About

Summary
Their solution: a VIP subscription membership model called The Fringe. Subscribers pay a flat monthly fee, and in return get exclusive discounts online, VIP early access to limited edition products, and monthly store credit. That credit never expires so subscribers can let it build up over time, conveniently keeping the brand relevant and fresh in their mind for months on end.

After three months, we cleared 10,000 members in our Fringe membership program with an industry leading 3% churn rate! On top of that, half of the 10,000 members are first time customers for Freshly Picked.
ETHAN MOORE, COO AT FRESHLY PICKED
Challenge

Results
To make this work, Freshly Picked realized that a subscription-based program this complex needed a powerful platform that not only supported recurring charges but could also work seamlessly with other eCommerce technologies through an API. ReCharge was that platform.
The Fringe was launched with the help of ReCharge, along with Swell for loyalty rewards, and has seen exponential growth since. They leaned on the Fabletics subscription model as inspiration – subscribers aren’t necessarily getting products every month. Instead, customers are given a $10 store credit, a 20% discount each month and have the ability to opt-out of the monthly orders. Members of The Fringe also receive early access to new Freshly Picked products before anyone else.
Swell allowed merchants to offer multiple paid VIP tiers, keep a stored balance of points or credits, power coupons and rewards, deploy referral programs, enable dynamic benefits for VIP members at checkout, and include all relevant data into email campaigns and automated flows through robust integrations. Additionally, Swell provided the strategic guidance on loyalty and retention methods and the account management required to drive meaningful ROI for these type of membership programs.
ReCharge ensured that all the moving parts crucial to the success of a program like this were functioning correctly, in addition to accurately tracking revenue and subscriptions. So far, it’s working out very nicely. The Fringe currently has more than 10,000 members, half of which are first-time customers. What’s more: They have an ecommerce industry-leading churn rate of just 3%.

We have seen the VIP Membership Model used by top retailers like Amazon and Costco, but this model can be incredibly successful for small ecommerce businesses and direct to consumer brands as well. The integration between Swell and ReCharge takes full advantage of ReCharge's powerful API to deliver best in class paid membership programs.
STEWART WESLEY, PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER AT SWELL REWARDS