Dose #129: 5 Places Quality Makes a Difference in Retention

Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

Everyone knows quality is important. In this week’s dose, we dive into 5 places you can improve quality to improve retention for your brand. Starting with fulfillment, product, growth, communication, and branding, we find out something you can do for each.

This week’s dose is a full interview with Bryan MacDonald, the Head of Ecommerce at Oma’s Pride. One of our most fun episodes, so give it a listen on YouTube, Apple Podcast, or Spotify:

Fulfillment is a Critical Piece of the Subscription Puzzle

As you probably know I am a big fan of Legion Athletics. I’ve worked with them a long time, and talk about them often. But one of the best things about them, outside of their great products, is their complete subscription experience.

They have absolutely nailed their subscription fulfillment, and as we cover later on in this week’s dose, that’s a critical subscription touchpoint.

They’re able to nail fulfillment because of a company called Stord.

Stord is a commerce enablement company that operates fulfillment centers across the world and builds complementary technology to help reduce transportation costs, increase visibility, and provides Legion with the tools they need for an exemplary customer experience. It’s a fully integrated experience.

According to a study by Voxware, 14% of online shoppers will abandon your brand if they receive a late delivery just once. That means every shipment is a risk you may lose a customer completely if something goes wrong with your fulfillment.

Stord has specific processes and technology to aid subscription brands. If you’re looking for a better fulfillment partner, or curious about how better quality in your fulfillment will improve your retention, go learn more about Stord today.

Quality is the Reason They Stay

Every brand is chasing high LTV. There are a lot of different ways to do that, of course, and not every brand operates the same way. But what I’ve seen over and over again that quality trumps all the other gimmicks out there.

This week’s dose is all about how Oma’s Pride, a family owned business started in 1950, is crushing their online subscriber acquisition and retention. Courtesy of Bryan MacDonald who is one of my favorite people and a must-follow on Linked. He’s also the cohost of the ASOM Pod, one of my favorite ecom podcasts.

Bryan did our interview from their warehouse, so that’s where we’ll start reviewing all the places that quality is a driver for their retention program.

Quality Fulfillment

Every order is a potential retention point. With a product like raw pet food, how that product is shipped can make the difference between happy and very unhappy customers.

What’s more, is that losing control of that quality means a lost or late order is unrecoverable. Lost money. Plus the cost of reshipping it, if the customer even wants it.

So for Oma’s Pride, fulfillment isn’t just a process—it’s a key part of their customer experience. By keeping the process in-house and controlling each step, they stay nimble and responsive to customer needs, even when unexpected hurdles like hurricanes disrupt operations.

Tip for You: If outsourcing fulfillment, consider providers that understand your subscription’s unique needs (our friends at Stord are a great example). Look for systems that offer visibility and flexibility to manage order changes, delays, or customer requests without a hitch. Whether it’s internal or third-party, having reliable and adaptable fulfillment can set you apart in customers' minds.

Quality Product

At Oma’s Pride, the high retention rates don’t come just from well-timed emails or churn prevention tricks; it’s the quality of their product that’s doing the heavy lifting. Their commitment to quality means sourcing premium ingredients and being transparent about any potential disruptions.

For example, if a certain ingredient is delayed, Oma’s lets their customers know. This builds trust, and when customers see consistent benefits from using the product, they stick around.

Tip for You: Take an audit of your product quality and consistency. Subscription customers need to know they can rely on you month after month. Build confidence in your product with transparency—let customers know where their items come from, who makes them, and what makes them special.

Quality Growth

Oma’s Pride has been in retail a long time, both locally and nationally. They are known for their quality. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need to advertise to acquire new customers.

They value slow, profitable growth over hyper-growth. They focus on educating dog owners that have moved off of kibble on the benefits of raw pet food. They work on strengthening customer relationships and helping customers find the right fit for their pet.

Tip for You: If you’re considering growth strategies, weigh the value of quality, loyal subscribers over quantity. It’s tempting to focus on acquisition, but investing in slow growth can build the kind of loyalty that pays off in the long run, leading to high lifetime value customers who genuinely love your brand.

Quality Communication

One of the unique strategies Oma’s Pride employs is a highly personalized, long-term churn prevention email series. Each month, their subscribers receive a tailored email with actionable tips and engaging content, like dog training insights, making the experience of being an Oma’s Pride subscriber richer than simply receiving a product.

They spend time making sure you know all about what goes into the product and why. Some brands see this kind of communication as a potential for churn, but Oma’s Pride believes this is an opportunity to increase the lifetime value of every customer.

Tip for You: For subscription products with complex uses or benefits that develop over time, try a similar follow-up series. Educate your customers on maximizing their product’s value, and keep them engaged with unique, high-value content they can look forward to. This approach builds a sense of exclusivity and gives customers a reason to keep coming back.

Quality Brand

If you don’t know Bryan yet, he’s a character. He preaches (hard) that brands should have a personality. If you follow Oma’s Pride online, you’ll see that is true. Their personality is personal, with real people you can relate to, from the owners to warehouse workers to customer service.

This means their communications are from real people too. Their social media is personal. You know interacting with Oma’s Pride they’re people you can relate to.

Tip for You: Take stock of your brand’s voice. Are your emails, website, and customer service tone in line with your brand's personality? Infuse your communications with personality and authenticity—it strengthens connection and trust, and subscribers are more likely to stick around if they feel a connection with your brand.

Final Thoughts

With so many factors involved in growing a subscription brand, you can’t control everything. But the touchpoints we reviewed above are worth your attention. Invest time in educating customers, ensure the product is meeting your quality standards, and that the various places you interact with customers (CS, fulfillment, communication) are high quality.

The future retention of your subscribers may depend on it.

That’s it for this week’s dose! For some extra fun, don’t forget to checkout my friends over at the ASOM Pod. See you next Tuesday with dose #130!

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc