48% of Clothing and Accessories Subscribers Cheat the Promo Code System

Many consumers “cheat” subscriptions to get free benefits. Yet the way that they cheat depends on the type of subscription they have.

For the September edition of PYMNTS’ Subscription Commerce Conversion Index study, “The Subscription Commerce Conversion Index: The Challenge Of Cheaters,” created in collaboration with sticky.io, we surveyed a census-balanced panel of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers with retail product subscriptions.

What we found reveals that clothing and accessories subscribers are among the worst offenders, but all kinds of subscriptions deal with some amount of cheating.

Get your copy: The Subscription Commerce Conversion Index: The Challenge Of Cheaters

Nearly half (48%) of clothing and accessories subscribers reported that, within the year prior to the survey, they had gotten additional referrals by creating multiple new email addresses, a greater share than said the same of any other kind of cheating for any other kind of subscription. Additionally, 47% of subscribers in the category reported that, in the same period, they had amassed free or discounted products in bulk to resell.

For food and beverage subscriptions too, the most common kind of cheating is getting referral by creating multiple new email addresses, as it is for Amazon Subscribe & Save. The same goes for beauty products.

Meanwhile, the study found that, for pet supply subscriptions, the most common kind of cheating involves disputing expenses with their credit card despite having received the items, shortly followed by getting referral benefits by publicly releasing referral promo codes. Regarding the former, pet supply subscribers were more likely than any other category’s subscription holders to report having done so, shortly followed by food and beverage subscribers.

Meanwhile, the most honest customers are those who hold beauty product subscriptions. Of these subscribers, 33% reported that they have not done any of the cheating methods listed. In contrast, roughly half that — only 17% — of clothing and accessories subscribers said the same.

See it now: The Subscription Commerce Conversion Index: The Challenge Of Cheaters