Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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I have noticed a big switch in a lot of business models recently towards subscriptions. In computers, the first experience I had of it was with Adobe that stopped selling PhotoShop, but now only allows you to subscribe to it on a monthly basis. That model is now getting replicated in more and more businesses. It obviously always existed in newspapers and magazines, but it did not use to exist in razors and shaving creams with a number of companies now sending you a monthly box with some shaving cream and some new blades for your razor. That is extended to companies like Stance who sell trendy socks and now would send you 2 or 3 pairs of socks once a month or every 3 months, depending on which you choose, with a variety of their new design socks. It is also becoming the trend in apps – many of them now no longer just sell you the app, but you take a licence for one year and I think that will become the huge trend in dating apps as well. Amongst the apps that I use that already do this are GolfShot as well as Strava, an app which I use for running and riding my bike that tells me how far I have run, measures my heart rate against that and measures the elevation, amongst other things. It also updates you as to what your friends have done on that particular day and lets you know how fast your time is for that particular stretch of the road compared to other people who have ridden or run that stretch of the road that day.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 28-May-18
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Comments
Jadine Esterhuizen said:
on Tuesday 07-Aug-18 07:51 AM
For any business it is necessary to maintain a good client/customer base but in doing so they are losing out because of having to subscribe and going through the whole process of filling in details whether its just to download a song, reading a specific article in an online magazine or any editing apps.
Ashleigh said:
on Friday 08-Jun-18 04:29 PM
I don't subscribe to anything. I do not want be held down to anything.
Tersia said:
on Wednesday 06-Jun-18 08:08 AM
I am subscribed to Apple Music, which is monthly and do not regret signing up at all. I never about the socks that can we delivered every month if you subscribe to it. That quite interesting, maybe a good thing I don't know about these things. I guess they should try every now and again to get more money out of somethings.
Sinead said:
on Monday 04-Jun-18 09:16 AM
Ahhhhh I hate when I see "subscribe now and get the first month free" sort of thing. It's great for the business, but for me it's just a little bit annoying. They obviously need to make money somehow. And to some extent I guess it works out cheaper for us in the end.
I can't believe the amount of things we have to subscribe to these days. But the problem comes in when we try to cancel or unsubscribe.
Helen said:
on Monday 04-Jun-18 07:47 AM
I would say that this is very cleaver marketing way to raise the profits and keep the database full with the customers. If the debit order runs it self every month and the company does not have to spend so much on following up on existing customers than the income is there.
Jadine Richards said:
on Friday 01-Jun-18 02:29 PM
Its a smart way to keep your customers I suppose. I like the convenience of subscriptions for the shaving cream for example. I would like to be able to subscribe monthly to things like my toiletries or staple groceries like milk.
Thabitha said:
on Friday 01-Jun-18 08:35 AM
There is lots of apps some of them you don't even use them put you are paying for them.
Zindy said:
on Friday 01-Jun-18 08:03 AM
I do not have any subscriptions with anybody however it is a clever marketing tactic to send clients 'gifts' which probably gets included in the price they are paying anyways.
Liz said:
on Thursday 31-May-18 03:41 PM
This is a very good business idea as it ensures a steady flow of sales for a long period of time. Apps such as Deezer are also doing this and I'm sure are making a lot of money out of it.
Daniella said:
on Thursday 31-May-18 09:09 AM
It's actually a great idea, because instead of getting money once off you getting money every month for a term- which I'm sure is bounded by the T's & C's- I've noticed that music apps also now have a monthly installment of R70 which for Iphone users it works out great.
Megan said:
on Wednesday 30-May-18 11:04 AM
The more apps created, the more money made, the more companies grow and the more society transforms peoples way of thinking and living. Apps teaching you how to eat, exercise, socialize, sleep and next probably how to breath.
Sarah said:
on Wednesday 30-May-18 09:34 AM
I have not subscribe to anything and there is always a new and better app than the one you are using because there was a fault with the old one and or someone saw a better way to improve the app make it more reliable
brumilde said:
on Tuesday 29-May-18 09:14 AM
I am sure marketing will always come up with innovative ways of selling things. Either you can use old ways or come up with new ways and see what works and what doesnt. I am sure the marker will move in that direction as advised above as most these days the most ways they get their branding through is by adverts in everything.
Bianca N said:
on Monday 28-May-18 03:01 PM
This is a good way to keep the consumers and probably make more profit, assuming that they enjoy the app and keep the subscription every month in stead of paying for it once and using it for a few years.
Jessica Apfel said:
on Monday 28-May-18 01:49 PM
What a way to secure return business - I wonder how difficult it would be to cancel the subscription if your financial position should change? Is it as difficult as getting out of a gym contract for instance? It may be convenient in the sense that you don't have to keep buying it, month in and month out and I am sure that the subscription would be at a fixed initial rate.
Alexis said:
on Monday 28-May-18 01:42 PM
The world is forever evolving and before you know it, you may not even recognize it anymore. Everyone is trying new tactics in order to give more to their consumers or trying to allure more consumers in what they offer. I mean, look at Stance - you like those socks, and so yes you will pay for the subscription, so that you would always get more....it makes a lot of sense. I do as well agree with Ang, in that it will most likely be very hard to unsubscribe to said products as they will not let you go that easily - so a consumer must be fully aware of what they are getting themselves into before they decide to get into a contract such as that - read the fine print
Nikita said:
on Monday 28-May-18 01:34 PM
We have new razor blades delivered to our house every 3 months. Other than that I cant think of any other subscriptions we have in our household. I don't like subscriptions because I am one to change my mind and having a subscription will be hard to do that.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Monday 28-May-18 08:43 AM
Companies need guaranteed and reliable revenue so it only makes sense especially as consumers can get over their apps really quickly! It has both cons and pros for both businesses and consumers. Sometimes they give bigger discounts if you subscribe for a longer period or you get a couple of months to use it for free. There is literally an app for everything so developers need to be careful as their app may cost us yet another developer's similar app is free. Are people really embracing and spending on these apps? Either way it does make our lives a little more easier. It's also convenient how you need to google how to unsubscribe an app because naturally they do not make it as easy as it was to download it.
Fikile said:
on Monday 28-May-18 07:55 AM
I think it's a good idea to have an app that will help you with everything that happens during your day. It is not always easy to subscribe to other apps because some f them don't live up to their words simply because they always take more done what you have agreed on and is not simple for most people to subscribe on any apps
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
