Dose #79: Data Insights with Trevor Crump

Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

I regularly mention the importance of post-purchase survey tools as being critical to any successful subscription offering. In this week’s dose, I interviewed Trevor Crump, the creator of Bestie AI. Trevor’s vast experience in the ecommerce space as a founder, operator, growth marketer, and technologist brings some powerful insights into what happens when you know your customer better. Plus, we end with a nice tip to sell more on BFCM.

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November 9th, 2pm EST - even if you can’t make it, sign up for the recording. I know the 3 tips I’m dropping will give you an immediate lift to fulfillment and making the most of unsold inventory.

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Hope to see you Thursday!

Reading too much already? This week’s dose is also on our podcast:

This week’s podcast dose is also an interview with Trevor Crump about what you can do with more data from your customers.

Learning More About Your Customers

One of the significant challenges in ecommerce is finding out more about your customers. Sure, there is data Google Analytics or Shopify can provide you, but most ecom teams are run lean. There isn’t much free time you can spend researching, interviewing, or running focus groups.

One of the things Trevor noticed early on working at companies like Asher Golf and Fawn Design, is that every brand claims to know their customers, but only some talk to them. Getting into the why behind the purchase is a significant advantage.

When Trevor ran marketing at Fawn Design - a brand famous for their diaper bags - they spent a lot of money on content. They assumed that moms bought their bags because of how great they looked, so they invested a lot in creative and photography that highlighted the beauty of the bags. Like trips to Europe to create content expensive.

When they started surveying customers on why they bought from Fawn Design, only 8% selected the look of the bags. The #1 response was how the bag functioned. Trevor and his team ditched the fancy photo shoots and got in a studio highlighting how the bag worked.

What People Can Tell You in a Survey

While there is an inherent bias to surveys (only people who like giving feedback take them, for example), you can uncover some marketing gold when you implement them.

Consider these two examples. One generic, and another influenced by feedback in surveys that a lot of your customers are new moms:

1. Our sleep gummies help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

2. Are you a new mom? Our sleep gummies are designed to maximize the time you’re asleep so you can feel more rested throughout the day.

Which do you think is more impactful?

Furthermore, you can learn why customers haven’t subscribed to your product yet, especially on a second or third purchase. This information lets you enhance your offer and address weaknesses in how you’re trying to sell it.

Something else Trevor has found with surveys is asking people questions related to price. When given the option about what made the product the most appealing, when customers aren’t selecting price but other features instead, you could potentially charge more for your product without hurting conversions.

Run Data Surveys More Often

While everyone should run post-purchase surveys, tools like Bestie AI and KnoCommerce let you email surveys, too.

Finding a common drop-off point, like month 2 of a subscription? Sending an NPS survey (rank from 1-10) asking, “Would you recommend this product to a friend or family member?” on day 45 can give you insights into what is happening.

Anyone scoring a six or below can be shown follow-up questions about what went wrong. Someone scoring a 7 or 8 can be asked what you could do better. Anyone with a 9 or 10 could be sent a referral code! This arms your team with information you can use to improve the subscription experience actively.

A Deep Cut to Drive Up LTV

Trevor’s work through his agency and on his brands has uncovered a tactic that drives up LTV significantly. The idea is that every brand has that one hero product, or the ‘leading lady’ as he calls it. The trick is putting in upsells and offers at checkout and in the first few months of a subscription to get customers to buy one more thing.

The goal here is not just to boost AOV but to have the customer commit more to the brand. When a customer buys a second product, they are not only worth more, but they last longer on a subscription.

For example, when someone selects the ‘leading lady’ protein powder, you can upsell with “Most People that Bought this also Bought X.” You can create upsells within a survey by asking them what other products they would be interested in.

Trevor’s Big BFCM Tip

The tactic Trevor loves the most right now is pushing two BFCM specials and two of the reasons will make sense, but the third is a hidden gem.

First, running two BFCM specials means that you will have some customers who missed out on the first one, who were concerned they wouldn’t get a great offer, and immediately buy so they won’t miss out a second time.

Second, running a BFCM special earlier in the month means lowered ad and acquisition costs, making those customers more profitable.

Finally, if you have a dialed-in fulfillment operation, then anyone who can get that first purchase delivered before the second BFCM sale happens will have a chance to buy a product. You can market aggressively to those customers to try a subscription!

The Data Wrap-Up

I hope you’ve found some no-brainer reasons to start collecting more data from your customers. Cheaper than a focus group and easier than calls or hounding customers for interviews, surveys can give you powerful insights to grow your brand.

With subscriptions, this is even truer, as the typical subscriber is more open to giving feedback because of the commitment that goes into a subscription. Don’t miss out on that opportunity!

That’s it for this week’s dose! If you want to hear more from Trevor, I highly suggest following him on Instagram or checking out his Unstoppable Marketer podcast.

Stay tuned for Dose #80 next Tuesday!

- Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc