Explore every episode of the podcast SubscriptionX - The Subscriptions Economy in Retail and eCommerce

Recorded on site at the inaugural SubX World conference held in London this May. Avalara’s Sacha Wilson, SMOL’s Neil Campbell and Chargebee’s Tarmo van der Goot launch this brand new look at the subscription economy. 

DeliveryX editor Katie Searles asks the SubX World speakers and sponsors their experiences in this fast evolving market.

Covering home delivery subscriptions ranging from wonky veg to toilet paper; dog food to craft gin; and the various meal kits, as well as scheduled consumables. Internet Retailing’s Katie Searles and Avalara’s Louis Fitzpatrick hear from The Cheese Geek and Origin Coffee as they stress the importance of technology and understanding your customer for product subscription success

Mark Scott, co-founder of Bella & Duke, visits the booth to tell Shakti Bharath, VP of Solution Consulting, Chargebee and Katie Searles how he built a subscription business from the love of pets. Inspired by an interest in wellness, and the raw food movement, Scott took his subscription business from zero to £50mn and profitability. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• Learning how to fail…fast
• The death curve, and how to avoid it 
• Why achieving an R number greater than 1 is crucial for subscription businesses

Ammar Ahmed Qureshi, Director of Revenue CRM at Babbel, and Madhuri Narayana K, Director - Customer Success & Consulting at Chargebee, bring a wealth of experience to the booth. This episode not only covers Ammar’s current role at language-learning subscription Babbel, but also allows him to bring extensive knowledge from the telecommunications industry with key lessons to pass onto any subscription firm.

Discussion points in this episode:

• What subscriptions businesses can learn from telecom
• Why AI is the end of customer cohorts 
• Why traditional CRM strategies no longer meet the needs of subscription businesses
• How to future-proof a subscription business?

Marie Goddard, Director, Customer Experience and Loyalty Marketing at the FT brings her publishing experience to the booth, while Shane Mc Hugh, Enterprise Account Executive at Chargebee, explains what subscription retailers can learn from the banking industry. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• Why a cancelled subscription isn’t always the end
• How giving readers, or subscribers, choices that work for them can help build and maintain engagement 
• Is subscription even the best word for these services? Could Membership strike the right tone? 

A dress for a special occasion, a designer handbag, even curated wardrobes - this episode will look at how retailers are renting their fashion out. But it is not simply apparel that is rentable, we are joined in the studio by The Bike Club’s founder James Symes.

In this episode we will hear from natural deodorant company Wild who aim to transform the bathroom with a range of refillable products. Origin Coffee are also back to describe how physical stores (or coffee shops) can play their part in this refillable revolution.

Desi Reuben-Sealey, Senior Manager UX, Victorinox (Swiss Army Knife) joins Katie and Michael in the booth for a look at the importance of user experience - whether that is in a physical store; a direct-to-consumer offering or a subscription service.

Discussion points in this episode: 

• How can retailers ensure high quality user experience across multiple touch points
• Why excellent and on-going customer service is key to a legacy brand 
• The part brick and mortar stores have to play 
• Desi’s taste in watches 

Behind the microphones:

Desi Reuben-Sealey, Senior Manager UX, Victorinox:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireubensealey

Michael Smink, Strategic Growth Lead EMEA, Chargebee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-smink/

Katie Searles, Editor, InternetRetailing and DeliveryX:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-searles-522451132/

• (00:00) - Tempo: 120.0

Gemma Mills, CEO & founder of JOMO Club - a D2C membership featuring artisan alcoholic drink alternatives designed to promote the ‘Joy Of Missing Out’ - joins Katie and Hessell to discuss the inspiration behind her subscription business. 

Discussion points in this episode: 

• How entrepreneurial spirit helps when launching a new subscription
• Why events, and different seasons, are a key consideration when scaling a business 
• How to build a club or community of shoppers
• What lessons can be learnt along the way

Behind the microphones:

Gemma Mills, CEO & founder of JOMO Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmamills1

Hessel Mulder, Enterprise Account Executive at Chargebee

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hessel-mulder

Katie Searles, Editor, InternetRetailing and DeliveryX:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-searles-522451132/

• (00:00) - Tempo: 120.0

Katie and Sjoerd speak to James Hirst, Founder & Director, The Intelligent Brief, about its focus on using ML and AI to streamline and enhance the early stages of creative brainstorming and planning to increase efficiency in the creative process. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• The potential AI has to make running a subscription business more efficient
• Why now is the right time for retailers, of all sizes, to be thinking about AI 
• Why a re-education is needed
• Where should retailers and subscription companies be using caution around these advancements 

Behind the microphones: 

James Hirst, Founder & Director, The Intelligent Brief:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesahirst

Sjoerd Feenstra, Enterprise Account Executive at Chargebee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjoerd-feenstra/

Katie Searles, Editor, InternetRetailing and DeliveryX:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-searles-522451132/

• (00:00) - Tempo: 120.0

Kris Jacobs, Subscriptions Product Owner UK and Ireland, Specsavers, visits the booth for an honest discussion with Katie and Sam on replatforming and having the right technology – or technology partner. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• Specsavers 20-years of experience in the subscription space
• Working in partnership to build software that works for your team and customers
• The challenges of replatforming 
• How to continually move forward, and what is next for Specsavers’ Easycare service

Behind the microphones: 

Kris Jacobs, Subscriptions Product Owner UK and Ireland, Specsavers:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristian-jacobs-aa5aa419

Sam Quirke, Enterprise Account Executive at Chargebee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-quirke/

Katie Searles, Editor, InternetRetailing and DeliveryX:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-searles-522451132/

• (00:00) - Tempo: 120.0

Michael returns to the booth to cover collaboration and partnerships with Richard Sale CEO, Digital Fitness Division at The Original Fit Factory, previously of Peloton. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• How partnerships can be beneficial in reaching new customer bases, as well as helping with growing marketing costs
• Why there needs to be a recognisable connection between collaborative companies
• Ways to avoid diluting your brand message 
• How the fitness industry can deal with churn

Behind the microphones:

Richard Sale CEO, Digital Fitness Division at The Original Fit Factory:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-sale-3ba49a37/

Michael Smink, Strategic Growth Lead EMEA, Chargebee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-smink/

Katie Searles, Editor, InternetRetailing and DeliveryX:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-searles-522451132/

• (00:00) - Tempo: 120.0

Mohsen Ghasempour, Group AI Director at Kingfisher - the retail powerhouse behind B&Q, Screwfix and Castorama - joined Rabie Laib, Senior Solutions Expert (EMEA) Chargebee and Katie Searles to discuss why retailers and subscription brands don’t have to build AI tools from scratch - and how they can make the most of existing systems. 

Discussion points in this episode:

• Why “data is gold”
• Harnessing AI to build consumer-helping tools, and why Hello Casto is a game-changer for French DIY beginners
• Dealing with AI concerns 
• And operating in an omnichannel world