Dose #139: Scaling Subscription Success

Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

Few subscription brands have seen the success of Scentbird, a monthly perfume subscription. In this week’s dose, we dive into some of the things that have made them successful, starting with their tech stack, unifying their growth and retention teams, and finally owning their own fulfillment.

This week’s dose is also a full interview podcast with Andrei Rebrov, the CTO and cofounder of Scentbird! 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 provide 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.

Subscription Prescription: Scaling Smart—Lessons from Scentbird’s Tech Evolution

Hey there,

This week, I had an incredible conversation with Andre Riov, CTO and co-founder of Scentbird. As someone who’s been deep in the trenches of the subscription business for over a decade, he had a ton of valuable insights about scaling, technology, and customer experience. And here’s the thing—subscription businesses aren’t just about marketing and retention; the right tech foundation can make or break your growth.

Let’s get into it.

1. Subscription Success Starts with Solid Infrastructure

Running a subscription business isn’t just about getting customers to sign up—it’s about delivering the right experience every single time. And that starts with having a reliable subscription management platform.

Scentbird’s approach? They’ve been using Recurly for years because, as Andre put it, "it just works." And that’s the key takeaway—whatever platform you’re using, it needs to be:

• Reliable: When you’re billing thousands (or millions) of subscribers, errors aren’t an option.

• Flexible: Your system should adapt to your unique needs—whether that’s custom billing logic, retention workflows, or integrations with your fulfillment partner.

• Scalable: As your subscriber count grows, your platform should keep up without slowing you down.

If your subscription platform feels like it’s holding you back, it’s time to reassess.

2. Balancing Growth and Retention—It’s One Team’s Job

One of the biggest mistakes I see subscription brands make is siloing their growth and retention efforts. You bring customers in the door with discounts and promotions, but if you’re not thinking long-term about their experience, churn will eat away at your revenue.

Scentbird learned this the hard way. Initially, they had separate teams with different KPIs for acquisition and retention. The result? Growth teams focused on cheap traffic, which led to low-quality subscribers and higher churn. Now, their entire strategy is built around one core metric—lifetime value (LTV).

Here’s what they focus on:

• Customer quality over quantity. Not all traffic is good traffic. Avoid over-relying on discount-driven affiliate channels that churn fast.

• Data-driven decisions. With the right analytics, you can optimize for high-LTV channels and spend more confidently.

• Consistency in offers. Whether it's social ads or email campaigns, maintaining a unified message helps prevent confusion and supports retention.

The takeaway? Make sure your growth and retention strategies are working toward the same goal—sustainable, long-term value.

3. Fulfillment: The Overlooked Growth Lever

If you’re not thinking about fulfillment as a core part of your retention strategy, you’re missing out. Customers don’t just want their products; they expect them on time, in perfect condition, and with a smooth experience from checkout to doorstep.

Scentbird took their fulfillment in-house in 2019, giving them full control over speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency. They strategically batch orders, optimizing warehouse operations and reducing shipping costs—all while delivering better customer experiences.

A few things to consider if you're looking to level up your fulfillment:

• In-house vs. 3PL: If you have the volume, owning fulfillment can give you tighter control and better margins.

• Timing matters: Charging subscribers in waves can streamline operations and improve cash flow.

• Partnerships count: Even if you use a third-party logistics (3PL) partner, finding one that aligns with your growth goals (like Scentbird’s partner, Stored) can make a huge impact.

If fulfillment feels like an afterthought in your business, it’s time to treat it as a strategic advantage.

There’s a lot to take away from Scentbird’s journey, but the common thread? Smart scaling requires a balance of great technology, operational efficiency, and a customer-first mindset.

What’s one part of your subscription business you know you need to optimize this year? Hit reply and let me know.

Live Subscription Workshop at SubSummit

Tired of conference sessions that don’t get into subscription specifics?

Want to know what other brands are doing to impact LTV?

Are you going to SubSummit this year?

Then this workshop is for you because Subscription Prescription is hitting the road this year! We’ll be LIVE at the Sheraton in Dallas as part of SubSummit, with this unique event just for you. Come hang out and LEARN with us.

Pre-register to get updates on the event!

That’s it for this week’s dose! Stay tuned for #140 out next Tuesday!

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc