Majority of Subscription Service Users Prefer Email Communications, Study Finds

A recent study from Digitas sheds light on the subscription service categories that consumers consider to be the most valuable—that is, beneficial, useful, and/or helpful. It also identifies ways that marketers can connect with customers in the subscription economy.

The study—which surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults, more than 1,400 of whom currently have a subscription—found that TV/movie subscription services are considered the most valuable by consumers, with 74 percent saying so. Music came in second at 45 percent, with gaming (26 percent), grocery (23 percent), and transportation (20 percent) rounding out the top five.

The study also identifies the channels that subscribers prefer subscription companies to use for communications. Digitas found that the majority of subscribers—68 percent—prefer to hear from their subscription companies via email, with 23 percent ,17 percent, and 15 percent saying the same respectively for text messages, ads on social media platforms, and TV ads. By contrast, 9 percent said that they prefer to receive push notifications from subscription companies, and just 3 percent said that they prefer to hear from their subscription companies via chat bots. Nevertheless, the study found that maintaining communication in a subscription relationship is important, as just 8 percent of consumers said that they prefer not to hear from their subscription companies after they’ve subscribed.

Furthermore, the study advises subscription companies is not to abandon consumers after they subscribe. Digitas found lack of use to be the top reason other than cost that consumers unsubscribe. With this in mind, the study suggests that marketing teams distribute helpful related content, and work with product teams to communicate new features and benefits.