Add-on subscriptions make it possible to upsell to existing subscribers. They can be used when you want to offer customers something extra as an optional add-on to their existing subscription. For example, this could be a Saturday print newspaper for a customer who already has a digital subscription, or a subscription to another magazine in addition to the one they already subscribe to.
When are add-on subscriptions useful?
Add-on subscriptions can be a better option than having different products within the same campaign or separate subscriptions if:
you want to make it easy for subscribers to add or remove an add-on
you want to offer a discount to customers who have multiple subscriptions – the add-on subscription can be priced lower than a regular subscription
Creating add-on campaigns
Add-on campaigns are created in the same way as regular campaigns. The campaigns must contain the products that the add-on subscription provides access to. Existing campaigns can also be used as add-on campaigns.
As a general rule, it is beneficial for the duration of the add-on subscription to match the duration of the regular subscription, but it can also be shorter. For example, if you have a monthly subscription, it will typically make the most sense for the add-on subscription to also run for one month. If you have an annual subscription, the add-on can similarly run for a year or have a shorter subscription period if you do not want to commit the customer to the add-on for a full year.
Adding the add-on to regular campaigns
Once the add-on campaigns have been created, they can be added to the regular campaigns. This is done in the “Add-on subscription” field in the campaign settings.
You can link as many add-on campaigns as you want the customer to be able to choose from.
When linking an add-on campaign, you can choose whether it should be optional or required. Customers can choose to add an optional add-on campaign when placing an order or later through self-service, if this option is enabled. A required add-on campaign, on the other hand, becomes a fixed part of the subscription and cannot be deselected either when ordering or later through self-service.
When creating campaign flows with add-on subscriptions, you should – as with group campaigns – make sure to maintain continuity between the campaigns. If campaign 1 continues to campaign 2, add-on campaign 1 must likewise continue to add-on campaign 2 or also be added to campaign 2.
Synchronization
You can choose whether the add-on campaign should be synchronized with the primary campaign. As a general rule, we recommend synchronizing the campaigns.
Benefits of synchronization:
The customer receives a single consolidated invoice.
You avoid inconsistencies in campaign flows when switching campaigns.
In some situations, however, it may be beneficial to disable synchronization:
If the primary campaign and the add-on campaign have different durations.
If the duration of the campaigns is defined by different parameters (issues vs. time).
Show in self-service
You can also choose whether the add-on subscription should be available through self-service. Add-on subscriptions that are not made available here can only be added by customer service staff.
Subscribers can manage their add-on subscriptions through self-service in the same way as regular subscriptions. For example, they can cancel the subscription or switch campaigns, to the extent permitted by the applicable business policy.
Finance and reporting
Add-on subscriptions are posted in the same way as regular subscriptions. They can subsequently be identified in reports by breaking down the data by campaign or invoice line text.