NEW REPORT: With Canvas, Ford Test Drives Auto Rental Subscriptions

Subscription fatigue is one of the biggest challenges merchants must conquer if they want to ensure longevity. In recent weeks, several subscription-based businesses have revised their offerings to try new tactics in an effort to keep customers renewing their subscriptions.

In the September Subscription Commerce Tracker, PYMNTS highlights how subscription-based models offering consumers access to food, video games, books, medical care and even vehicles are changing to keep customers engaged.

Notable Headlines From The Space

Video game companies understand all too well the importance of keeping their customers engaged and fatigue-free. That’s a problem, which several are aiming to resolve with subscription services.

Microsoft, for one, recently launched a new Xbox All Access video game plan. This setup allows gamers to pick up either an Xbox One X or Xbox One S console from a local Microsoft store and pay between $21.99 and $34.99 per month for 24 months of access to an inventory of Xbox games.

Meanwhile, a well-known food delivery service recently turned to the subscription business model in an effort to take a larger bite out of the market and keep customers coming back.

DoorDash’s new subscription program, known as DashPass, offers customers free deliveries on orders of $15 or greater from an unlimited range of restaurants. The move is intended to help the company compete more effectively with its rivals in the space, including Caviar, Grubhub and Postmates.

While DoorDash’s new subscription plan works to change the way consumers access food, subscriptions are also being tested in India’s healthcare market.

Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider mfine recently rolled out a new service, known as mfine ONE, which aims to offer subscribers access to a wide range of medical services for an annual fee, including an “unlimited” roster of doctors and a free baseline checkup.

How Subscriptions Could Give Vehicle Access A Tune-Up

American automaker Ford is kicking the tires on subscription services by offering consumers access to certain vehicles in its lineup through its subscription venture, Canvas. For the September feature story, PYMNTS spoke with Canvas CEO Ned Ryan about offering an alternative to vehicle access, outside the traditional avenues of buying and leasing vehicles.

To read the full feature story, the Deep Dive and the latest headlines from around the subscription space, download the new Subscription Commerce Tracker.

About the Tracker

The Subscription Commerce Tracker, powered by Recurly, is a bimonthly report that explores how companies use subscription-based commerce to build long-term customer relationships and steady revenue sources. The report includes notable developments in the market and the companies that are rapidly innovating the space.