We think people cancel things because they want to But, sometimes they don't have a choice There's different types of customer churn: Choosing to cancel = voluntary churn Reasons out of their control = involuntary churn Here's a few examples of both: Voluntary churn, i.e they choose to cancel: → Too expensive for the value they receive → Doesn't meet their needs - leaves to competitor → Lack of trust, e.g poor quality, performance, privacy Involuntary churn, i.e they don't choose to cancel: → Unhappy paths, e.g card expired = stop subscription → Situation changes. They don't need it, can't afford it → They can't use it - isn't accessible / inclusive The truth is, people always remember bad experiences One bad experience can ruin a whole good product One bad offboarding can have a bigger impact Our goal isn't just about optimising conversions It's also about reducing the people that leave It's also about improving loyalty and brand reputation It's also about increasing reactivations (people rejoining) So, here's some things you can start doing: → Talk to active users / customers and understand pains → Remove barriers. Design for accessibility & inclusion → Critically assess user needs vs what you're delivering → Make offboarding easy (yes, it feels counterintuitive) → Internally align on overall strategy and prioritisation → Design unhappy paths to reduce involuntary churn → Optimise journeys to reduce pressure on support → Uncover how to cater for different situations → Understand why previous customers left → Create a churn single source of truth. List by impact, severity, frequency We shouldn't overlook churn - voluntary or involuntary Sales don't mean anything if everyone leaves / returns it People don't always leave because they want to Don't ruin the chances of them coming back Design for people, always 💛
As someone who's been super poor befor3, sometimes, your card gets maxed out and you can't make the payment :( It's also a shame that so many businesses rely on folks forgetting to cancel a trial as a legitimate business strategy for profit.
This is very useful. I’ll add another example…I have subscribed to services where it was impossible to change your email address, so if you used a work address and then switched jobs you had to cancel. I have also seen where can can’t switch between plan tiers self-service and I decided to cancel and not resubcribe rather than quit/rejoin or file support tickets, etc.
This chart is fantastic! As someone who's designing a subscription-based app, I find this chart to be a valuable resource. There are so many factors that need to be taken into account when designing a subscription-based experience. Often, we tend to focus on the experience within our product, without considering external factors. This chart is such a great artifact that I might even have it printed and hung up in my office as a conversation driver.
Great analysis Emily Anderson! I would suggest adding hashtags to your posts in the future for a wider reach :)
For some apps, helping the user build a habit is important. I had an experience where a user thought our app was better, but we had trouble getting him to switch. He was so used to logging into the old one for years he did it mindlessly every morning.
Excellent reminder that people don't always leave by choice and the importance of designing for accessibility and inclusion.
I can’t imagine the emotional pain of going through one of those deceptive-pattern cancellation flows for some of the involuntary use cases. Thanks for calling this out ❤️
Emily, your analysis of customer churn is incredibly insightful! This level of detail in customer experience strategy is what sets apart great businesses from good ones.
Love these thoughtful posts Emily Anderson!
These are some great insights! 👌 I’m not sure how Price can be perceived as involuntary churn. Can you elaborate?