Subscription Economy News: Week of 11/16/20

Every week, we bring you the top stories and analyses from the global Subscription Economy.

How to succeed in the subscriptions business

Excerpt from an article by Robert Hackett on Fortune

The virtues of subscription-based businesses are well known. They provide recurring revenue, resiliency in the face of crises (like the coronavirus pandemic), and they inspire loyalty with ever-improving products. When done properly, subscription-based businesses create a flywheel effect that can propel growth.

“With every physical product now connected to the Internet—washing machines, cars, everything—every engineer, every designer, every single product is going to go through that same experience” of iterating based on instant feedback, [said Tien Tzuo, CEO at Zuora].

If there’s a shared trait that could be considered the key to a successful digital subscription business, it is this: Never sit still. “The most important thing is to get something out there and then go through this process of experiment and learning,” Tzuo said.

For more, read the full article on Fortune

Square upgrades restaurant subscription plan

Excerpt from an article by Emily Bary on Marketwatch 

Square is looking to simplify the order-flow process for restaurants, announcing a new software system that displays tickets in one location regardless of how customers placed their orders.

The company’s new Square KDS software unifies order tickets stemming from different platforms, including Square-powered online stores, a restaurant’s point of sale system, and third-party online services like Doordash.

Square SQ is offering a 30-day free trial of its Restaurants Plus plan, which includes the kitchen-display system.

For more, read the full article on Marketwatch

Nerd Street Gamers announces monthly subscription service

Excerpt from an article by Tom Daniels on ESports Insider

Esports infrastructure company Nerd Street Gamers (NSG) has announced the launch of its new monthly subscription service, Nerd Street+, as the firm looks to provide greater opportunities for gamers looking to “compete at the highest level”.

The service will allow players to gain access to live and digital weekly competitions, whilst also providing discounts on NSG’s monthly tournaments and camps for $20 (~£15) a month.

John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers commented: “By curating competitive opportunities from a variety of platforms and unifying our partner venues alongside our own, we’re organizing the esports landscape and lowering the barrier of entry for gamers.

For more, read the full article on ESports Insider

Zoomo says e-bike subscription cheaper and cleaner than taking public transport

Excerpt from an article by Bridie Schmidt on The Driven

Zoomo, which in August became the recipient of $16 million in capital funding led by Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation, has launched its first e-bike subscription that it says is cheaper than catching the train or bus.

The new subscription model, which will be available in Australia in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, seeks to lower the barrier of price to those who are after last-mile and alternative forms of clean transport.

“After building the bikes that couriers trust for many years, we are excited to offer the same level of reliability, accessibility and affordability to everyday Australians,” said Mina Nada, CEO and Co-founder of Zoomo in a note by email.

For more, read the full article on The Driven

 

For more Subscription Economy resources and events, head to www.subscribed.com and subscribe to Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo’s Subscribed Weekly newsletter, coming to your inbox every Saturday. 

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