Battlbox is a subscription service that provides a variation of camping, survival, everyday carry, and outdoor gear. The selection varies monthly as each is themed and focuses around that theme, with four pricing tiers that range from $24.99-$149.99 per month.

Offering a unique and wide variety of full-sized gear and products on a subscription basis, Battlbox grew quickly with the help of key influencer partnerships and ongoing testing around website optimization.

Battlbox decided to use Recharge as their subscription billing solution as it was affordable and offered top-notch support. “Our account manager at Recharge rocks. She’s always quick to troubleshoot and help resolve issues, and if she’s tied up another member of the team is quick to jump in and assist.

Patrick KelleyCOO, Battlbox

Challenge

Battlbox had been working hard to lower customer acquisition costs and to boost customer loyalty—and needed to be sure they were using a subscription billing platform that could accommodate those efforts.

“Customer acquisition had been a challenge,” said John Roman, CMO of BattlBox. “The expenses associated with these efforts kept increasing, and our partnerships with influencers that were mainly responsible for initial exponential growth have slowed down a bit. Despite our work with AdWords and Facebook, some of our products (like knives) can make things challenging.”

As a result, they looked to Recharge integrations like Swell for a rewards and referral program that would work alongside Recharge with the end goal to build more long-term sustainability into their business.

“Swell’s loyalty program will contribute to lower churn and higher customer LTV by incentivizing longer subscriptions, higher spending, and engagement on social media,” Stewart Wesley, Partnership Manager of Swell explained, “By working with Swell and their current agency partner, WolfPoint, to deploy Swell’s program, Battlbox will be able to ensure a consistent brand experience across their site.”

With the right developer to implement their loyalty program, Battlbox aims to reduce customer churn and boost loyalty with existing customers, grow subscribers around their four tiers of subscription boxes, and introduce a rewards program that would incentivize referrals and spending for current subscribers.

Solution

After migrating BattlBox onto Shopify Plus and Recharge and building them a custom theme, developer Wolfpoint Agency was able to create a custom dashboard for BattlBox’s users to be able to fully control their subscriptions in an on-brand backend experience by leveraging Recharge’s highly flexible API, while also incorporating increased functionality like a rewards program via Swell. Once launched, Swell’s referral program will allow Battlbox to leverage their existing customer base to spread their message and acquire new customers for only $20 in merchandise value.

Results

From there, they focused on improved UI/UX on their site. After rounds of A/B and multivariate testing, Battlbox discovered key insights that would eventually lead to further growth.

Jon Murphy, CEO of Wolfpoint explained the end goal, “Taking advantage of Recharge’s API to modify the look of the customer portal, they made it so that the top three most-used activities were spotlighted. This was a major improvement for usability of the site that helped accommodate customer behaviors in a subtle yet visual way.”

Today, they have 40% of customers in the $149.99/mo subscription tier and have boosted average lifespan of a customer to 185 days.

As we see ecommerce revenues continue to grow year over year, we will see the subscriptions sector of ecommerce grow as well-and we’re thankful to have Recharge as a partner in this.

John RomanCEO, Battlbox

Through conversations about intention, presence, and candles, founders Stephen and Harry knew they had an idea worth pursuing. For them, lighting a candle signified a shift, a ritual for unwinding after a busy day of commotion and chaos, and settling into relaxation. Appreciating the power of these moments, and how they help guide people back to a centered state, Stephen and Harry created Keap. They set out to design both better candles for the planet, and an experience that helps people prioritize connection in their lives.

As a certified B-corporation, Keap makes their candles with innovative materials— reusable candle holders, sustainable coconut wax, and plastic-free packaging. Their products come in a variety of well-balanced compositions that brilliantly capture the world’s most evocative scents.

In addition to their high quality products, Keap is redefining consumerism by creating a regenerative business. Instead of seeing consumption as a system that harms, they’re striving for a new model that produces energy and abundance. They advocate for the environment, focus on a zero-waste approach, and nurture their customers’ connection to the natural world through storytelling. Candles are accompanied by original poems, and their Ignite series features stories related to themes inspired by the scent of the month.

