → They forget to use your product some days → They apply more/less than recommended amounts → Their budgets fluctuate month-to-month → They stockpile during sales events We regularly see brands assuming their customers will reorder every 30 days, when actual repurchase cycles are often significantly longer. This disconnect creates a massive gap in your customer communication. Sending reminders when they're not ready to buy simply trains them to ignore your messages. The solution isn't complex, but it requires precision: 1. Track median (not mean) time between orders → Segment by product category → Segment by lifecycle stage (1st to 2nd purchase, 2nd to 3rd, etc.) → Remove outliers that skew your data 2. Build custom replenishment sequences based on consumption patterns → Time first reminder at 80% of median repurchase window → Schedule follow-ups at increasing frequency → Personalise messaging based on purchase history 3. Implement progressive optimisation → Test messaging that encourages consistent usage → Introduce subscription options at optimal moments → Incrementally reduce time between orders 4. Prioritise subscription experiences → Create VIP treatment for subscribers → Implement skip/pause options to reduce churn → Build automated win-back sequences specific to churned subscribers Your highest-value customers aren't the ones buying every 30 days because you told them to. They're the ones whose buying patterns YOU'VE adapted to. And subsequently optimised.

We’re officially halfway through Q1—which means your subscription business has been running long enough to start spotting real trends. But here’s the problem: too many brands only look at surface-level data. If you’re just checking revenue or subscriber count and calling it a day, you’re missing the bigger picture. Your early Q1 data holds the key to how the rest of the year will go—if you know where to look. Here are three critical subscription metrics you should be checking right now: 1️⃣ Are You Losing the Right or Wrong Subscribers? Subscriber churn isn’t just a number—it’s a signal. If people are canceling, you need to know why before it spirals. 🔹 Healthy churn: Some customers were always going to leave. Seasonal buyers, gift recipients, and one-time deal hunters aren’t long-term subscribers. Their exit isn’t a problem. 🔹 Unhealthy churn: If your best-fit subscribers (those who should love your product) are canceling at higher rates, it’s time to dig deeper. Are they confused about your value? Frustrated with your experience? Not seeing results fast enough? 💡 Fix it: → Run cancellation surveys that get specific reasons. → Test new win-back flows (discounts, pausing, alternative products). → Look at time-to-first-value—how quickly are customers seeing results? 2️⃣ Are You Getting the Right Subscribers—Or Just More of Them? More subscribers isn’t always better if you’re attracting the wrong kind. ❌ Red flag: If your CAC (customer acquisition cost) is rising, but those customers aren’t sticking, you have an acquisition problem. ✅ Green flag: If LTV (lifetime value) is rising alongside your subscriber count, you’re getting high-intent, sticky customers. 💡 Fix it: → Review which offers and acquisition channels bring in long-term subscribers vs. deal seekers. → Test front-end pricing adjustments to filter out low-intent customers. → Shift ad messaging from discounts to value-first positioning. 3️⃣ Are You Maximizing Revenue Per Subscriber? If your average order value (AOV) or lifetime value (LTV) isn’t improving, you’re missing revenue opportunities. ✅ Great subscription brands don’t just keep customers—they maximize what each subscriber is worth. 💡 Fix it: → Upsell smartly—are you offering bundles or add-ons at checkout? → Test premium tiers—some customers will happily pay more for VIP treatment. → Use email to drive repeat purchases—win-back and upgrade flows are low-hanging fruit.

If you are a subscription brand and you don’t set the right expectations in the first 30, 60, 90, 120 days… Don’t be surprised when customers bail. They’re not saying “it’s too expensive” because of the price. They’re saying it because they don’t see the value. Your post-purchase flow should do more than confirm the order. It should: - Build routine.  - Reinforce the “why.” - And remind them they made the right call. Test everything. Frequency, CTAs, landing pages. Not every email needs to scream “Manage Your Subscription,” but don’t try and hide the button either. Get the balance right, and watch your churn reduce.