Thinking Inside the Box: An Empirical Exploration of Subscription Retaiing.

Abstract

Subscription retailing is rapidly growing. However, existing understanding of this sector is limited. Through a large-scale survey of 1,356 UK consumers this paper develops a typology of subscription types and provides insight into the profile of consumers most likely to engage. The motives and barriers to subscription are assessed, providing clear guidance to retailers on the optimal positioning and marketing of their offers. This is the first empirical study in Europe, increasing our knowledge of consumers profiles, motives and barriers. Our findings have clear managerial implications for subscription service providers and a robust starting point for further academic research.