UK consumers spending £2bn a year on delivery subscription services

UK consumers are spending around £2bn every year on delivery subscription services and the demand shows no signs of slowing as the type of subscriptions on offer continues to grow, according to new research from Whistl.

According to the Whistl research, the most popular subscription service was Amazon Prime, with 61.4% of those who took part in the survey signed up to benefit from the service. Other popular subscriptions were revealed to be: Graze (12.3%), nextunlimited (9.7%), ASOS Premier (8.8%), Pact Coffee (8.5%) and Glossybox (7.8%).

The survey indicated that it isn’t just the retailer who benefits from the delivery subscription service; the consumer can also make significant savings. According to Whistl: “Amazon Prime alone can save those who subscribe up to £165 per year (on average) across the multiple platforms and offers they provide.”

Whistl added:  “In regards to the reasons behind signups to subscription services, the study revealed that both convenience (45%) and value for money (60%) were they key drivers behind them.

“Despite both of these elements, it does seem that 1 in 5 of those signed up to a subscription admitted to not making use of the benefits that come from the service.

“In turn, loyalty to such subscription services and those offering them is high amongst some consumers, as the findings highlighted that one in five Brits refuse to shop with retailers who do not offer them and almost half (48.9%) admit to buying items they wouldn’t have otherwise bought if they hadn’t had the subscription service.”

Melanie Darvall, Director of Marketing and Communications at Whistl, commented: “It’s great to see the popularity in monthly subscription services and how they are benefitting both businesses of all sizes and the consumers who sign up to them.

“It seems the key to making your subscription service a success is finding the balance and making your offering beneficial for both parties. Ensuring the quality of product or value of discount is high enough to make your customer base loyal and consider spending money outside of what is essentially a monthly “taster” service can certainly be a challenge, but once you’ve cracked that side of things, you’ll reap the rewards and hopefully retain a happy customer base.

“Of course, taking the leap and branching out to provide the subscription service to international customers has never been so easy and we are happy to work with customers to overcome the challenges associated with finding the right supplier. It’s all about building and maintaining that key relationship with a reliable business with seamless fulfilment and delivery – and luckily it doesn’t have to cost you or your customers a fortune.”

The full findings, graphics and methodology of the Whistl survey can be found at: https://www.whistl.co.uk/news/subscription-services-a-whistl-survey/