The benefit of a subscription is it encourages a healthy, long-term relationship on both sides.

Stephen TracyFounder, Keap Candles

Challenge

A large part of the Keap mission is to bring connection to the world, including those with their customers. Since they hoped to create these ongoing relationships, subscriptions were an element of the Keap vision from day one.

Keap needed to integrate subscriptions into their platform with a service that offered their customers flexibility and ease. They wanted subscriptions to feel as comforting as their candles—warm and consistent, but no one’s locked in if they want to leave, and customers have complete control to adjust as needed.

Solution

Keap wanted to offer subscriptions from their inception, and through partnering with Recharge, achieved this goal. Recharge doesn’t require heavy customization, so Keap was able to quickly implement the service. However, they maximized the benefits of customization where it counts in order to bring their customers a great experience.

For Keap, it was essential that customers feel empowered and supported through the subscription. Since people burn candles at different rates, they wanted to provide customers with flexible options for delivery frequency and time. In the portal, customers were given full freedom to manage their own subscriptions, including swapping scents, changing order dates, or skipping a month.

Results

Through their subscription service, Keap takes customers on a scent journey over time. Throughout the year customers receive special candles that are carefully selected for the season. In the colder months, cozy scents are a respite from the chill, and in warmer times, lighter scents transport to cooler moments.

Also, with access to their data on Recharge, Keap was able to gain insight into revenue, track product performance, and plan for stocking. As a small business that uses expensive fragrances, this information was valuable for effective planning. By partnering with Recharge, Keap created a multi-sensory experience for their customers. Having blended story-telling with scents, adding subscriptions meant they could take customers on a complete, connected, and compelling journey.

Recharge has thoughtfully added features that fully empower our customers to create their perfect Keap experience.

Stephen TracyFounder, Keap Candles

Blueland’s mission is to reduce single-use plastic waste by providing innovative cleaning solutions that are eco-friendly and refillable. By eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles, Blueland aims to promote a more sustainable approach to cleaning that is also powerfully effective and convenient. They utilize subscriptions to further their sustainability efforts and offer a refill program.

Blueland implemented Recharge in 2020. The company sought to optimize their subscription model, provide better value to customers, and streamline their communication processes. By integrating Recharge with Klaviyo, Blueland aimed to enhance their subscription experience, improve customer retention, and increase the average order value (AOV) of their customers.

[These are] strategies people should be using to not only grow their subscriber base, but also increase its value. And the data is all available from Recharge to Klaviyo. You just have to learn how to leverage it.

Hannah JunSenior Manager of Retention, Blueland

Challenge

Blueland aimed to build brand trust through consistency, engagement, and data-driven personalization across all communication channels with their customers. To set themselves up for success, they wanted to ensure this personalization was showcased beyond the initial purchase to ensure timely and relevant communication. Through the use of Klaviyo triggers that integrated with subscriptions powered by Recharge, Blueland identified mitigating passive churn as a significant area of opportunity. They aimed to recover this lost revenue and reduce churn by implementing effective communication strategies with Recharge’s Klaviyo integration.

Solution

By using Recharge’s integration with Klaviyo, Blueland gained a fuller picture of how users engaged with their brand through transactional emails and website interactions. This integration enabled them to access real-time Recharge data within Klaviyo for advanced segmentation, which enabled them to inform customers in the right ways and at the right time, enhancing the overall experience.

They leveraged the integration to streamline their communication flows by utilizing Quick Actions to provide a frictionless experience for customers. This allowed them to access their subscription account seamlessly and reduce customer support ticket volume.

To address passive churn, Blueland utilized Recharge’s automated retry feature for failed charge processing. They also designed specific email flows in Klaviyo based on different error reasons, such as declined cards, expired cards, and insufficient funds. This targeted approach increased open rates and click-through rates, recovering significant amounts of revenue.

