Thinking outside the box: How to make your subscription service stand out

In today's ecommerce industry, anything and everything can be found online. Over the past few years, subscription-based companies have become popular among consumers. These businesses saw a need for specific products and services delivered in an efficient way and bit the bullet. It's crucial for organizations to highlight their unique qualities in such a concentrated market. Here's how subscription retailers can think outside of their own box and make their operation truly stand out:

Add social proof
Consumers interested in a particular subscription company want to make sure the operation is trustworthy before spending their hard-earned money. While recommendations from friends and family are still the most credible form of advertising for customers, according to Nielsen, social proof can also help. Entrepreneur suggested leveraging these types of support via client reviews, user-generated content, implementation of action-based buttons and celebrity endorsements, if possible.

By enabling people to like or favorite certain products, consumers can see just how well a subscription retailer's offerings meet their needs and wants – which leads us to our next point.

Understand the consumer's world
People have to grasp an organization's products, services and overall credibility before pulling the trigger. Subscription businesses have a similar responsibility. These companies need to understand how they fit into a client's world, according to Inc. magazine. Ask customers to share how items help make their life easier or put a smile on someone's face. Gaining this creative feedback enables subscription retailers to formulate a stronger relationship with customers and become an extension of people's lives.

Develop a clear-cut niche
Some organizations may think expanding their operation means coming up with additional products or services to market to their consumers. That simply isn't true. Instead, subscription businesses need to develop a clear-cut niche and stick to it. Enhancing current items to better fulfill customers' needs is a good place to start, but the key is sticking to the unique nature of the company. Of course, there's always room for improvement. So ask clients how to better the operation while also sticking to a particular concentration. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommended identifying the following important elements:

• The areas in which competitors are already well-established.
• The focuses that are being ignored by others in the industry.
• Potential opportunities for an operation to push ahead.

Offer efficient fulfillment
Although the aforementioned tips are big picture items, providing specific services within a subscription business can make the largest difference to consumers. Customers invest in these semi-frequent deliveries due to the products and the promised efficiency of the service. It's crucial, then, to maintain the success of this element of the business. Ensuring fulfillment is effective – meaning clients receive deliveries on time, to the right location and packages are complete and accurate – can improve overall satisfaction and brand loyalty. This alone may be enough to set a particular subscription box apart from a similar competitor in the industry.

SFG can make your subscription services a snap, not only for retailers but for customers themselves. Providing features including ecommerce fulfillment, order management technology and warehouse and distribution assistance, company leaders can ensure their clients are satisfied with their experience while adding a unique quality of care to the operation.