Reviews
Part of What the 2024 subscription law means for subscription commerce reviews
Subscription commerce supplier selection checklist
A subscription commerce checklist for UK operators, with scoring, data-sharing, cost lines and fulfilment checks to support a documented supplier decision.
What to take away
- A Manchester retailer should score providers against written criteria, not the demo that flattered the room.
- Start with outcomes you can measure in Englandrenewal rate, failed payment recovery, support tickets per 100 subscribers. Set the pass mark before you speak to anyone.
- Check data-sharing terms early. The ICO's *Data sharinga code of practice* explains how to share personal data fairly and lawfully, including documenting arrangements with partners.
- Treat every advertised price claim as evidence. Check non-broadcast claims against the CAP Code and broadcast claims against the BCAP Code; both prohibit misleading advertising.
- Confirm the warehouse side. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and HSE's L23 guidance provide relevant references for people picking and packing subscription boxes.
- A vendor demo shows strengths. A selection checklist exposes gaps. Run only demos and you pick the best presenter, not the best fit.
For subscription commerce, the shortlist rarely fails on features. It fails because nobody wrote down what a good answer looked like before the sales calls started.
Checklist vs demo script
Vendor demo
- Purpose
- Show strengths
- Risk
- Pick best presenter
- Scoring
- None
- Audit trail
- Weak
Selection checklist
- Purpose
- Expose gaps
- Risk
- Pick best fit
- Scoring
- 0 / 2 / 4 band
- Audit trail
- Documented evidence
Write the checklist as questions with a scoring band, for example 0 for no answer, 2 for a documented process and 4 for evidence you have seen. That keeps the decision auditable when finance asks why one supplier won.
0 points
- Failed payment recovery
- No recovery process named
2 points
- Failed payment recovery
- Written recovery process shown
4 points
- Failed payment recovery
- Process plus recovery rate evidence from three clients
Examples of subscription billing platforms include Chargebee, Recurly and Stripe Billing.
Use a consistent review method: agree scoring criteria, retain evidence and record how the decision follows from the scores.
The selection checklist, in order
- Define the outcome you are buying. Name the metric that must improve, the baseline today and the target in twelve months. A team paying a monthly fee should know what that replaces.
- Set the pass mark before research. Agree the minimum score for each criterion with finance and operations, and record who signed it off.
- Map the data flows. List every field that moves between your CRM, payment provider and fulfilment partner. Check the lawful basis and sharing terms against the ICO's Data sharing: a code of practice, and document the arrangement before contracts are drafted.
- Test the price claims. Ask for the total cost across a full billing cycle, including failed payment fees and exit charges. Compare any advertised saving with the evidence behind it, and check claims against the applicable CAP Code or BCAP Code rules on misleading advertising.
| Cost line | What to ask | Benchmark basis |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | Monthly minimum, per-transaction fee, percentage of recurring revenue | All-in cost at your current subscriber count |
| Failed-payment fee | Fee per failed charge, recovery fee, retry cost | Fee at your average failure rate |
| Exit charge | Notice period, data export fee, early termination charge | Fee if you leave after twelve months |
- Inspect fulfilment and people risk. Visit or video the pick and pack operation. Confirm how repetitive lifting and packing risks are managed, using HSE's L23 guidance on the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as a reference point.
- Score the support model. Ask for response times, escalation paths and who owns a failed renewal at 2am. Score what you can verify, not what the slide promises.
- Run a paid pilot with real subscribers. Set a fixed period, a fixed sample and a decision date. Score the pilot against the same checklist.
- Record the decision. Write a memo naming the winner, the runner up and the reasons. Keep the scores.
Where selection checklists go wrong
Most lists are too long. Twenty criteria scored by five people produces noise. Keep the core list to eight steps and treat the rest as notes.
A second fault is scoring after demos. Once a favourite emerges, scores drift upward. Collect evidence first, score in one sitting, then discuss.
A third fault is weighting every criterion equally. A failed payment recovery rate matters more than a dashboard colour. Decide the weights before scoring.
A fourth fault is leaving no named owner. If nobody signs the final memo, the scores become opinions.
When you review the pilot results, use the subscription commerce review methodology page.
Common questions
How many criteria should a checklist contain?
Eight to twelve scored criteria works for most teams. More than that and reviewers stop applying the bands consistently, weakening the audit trail.
Should the pilot come before or after contract talks?
Before. A paid pilot with a fixed sample gives you evidence for the final price negotiation and exposes integration problems while you can still walk away.
Who should own the checklist?
Operations should own it. Finance scores cost. Legal or data protection scores the sharing terms. One named owner signs the final memo.
Do we need to score suppliers we already use?
Yes, at renewal. Scoring an incumbent against the checklist shows whether the relationship still earns its place or has become familiar.