They recognized that subscription cancellations were not the end of the customer lifecycle. They ensured clear communication with customers about their cancellation, offering peace of mind and instructions on reactivation if desired. By sending cancellation emails specific to each cancelled item in a subscription kit, Blueland was able to build brand loyalty and trust.

Results

Blueland observed impressive engagement metrics with their messages well above industry benchmarks. Transactional emails, which highlighted the importance of subscription-related communications, achieved a 79% open rate and a 14% click-through rate. Cancellation emails, with clear instructions and reactivation options, achieved an above-average open rate of 70% and a 1.1% click-through rate. With their Charge Failed flow, they were able to recover $2.41 per recipient from subscribers who were going to otherwise passively churn out. Lastly, with the use of Quick Actions to direct customers to add products to their next order, Blueland was able to increase customer AOV.

All of these combined have laid down the foundation to allow them to iterate on their data and continue improving. By addressing challenges related to branded emails, passive churn, and customer support, Blueland has achieved impressive engagement metrics, reduced operational overhead, and improved the AOV of their customers—and they only continue to iterate on optimizing the customer experience to grow their brand and customer base.

It’s been really great to see the leaps and bounds that the team has been making to make [these campaigns possible with Klaviyo]. My number one priority as a marketer is that our marketing tech stack speak to each other and thus amplify their individual impact.

Hannah JunSenior Manager of Retention, Blueland

NASA-engineer-turned-science-evangelist Mark Rober knows better than anyone how to get folks stoked about STEM. Don’t take our word for it—his breakdowns of the principles behind swimming through Jello or safely dropping an egg from space have garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube.


For the love of science, Mark partnered with Jim Lee to democratize STEM and bring his gleeful experiments straight to viewers’ homes. In 2022, with Jim as President and COO, they launched CrunchLabs and its flagship subscription box: a lineup of science-based toys to build each month. Projects like the Disc Launcher, Domino Catapult, and newly-launched Hack Pack aren’t just for fun (though they are fun)—they encourage kids to “Think Like an Engineer” too.

Launching CrunchLabs

The success of Mark’s video content gave the CrunchLabs team good reason to expect a healthy appetite for their subscription box. They prepped for a strong launch—and they were still blown away by the reception, selling through their entire inventory in just days.

It was clear that they were on to something big. They needed partners who could help them reach the scale they were on a trajectory for. And from day one, they prepared to meet their sky-high demand with Recharge.

Turnkey & customizable

CrunchLabs explored all kinds of subscription options before launch, including completely bespoke solutions. But they got the features they needed right out of the box from Recharge, and with enough flexibility to suit their business—at a fraction of the cost of custom options.

Prepaids & SKU swapping: CrunchLabs’ unique subscription experience delivers exactly the same succession of items to each subscriber. This is made possible by a unique element of Recharge’s prepaid subscription functionality: the ability to swap the line item property SKU. By swapping the line item property SKU on prepaid shipments on each order, CrunchLabs can move subscribers to the next box in the sequence.

Customer portal: With their innovative, progressive subscription offering, where each box builds upon lessons from the last, a curated customer experience was critical. CrunchLabs used the Recharge SDK to build a totally custom portal for their subscribers, making it a snap to see where they’ve been and what’s coming next. This custom portal also integrates directly into their learning platform, so subscribers don’t need to navigate between different accounts to access lessons, activity booklets, the replacement part store, or even 3D files of their builds!

Results

CrunchLabs took off like a rocket. After selling out their launch inventory, they reached profitability and 100,000 subscribers in just six months. With Recharge’s turnkey and customizable solutions providing a solid foundation to scale on, they were able to focus on what they do best: delivering great products and YouTube videos every month. And they haven’t slowed down since their initial launch—they’ve continued expanding their lineup with an assortment of innovative new offerings.

