CASTing call for a better subscription experience
The average person today has ~4.5 video subscriptions. How else could you stay up-to-date with House of the Dragon, Bridgerton, Black Mirror, and the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film?
The popularity of streaming services today has led to the need for multiple subscriptions to access content you want to watch. Besides tv series and movies, most people also have apps for music, exercise, meditation — you name it. Subscription charges adds up quickly, and before you know it, you have 10 different subscriptions on 3 different credit cards.
With CAST.SG, we envisaged a web platform where you can pay for and manage all your subscriptions in one place. On top of that, the more subscriptions you have, the more savings you get — a smarter way to stay on top of your digital subscriptions!
Opening act
We started by understanding the needs and attitudes of Singaporeans towards subscription services. A market research piece provided us with some valuable starting points:
- Video, food and news are the most popular categories, with gaming and cybersecurity gaining traction
- Consumers’ key considerations revolve around price, exclusivity of content and flexibility of cancelling
- Free trials and bundle discounts are attractive for all customers
The headliner
With that, we started fleshing out bundles as the core product proposition as well as the key journeys the website would require. We came up with a design concept where customers could quickly choose from curated bundles according to their interests: K-drama lovers can get our Korean Entertainment bundle consisting of their favourite Korean apps, while movie buffs can catch all their Hollywood blockbusters in another bundle. For those who prefer to pick and choose their favourite subscriptions, we have a “Build-your-own-bundle” option to offer more flexibility. On top of that, each subscription added to a bundle gives additional discounts, up to a maximum of 10% off.
Audience reactions
Using a prototype, we tested the concept with users and found that:
The idea of build-your-own-bundle and subscribe-more-for-greater-discounts was very easily understood by users
To encourage the user to add on subscriptions, we had a callout indicating how to reach the next tier of discounts, which changed when they added or removed items from their cart. Users said they were motivated to get more subscriptions for better discounts.
Users complete their purchase if they have clarity
The shopping cart proved to be the most complex, due to multiple subscriptions with varying (i) discount eligibilities, (ii) billing cycles and (iii) contract durations. While users commented that the information provided was complicated, they preferred having more information than less.
We also tested a pro-rated payment concept so you only “pay for the days you use” — thinking this would have been a fairer and more flexible way of payment. However, they found this feature was more confusing than delightful, and they resonated better with a simple model of full 30-day subscriptions, which is common in the industry. They also felt that even if they cancelled their subscription mid-month, they would appreciate still being able to use it for the remaining duration.
With these insights, we further refined the concept to find the right balance between information and transparency as well as between delight and simplicity, to make customers more likely to complete their checkout.
Phase 1, take 2…and we’re live!
Within the first month of launching CAST.sg, we saw a 120% increase in subscription sign-ups and the platform consistently garnered about 200–300 new sign ups per week.
Sports subscriptions was the highest seller, followed by entertainment apps and Singtel TV content.
Some key takeaways from launching this platform —
- The original value proposition of being able to manage all subscriptions in one place was not quite as attractive to users as we thought it would be. Tech-savvy users today can manage multiple subscriptions relatively effortlessly — hence, our product had to be supported by discounts to attract more users.
- Providing users with clear and concise information (e.g. breakdown of discounts, start and end dates of their contracts) is essential to conversion. A clear understanding of how much I am paying and what I get helps to instil confidence to complete my purchase.
- Most users today already have multiple separate subscriptions elsewhere and face the inertia of onboarding on our platform. Concerns like whether I would lose my Spotify playlist if I signed up for a new Spotify subscription on CAST.SG further discouraged users from switching. Interestingly, users are more willing to let go of their Netflix profiles than Spotify profiles, likely as more effort went into curating playlists.
Ultimately, while the launch of the platform was a success, we still have a long road ahead to make this a seamless, one-stop subscription platform that is top of mind for all Singaporeans. Until then, check out CAST.SG to get great discounts on bundles for your apps!
Thank you Colin Ng for co-writing this article and making this better!
