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Subscription programs that survive the honeymoon

Why most subscription churn is baked in at onboarding, and the mechanics that keep cohorts alive past month three.

Mar 20266 min readBy Ecommerce Consultant

Churn is an onboarding problem

By the time a customer cancels in month three, the decision was usually made in week one. Onboarding sets the expectation of value.

The three mechanics that matter

Skip, swap, and pause. Programs that make these easy retain dramatically longer than programs that treat them as escape hatches.

Key takeaways

  • 01Month-three churn is decided in week one.
  • 02Make skip, swap, and pause first-class, not hidden.
  • 03Measure retention on cohorts, never on blended churn.
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