Camp CrunchLabs is ​​a wacky, immersive, 12-week array of engineering challenges that had kids spend their 2023 summer vacations building homemade musical instruments, hallway laser mazes, and Rube Goldberg machines. Pulling off Camp CrunchLabs required an all-new custom workflow built in partnership with the Recharge team. The program was a hit: thousands of campers signed up last year, and Camp CrunchLabs will be back and even bigger this summer.

CrunchLabs keeps building

Their latest innovation: CrunchLabs’ brand new robot-in-a-box Hack Pack subscription launched in April 2024. The specially designed subscription box guides new coders and master hackers alike into the world of mechatronics where robotics and coding meet. Each box includes all the materials needed to build a robot at home with help from Mark Rober’s YouTube videos.

But what really makes Hack Pack magical is its extra behind-the-scenes coding that users can take off-rails—the computer brains of any of these robots can be hacked to completely level up the functionality. Since CrunchLabs aims to inspire passionate, curious minds, Hack Pack can be built independently or with friends and family.

And get this: a couple times a year, Mark Rober will randomly select one box in which to place the Platinum Diploma Sweepstakes ticket. For those who find the ticket, college is now free and the scholarship can be transferred to a loved one. Whether you have just a spark of coding curiosity or you’re a hacker ready to play, Hack Pack will get you further on your journey.

Puracy’s single goal is to provide cleaning products that are safe and ecologically conscious. Their highly performant sprays, soaps, and detergents are suitable for any family household, providing users with peace of mind.

The brand has achieved widespread success. In addition to their thriving D2C subscription program, Puracy’s products are Amazon best sellers and have been selected as some of Wirecutter’s favorite household cleaners.

It makes so much sense to use Checkout Upsell. It increased our subscription rate without reducing checkout conversion at all, and it’s built right into Recharge. All you have to do is use it.

Julia MagnaniDTC eCommerce Manager

Challenge

Puracy’s products have always been a natural fit for subscriptions. Once customers see how effective their plant-based cleaners are, they tend to come back for more—often for years on end.

So with subscriptions already responsible for a hefty portion of their sales, Puracy decided to emphasize them even more. They started by experimenting with incentives like deeper first-order discounts, which were so successful that they became a permanent fixture.

Then they went on the hunt for a way to extend their momentum and double down on subscription uptake—a way to make subscriptions an even more obvious and appealing option to more customers. Most importantly, it would need to integrate naturally into the successful flywheel they had built.

Solution

They found their answer in Checkout Upsell, a simple but effective Recharge feature. It adds an unobtrusive subscription widget to the checkout flow, encouraging customers to upgrade one-time purchases into subscriptions (at a selectable cadence) when the option exists.

That last-second prompt is the perfect way to catch customers who sail through their shopping without even realizing subscriptions are available, or ones who aren’t initially set on subscribing but come around when they learn more about the benefits.

Checkout Upsell’s clean widget design, easy setup, and low impact on the checkout flow make it an easy win for brands trying to boost subscriptions—it’s all upside with minimal investment.

Implementation

Implementation couldn’t have been easier. Checkout Upsell is included in all Recharge plans, and it’s designed to require minimal support or configuration—activating it is as simple as flipping a switch.

With just a few clicks, Puracy added subscription-boosting utility to their site, and it was built right into the tech they were already using. All they had to do was wait and watch the results roll in.

Results

And roll in they did: overall, it’s contributed to a 102% increase in checkout orders that include a subscription—exactly the kind of repeat order-oriented trend Puracy was looking for. As an added bonus, checkout conversion has remained steady, with no negative impact from the widget’s inclusion.

More significantly, Puracy hasn’t just gained more subscriptions through Checkout Upsell, they’ve gained lasting subscriptions. Their customers who subscribe through the widget don’t churn any more frequently than other subscribers—they just needed another opportunity to take the leap.

Now Puracy is exploring the impact that Recharge’s other upsell and cross-sell tools could have for them. The full lineup can be implemented at touchpoints like during checkout, after purchase, in the cart, and before upcoming orders. And with their low-touch setup and the lasting subscription revenue they can help deliver, they have the potential to deliver high impact with low investment.

