Article · Subscription boxes
How do I stop subscription box members cancelling on Shopify?
In Supr Bundle & Subscription App > Grow > Cancellation flows, list four to six reasons and give each one its own counter-offer: a discount, a skip, a pause, a different frequency or a delayed charge. A cooldown stops the same customer claiming offers over and over, and subscribers who still want to leave can cancel as normal.
Who this is for: For subscription box owners who are losing members and want to answer each reason for cancelling with a fitting offer.
Five reasons and the offer that fits each
| Reason a subscriber gives | Response type | The offer |
|---|---|---|
| Too expensive | Offer a discount or reward | 20% off the next 3 orders (Applies for (orders): 3) |
| I have too much at home | Skip next order | Skip the next box and keep the subscription |
| I need a break | Suggest pausing | Pause now and come back later, with a pause limit you set |
| I use it less often | Change delivery frequency | Move from monthly to every 2 months |
| I am away or between projects | Delay next charge | Push the next charge back and keep the subscription |
Best practice is 4 to 6 reasons, plus an optional Other with a free-text comment. The reasons above are examples; use the ones your own members give.
Build it
- In Shopify, open Supr Bundle & Subscription App > Grow and open Cancellation flows. The first time, the app creates a Default cancellation flow, switched off.
- Open the flow. If it has no reasons yet, pick a template: Standard retention flow, Aggressive retention, Minimal or Start from scratch.
- In Step 1: Ask for a reason, add your reasons. Turn on Collect additional free-text comments if you want a text field, and Ask for more detail on a reason where you need one.
- For each reason, tick Add a counter-offer for this reason, choose the Response type, and write the Message and Button label the member will see.
- Optionally, in Step 2: Suggest alternatives, turn on Suggest pausing instead, Suggest skipping the next order and Suggest changing delivery frequency.
- Optionally, in Step 3: Confirm cancellation, turn on Show a final confirmation screen, Show accumulated value summary (savings, orders and rewards so far) and Warn about losing loyalty rewards.
- Use Preview at the top of the editor to see it as a member will, then set Status to Active and click Save.
A flow also needs the matching permission on Settings > Customer portal: Cancel subscriptions. Suggestions only appear when the portal allows that action: with Pause subscriptions off, members are never offered a pause, not even inside the cancellation flow.
How a flow discount adds up
When a member accepts a discount offer it is added to their subscription straight away, with nothing to enter. It stacks with the subscription discount: the flow discount comes off the price they already pay. For a $40 product with a 10% subscription discount, the member pays $36; a 20% flow discount brings it to $28.80 for the orders you chose.
A Free product or Gift card reward is given after the member's next successful order, so it cannot be claimed and then cancelled straight away.
Stop the same member claiming every offer
- Cooldown between incentives (days) in Incentive limits is 30 days unless you change it. A discount cannot be re-triggered by cancelling again right away.
- The cooldown applies to the subscription as a whole, across the cancellation and pause flows, so a member who accepts a discount on the way out will not also get a reactivation discount until it has passed.
- Under a counter-offer, click Show this offer only to some customers to target it by Orders placed, Next order total, Customer tags or Shipping countries. A member has to match every field you fill.
After they cancel, and how to measure it
- Win-back emails follow a cancellation: a 14 day check-in, a 30 day email that can carry a one-time discount, and a 60 day final one. By default they go only to members who cancelled from the portal.
- Performance on each flow shows the last 30 days: the Save rate, Attempts and Cancellations. The Cancellation reasons card on Analytics breaks down every reason across the store, and each subscription's Timeline shows the reason that member chose.
Questions
How many cancellation reasons should I offer?
Best practice is 4 to 6, plus an optional Other reason with a free-text comment.
Do flow discounts stack with the subscription discount?
Yes. The flow discount is taken off the price the member already pays, which already includes the subscription option's discount.
Can the same member claim a discount over and over?
No. The cooldown between incentives, 30 days by default, applies to the subscription across both flows.
What if the member still wants to cancel?
The cancellation completes as normal after the steps you set up.
Every setting is covered in the help center: Cancellation and pause flows.
Choosing an app for a craft or hobby club? See the best Shopify subscription app for a craft or hobby club.
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