Retaining customers is more difficult (and more critical) than ever. But retention isn’t just about getting customers to stick around; it’s about designing a journey that builds trust, nurtures engagement, and transforms buyers into lifelong advocates. Few brands embody this approach better than Bobbie, the fastest-growing infant formula company in the U.S.
At ChargeX, we were joined by Jennifer Kelly, Director of Digital Product Management at Bobbie, who shared how her team has built their thoughtful, data-driven customer journey. By weaving trust-building, education, and community into every step, Bobbie has built a subscription model that doesn’t simply sell formula—it supports parents through one of the most vulnerable stages of their lives.
Here’s what every subscription brand can learn from Bobbie’s retention playbook:
1. Build trust before the first purchase
Trust isn’t earned at checkout—it starts before customers even place an order. Bobbie focuses on answering questions before they’re asked, understanding the potential anxieties of parents choosing formula, and positioning the brand as a supportive partner rather than just a product provider.
💡 Actionable takeaways for brands:
- Map out the questions, doubts, and objections customers have during discovery.
- Create content like blogs, FAQs, and comparison guides that proactively addresses these concerns.
- Use early engagement tools like quizzes to gather data to further personalize your customer’s experience.
2. Use the waiting period to strengthen the relationship
For Bobbie, the window between a customer placing their first order and receiving it is a critical time to build the relationship, not a dead zone. Rather than leave new customers waiting, they deliver education, onboarding content, and a warm welcome into their community.
For parents switching formulas or trying formula for the first time, these touchpoints reduce anxiety and ensure that they’re confident and prepared when the product arrives.
💡 Actionable takeaways for brands:
- Identify “quiet” periods in your fulfillment or onboarding flow.
- Use those days to deliver targeted, reassuring communications like how-to guides, best practices, or a thoughtful brand introduction.
- Introduce customers to brand-owned resources like blogs, podcasts, expert webinars that reinforce their choice.
3. Use personalization to strengthen loyalty at every milestone
Engaging customers over the long term requires more than re-order reminders. As subscribers mature, their needs may evolve, and providing both personalization and flexibility can boost retention. Bobbie uses milestone-based communications tied to a baby’s development, combined with predictive refill models and a flexible subscription experience that puts control in the customer’s hands. With personalized touchpoints, loyalty perks, and content that meets parents where they are, Bobbie transforms routine moments into opportunities to build trust, value, and lasting engagement.
💡 Actionable takeaways for brands:
- Use predictive data to align communications and refills with key moments in your customer’s lifecycle.
- Design your subscription to offer both convenience and control—flexibility builds trust.
- Layer in loyalty incentives and content across multiple channels to reinforce engagement from every angle.
4. Build belonging through brand-driven community
Bobbie creates meaningful connections by offering more than just a product. Through expert-led feeding classes, candid conversations on their podcast, and their mission-driven Bobbie for Change platform, the brand opens up a shared space for learning, encouragement, and purpose. These moments of community give customers reasons to stay engaged even when they’re not actively thinking about formula.
By weaving in education, advocacy, and connection throughout the customer lifecycle, Bobbie reinforces its role as a partner in a parent’s journey. Over time, that emotional alignment becomes a key factor in driving loyalty, referrals, and long-term affinity.
💡 Actionable takeaway for brands:
- Build touchpoints beyond the transaction with classes, content, and causes that align with your customers’ values and experiences.
- Foster connection between customers by creating shared spaces for learning or storytelling.
- Use community initiatives to extend engagement beyond product use and reinforce emotional investment in your brand.
5. Plan for churn and celebrate “graduation”
At Bobbie, churn is treated as a milestone of their model. Stopping formula is a natural progression for many families. Instead of fighting this, Bobbie designs offboarding moments to celebrate the milestone with a graduation, transforming former customers into enthusiastic advocates.
At the same time, they differentiate between graduation churn and product dissatisfaction churn, using baby-age data and behavior signals to tailor interventions like promotions or re-engagement campaigns.
💡 Actionable takeaway for brands:
- Segment churn into categories you can act on: inevitable vs. preventable churn.
- For predictable churn, design a positive offboarding experience: milestone celebrations, social sharing prompts, thank-you gifts.
- For at-risk customers, build early detection signals and create targeted retention offers.
Loyalty isn’t a destination—it’s designed
Bobbie’s customer journey is a carefully architected ecosystem of trust, education, and community. Subscription brands that want to earn true loyalty borrow from this playbook:
- Build trust early and often.
- Use every moment from discovery to graduation as an opportunity to support, delight, and empower.
- Think beyond transactions to design a journey that meets customers where they are and grows with them.
Because in the end, retention isn’t about holding on tightly—it’s about building an experience so thoughtful, timely, and trustworthy that customers choose to stay.
