MANAGE logistics for flawless execution

It’s that time of the year. Shoppers gonna shop. Spenders gonna spend. And our prediction? This Black Friday 2024, subscriptions are your golden ticket.
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As public uncertainty looms, consumers are laser-focused on value—making this the perfect moment for subscription-first brands to take the spotlight.

We’ve pulled together insights from working with 3,000+ DTC brands. Dive into this actionable playbook and set up your brand to win this Black Friday Cyber Monday.

Go all out on acquisition

1. Customer experience that delights

Have you considered a festive upgrade with BFCM-specific themes and banners? Embrace the holiday spirit with themes like "Product of the Season" or "Season's Greetings." DTC brands have also found success by adding a countdown timer on their deals.

2. Strategic upselling

Upselling during BFCM is a no-brainer, but winning upsells are personalized and targeted. Our upsell engine enables precise targeting of different subscriber segments and tracks the data behind it all.
Leverage upsell banners to launch new products, announce an upcoming sale, and improve the customer experience. Some Loop merchants have acquired 15% of their subscription revenue with zero CAC, simply from strategic upselling.

3. Dynamic discounts for accelerated acquisition

Differentiate your subscription offerings and acquire more with dynamic discounting. For one-time buyers, offer 40% off on the first order, and 15% off on subsequent orders. For subscribers, offer 40% off on the first two orders, followed by a 20% discount on future orders. Incentivize hesitant shoppers to take the leap and start a subscription. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up through Loop’s selling plans.

"BFCM sales are a great way to get new subscribers. You can be aggressive with initial discounts or offers, but typically churn rates are high after the initial period. To get long-term subscribers from BFCM, you need a great initial offer AND a great follow-on offer.

A high discount followed by a gift offer on the second order will give you a better chance of keeping new subscribers engaged."

- Matt Holman, Subscription Prescription

4. Bundles for the win

Bundles are essential for cracking BFCM. Turn your most frequently bought-together products into fixed bundles. Emphasize the long-term savings that come with bundle subscriptions to attract new customers. As always, getting customers is good but getting subscribers is better.

"AOV is a key lever to growing subscriber LTV, and that's why bundles are literally a superpower for sales growth. During the sale season, you want to let users build a multi-item cart effortlessly - and offering static or dynamic bundles is the best way to do that. Across pretty much every vertical, bundles consistently show 2-3x AOV increases on the first purchase, and every subscription order after."

- Andriy Rudnyk, Good Subscription Agency

5. Frictionless shopping with checkout links

Reducing friction will take your conversions through the roof. Try Loop’s single-click checkout links to make the cart experience as seamless as possible. Remember, in the competitive holiday shopping environment, a quick checkout process can be the difference between a completed sale and an abandoned cart.

Build a VIP experience

1. Send free gifts to loyal customers

During the holiday season, customer churn often peaks as shoppers seek the highest value deals. Your best bet is to cultivate stronger relationships with existing customers. One way to do this is by adding free gifts to current subscriptions - easily automated using Loop’s bulk actions. Also consider basing these rewards on subscribers’ loyalty points, tenure, or overall spending.

2. Show off upcoming goodies

Inform subscribers about upcoming rewards through visually striking banners. Whether you’re offering discounts at different milestones or exclusive access, keeping them informed increases engagement and retention.

3. Exclusive member-only deals

Your relationship with subscribers doesn’t end at checkout. Use the upsell ribbon to highlight member-only deals. You can also personalize each user’s experience here based on their preferences, order history, and other attributes.

4. Surprise and delight where it matters

Creating a delightful unboxing experience can surprise and engage subscribers. Consider including their names on product packaging or sending custom inserts to enhance the experience.

Customize your customer portal.

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Win back lost subscribers

1. Segment and conquer past subscribers

Segment your inactive subscribers into specific groups based on their cancellation reasons, which can be collected from an exit survey. This targeted approach enables you to create reactivation campaigns tailored to each segment's unique needs.

"Prospect aggressively—bring in fresh leads and customers, because they’re the ones likely to shop your BFCM promotion, not someone unfamiliar with your brand who sees a random ad on Facebook."

- Devyn Merklin, Founder at X-Scale

2. Compelling win-back campaigns

With your inactive subscribers segmented, it's time to offer incentives that will re-engage these customers. Easily sync customer data from Loop to Klaviyo, and launch highly targeted win-back campaigns based on their reasons for cancellation. Simplify the process to reactivate, resume, and add products to the subscription using Campaign Action Links.
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"Customers that you've already paid to acquire are inundated with brand messaging and offers during BFCM, so it is imperative that you stand out from the masses with surprise and delight experiences. I suggest investing in retention in order to spend less to re-acquire a buyer, and a great way to do this is by sending a personalized postcard to your lapsed buyers. Segmenting based on RFM data and testing cohorts in advance of the shopping season allows you to unlock bigger and better wins throughout the holidays."

- Ben Walter, Head of Partnerships, Post Pilot

3. Localize your SMS notifications

Don’t forget to localize your notifications, especially for international customers. Sending reminders in their preferred language will help make your reachouts more effective and resonate on a personal level.

Cut down subscriber churn

1. Run special discounts for loyal subscribers

Making customers feel valued is the first step to reducing churn. By displaying custom banners, you can inform current subscribers about the exclusive discounts available to them if they continue their subscriptions.
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2. Make card updates seamless

Tackle involuntary churn head-on by offering in-app card updates, making it easy for customers to keep their payment details current. But don't stop there. Use personalized discounts to reward subscribers for updating their information. Gamify every aspect of the subscriber journey.
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3. Induce FOMO with cancellation flows

Every customer is different, and so is their cancellation reason. With Loop's cancellation flows, you can display tailored messages based on their specific reason. Remind them of the subscription benefits they might miss out on. FOMO is real; use it to your advantage.
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4. Cart abandonment flows

Tap into the Loop and Klaviyo integration to run cart abandonment flows. Notify your customers with "Selling out fast" or "Only 4 left in stock" messages across channels, leading them to a completed purchase.

Manage logistics for flawless execution

1. Handle out-of-stock events easily

Ran out of stock? It happens. You have the option to only send the available products with Loop’s partial billing.
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2. Predict inventory in advance

Plan ahead using inventory forecasts. No need to complicate your tech stack with full-fledged inventory apps. Instead, Loop's built-in forecasting helps you stay organized.
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3. Stay on top of comms