Holiday traffic is coming fast, and for subscription brands, it can either fuel long-term growth or expose costly cracks. Shoppers are ready to spend, competition is cutthroat, and every click counts. If you’re not set up to maximize your transactions, capture subscribers from first-time buyers, and retain those subscribers beyond the season, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.
The good news? Fixing these pitfalls doesn’t require a full rebuild. With the right tactics, and solutions like Concierge SMS and Upsell/Cross-sell tools, you can turn common BFCM challenges into long-term growth.
Here are four of the biggest subscription revenue killers to tackle before the rush.
1. Ignoring your subscribers
Too often, brands pour their energy into new customer acquisition during BFCM and forget about the people who are already most valuable: their subscribers. When subscribers see promos aimed only at first-time or one-time buyers, it creates churn risk. They stop feeling like VIPs and start feeling overlooked.
What to do instead:
- Run subscriber-only offers like early access to BFCM discounts, exclusive products, or increased loyalty credits
- Spotlight their value: remind them of their perks and consider gifting them something extra for sticking with you
- Leverage them in your acquisition efforts by creating opportunities to earn rewards for BFCM referrals
Turnkey tactics:
The most important tool here is foresight – planning a unique BFCM experience for your subscribers to mitigate churn risk and maximize value. Be sure to communicate subscriber benefits to subscribers early on by leveraging email marketing, and in-portal banners. Take your tactics a step further with Retain, and leverage Recharge’s Rewards and Referrals to build exciting incentive programs to increase engagement.
2. Missing cross-sell opportunities
Deep discounts can work against you if you’re not careful—customers check out with only best sellers or promoted products and nothing more, leaving average order value flat despite the surge in traffic. When you overlook the chance to nudge shoppers toward complementary products, you miss out on incremental revenue that can make the season profitable.
What to do instead:
- Showcase relevant add-ons and can’t-miss offers when buying intent is at its peak
- Incentivize larger carts using tiered offers (ex: deeper discounts over $100, free gift over $250)
- Create holiday bundles that pair slower-moving products with best-sellers to spread demand and increase perceived value
Turnkey tactics:
Promoting additional products doesn’t have to be complex. In just minutes, brands can turn on Checkout and Post-purchase Cross-sell tools to recommend complementary items at the right moments, or use flexible bundling to create curated packs without adding SKU bloat.
3. Chasing one-time buyers
BFCM traffic is a gift, but if your subscription offer isn’t front and center, you’re letting those shoppers walk away after one purchase. A one-time spike looks good in November, but recurring revenue is what pays off in Q1 and beyond.
What to do instead:
- Position subscriptions in BFCM campaigns—email and social media marketing, paid ads, banners, and checkout messaging.
- Make your subscription widget unmissable with clear perks like savings, flexibility, and exclusivity.
- Leverage cart and checkout upsell tools to allow
Turnkey tactics:
The subscription widget is highly customizable, allowing you to flaunt the advantages of subscribing on your product pages and A/B test designs. To capture subscribers at every touch point, all Recharge plans include our suite of upsell tools, making it easy to upgrade one-time purchases to subscriptions in cart and at checkout.
4. Letting new subscribers churn
Winning subscribers on discount is easy. Keeping them when the deal ends? That’s where most brands struggle. Retention requires two things: thoughtful engagement that reinforces value and a seamless subscription management experience. Without both, new subscribers often cancel before their second shipment.
What to do instead:
- Audit your onboarding flow to reinforce subscription value right after purchase
- Engage subscribers with proactive, conversational texts that makes managing their orders feel seamless.
- Set up loyalty bonuses for hitting the second or third order milestone
Turnkey tactics:
Features like Cancellation Prevention and Failed Payment Recovery are table stakes in the fight against both passive and active churn. But winning brands go further using Concierge SMS to create a simple, personal way for subscribers to manage their orders through AI-powered conversational texts. The result: fewer cancellations, happier customers, and a retention engine that scales.
Bottom Line
BFCM moves fast, and brands can’t afford to leave money or subscribers behind. Set yourself up for holiday season success by:
- Treating subscribers like VIPs
- Maximizing AOV through cross-sells and bundles
- Turning new customers into subscribers at every touchpoint, and
- Retaining new subscribers beyond the weekend
And the best part? With Recharge, most of these fixes can be switched on and customized quickly, no engineering lift required. Now is the perfect time to schedule time with our team to learn more or connect with your CSM to develop your BFCM Subscription Success Playbook.
Done right, this BFCM can be the moment you turn seasonal demand into year-round growth.
