Subscription terms, in plain words
Each term defined in a sentence, with a worked example and how Zubs fits in, from billing anchors to dunning and churn rate.
01Plans & billing
How subscriptions are sold and billed
Selling plans, prepaid terms, build-a-box, billing anchors and cutoffs: the building blocks of every subscription offer.
Billing anchor
A billing anchor fixes the day subscriptions renew, such as the 1st of each month or every Tuesday, whatever the signup date. Definition and an example.
Build-a-box
A build-a-box subscription lets customers pick what goes into each recurring box from a menu you curate. Definition, an example and how it works in Zubs.
Cutoff date
A cutoff date is the last moment to place or change a subscription order for the next delivery. Definition, an example and how Zubs handles it.
Prepaid subscription
A prepaid subscription charges once for several deliveries, such as 6 months paid upfront with monthly shipping. How it works, an example, the trade-offs.
Selling plan
A selling plan is how Shopify defines buying a product on repeat — billing, delivery and price. What's inside one, an example and how Zubs creates them.
02Metrics
The numbers that show retention
Churn, skips and recurring revenue: what each one measures and how to calculate it.
MRR
MRR is the recurring revenue your active subscriptions bring in per month, normalized to a monthly amount. Formula, a worked example and common pitfalls.
Skip rate
Skip rate is the share of due subscription orders that are skipped instead of billed. The formula, a worked example and how to read it next to churn.
Subscription churn rate
Subscription churn rate is the share of subscriptions cancelled in a period: cancellations ÷ active subscriptions at the start. With a worked example.
03Failed payments
When a renewal doesn’t go through
Why recurring payments fail, how dunning retries them and what is lost when they stay unpaid.
Dunning
Dunning is retrying failed subscription payments and telling customers how to fix them. How it works, a worked example and how Zubs handles it.
Involuntary churn
Involuntary churn is subscriptions ending because a payment failed, not because the customer chose to leave. Causes, a worked example and how to cut it.
Keep exploring
Features
What Zubs does, one feature at a time, and why it matters for your subscribers.
Playbooks
Retention tactics for the moments where subscribers leave.
Why switch to Zubs
Why stores move to Zubs, and how our team does the move for free.
Solutions
Subscription setups that fit your industry.