Crafting an excellent checkout experience is a must for any subscription business. Get it right, and your new subscribers will enjoy a hassle-free sign-up process. Get it wrong, though, and you might struggle to win as many subscriptions as you’d like.
So, how do you nail your subscription checkout experience? It’s not easy — but it’s definitely doable. In this short but sweet post, we’ll look at everything you need to incorporate into your subscription checkout to create a great process for your subscribers.
5 things that the best checkout experiences have in common
Sign up with some of the top subscription companies, and you might notice that they offer the best checkout experiences. But what makes them stand out?
Here are five of their common traits to inspire you.
1. They offer options
Options are a major part of any solid checkout experience. More than 60% of online companies started to upgrade their checkout processes in the wake of the pandemic, and one major reason was that over half of consumers wanted extra payment options.
If you offer new subscribers just one or two payment methods, you risk chasing them off to a more flexible competitor. You’re limiting yourself unnecessarily. The same applies to currencies and languages.
Open up your subscription business to a bigger audience, and you might just see your new sign-ups grow.
2. They’re frictionless
Keep your entire website experience seamless and simple, from that first click-through to the subscription confirmation.
Put yourself in a potential subscriber’s shoes when they land on your site. Is it easy to navigate? Are your menus laid out clearly? Is all information conveyed through text, or do you include some colourful visuals, too?
New subscribers should be able to breeze through your site, find your subscription checkout, and subscribe quickly. What does that look like in action? Check out your top competitors for inspiration.
3. They have abandoned basket capabilities
Not everyone who comes to your site will subscribe straight away. Some will leave because they’re on the fence or something came up. Maybe they had a call to answer, got distracted, and forgot to return.
But don’t worry — you can use abandoned basket capabilities to recapture potential subscribers. That’s what subscription businesses with the best checkout experiences do.
A quick email could remind these users that they’re so close to completing their subscription and bring them back to your site.
4. They align with the company’s branding and user experience
Give potential subscribers a slick, cohesive experience while they browse every page on your site — including your subscription checkout.
It can be jarring if you send them to a checkout that looks and feels completely out of sync with the rest of your site. They might wonder if they’re still on the right site and maybe even question your subscription business’s credibility enough and risk of fraud to go elsewhere.
So, keep your site on-brand throughout the subscriber’s journey to the checkout.
5. They give subscribers all the information they need
Subscribers shouldn’t have to scour every page of your site for essential details. And they shouldn’t have to contact your support team for answers, either.
Make sure you offer up all the critical information subscribers might needas you guide them to the subscription checkout. Tell them:
- How much their recurring payments will be
- When you collect payments
- What plans you offer
- Which payment methods you accept
- How to cancel
When you’re transparent with information, your subscribers won’t be distracted during the checkout process and they’re less likely to leave. And in some jurisdiction, it's mandatory to give those information.
Create a great subscription checkout experience for your subscription business
Giving your subscribers a smooth checkout experience is essential. Take the time to build an excellent subscription checkout process, and you’ll be better positioned to secure new subscribers.
Limio, a startup in London, makes building the best checkout experiences easy. Build a custom checkout for your subscription business, ideal for physical or digital subscriptions, freemiums or paid trials, and more.
Request your demo to see how Limio works today!