It makes so much sense to use Checkout Upsell. It increased our subscription rate without reducing checkout conversion at all, and it’s built right into Recharge. All you have to do is use it.

Julia MagnaniDTC eCommerce Manager

After learning that 2.4 billion people — roughly 40% of the population — don’t have access to a toilet, Danny Alexander, Simon Griffiths, and Jehan Ratnatunga started crowdfunding to raise money for the cause. They wanted to deliver a product that was both better for the environment and more delightful for customers. In 2013, after a successful campaign, they founded Who Gives A Crap. Today, the Australian company makes high-quality, plastic-free, and eco-friendly bamboo and recycled toilet paper, paper towel, dream clothes, and bamboo tissues. People are such huge fans that some have even built custom shelves to display the toilet paper.

In support of their original mission, Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of their profits to build toilets and improve sanitation around the world. To date, they’ve donated over 10 million AUD.

We think of our brand as one of the easiest ways to do good, and the ease part of subscriptions is a huge enabler for that intention.

Mike AltmanDirector of Lifecycle & CRM, Who Gives A Crap

Challenge

Who Gives A Crap is focused on ease — making replenishment simple, and helping people make a positive contribution with minimal effort. Therefore, subscriptions have been a part of the business model since inception. Since their product ships in bulk, Who Gives A Crap has a unique delivery cadence: they send customers boxes every 8, 12, or 16 weeks.

With each box containing either 24 or 48 rolls, Who Gives A Crap wanted to ensure every customer received the correct amount of product on the right schedule. They needed to simplify subscription management, so customers could easily pause or delay if they had too much product.

Finally, Who Gives A Crap is a global brand and has customers worldwide — meaning they had different communication needs for customers in various markets and locations. They wanted to upgrade their communication with customers to make richer connections and to continue driving lasting relationships.

Solution

Who Gives A Crap built out a customer portal to provide subscribers with maximum flexibility. In the portal, subscribers can easily skip or delay their shipments. Subscribers are empowered to adjust and modify their subscriptions to meet their ongoing needs.

To give their customers an even richer and more personalized experience, Who Gives A Crap partnered with Klaviyo, a powerful SMS and email software. With Klaviyo and Recharge in their tech stack, Who Gives A Crap sends subscribers an upcoming order email three days before the next billing. Then, subscribers can proactively delay an order if they don’t need any more product.

Who Gives A Crap started in Australia and has many customers living in that timezone. Previously, they processed emails, such as these upcoming order reminders, at the same time for all customers. Meaning customers in the USA got notified during the workday, but customers in Australia received emails in the middle of the night. This lack of personalization wasn’t helping them grow customer engagement or satisfaction — customers weren’t interacting with emails arriving at random times.

Results

With subscriptions, Who Gives A Crap has both simplified the customer experience and supported their brand mission. Dedicated to ensuring ease, they have designed a convenient and flexible program and built a loyal subscriber base. By integrating Klaviyo, they’ve built even stronger customer relationships. With Klaviyo, Who Gives A Crap leverages data to deliver relevant messages at optimal times — by adjusting delivery times based on where customers live, they now see an impressive 75% open rate from notifications. By sending these notifications, they ensure that customers are made aware of upcoming deliveries, and can make updates if needed.

Additionally, 30% of their customers access their accounts monthly via Klaviyo sent emails. Of these customers, 20% utilize quick actions to make instant adjustments to their subscription, so they get toilet paper exactly when they need it. By personalizing communication, Who Gives A Crap encourages subscribers to actively engage with their orders.

Who Gives A Crap is primarily focused on access — for customers and people worldwide. With subscriptions, they’ve ensured ease for their customer base — over the last two years, their program has grown 250%. And, with each order, Who Gives A Crap is helping to build a more equitable world.

We want to make each experience unique. We’re able to share more about our brand and connect with customers in new ways.

Mike AltmanDirector of Lifecycle & CRM, Who Gives A Crap