Callie Hawley

Callie Hawley

Callie is a content marketer with a passion for storytelling, creating educational content, and writing the annual State of Subscription Commerce Report. Callie started out working with animals early in her career, and decided to make the move to a different beast all together, jumping into marketing for a large technology distributor and eventually moving into SaaS. Over the last decade, Callie has worked in product marketing, corporate communications, content, and social media. Born in California, but raised in Florida, Callie loves the beach and is a self-proclaimed bird nerd. Callie spends her spare time crocheting and hanging out with her husband, 2 kiddos, and dog. Favorite Recharge merchants Callie subscribes to: HelloBello, Keap Candles, and Native

ICYMI: Going above & beyond at ChargeX 2023
ICYMI: Going above & beyond at ChargeX 2023

Our annual ChargeX conference is always a high point in the year, and 2023’s event last week was no exception. 

Maximizing revenue through ecommerce cross-selling: Tips for merchants
Maximizing revenue through ecommerce cross-selling: Tips for merchants

As an ecommerce merchant, you know that selling a product is just the beginning of the customer journey. Building a strong relationship with your existing customers is a huge component of long-term success. 

Subscription box shipping: Top 4 recommended carriers
Subscription box shipping: Top 4 recommended carriers

One of the main components of running an effective ecommerce business is being able to surprise and delight your customers at every step of their customer journey. Shipping subscription boxes reliably and quickly is one of the most important things you can do to enhance the customer experience from the moment they purchase your product.

Ecommerce personalization: 3 benefits & top tips to get it right
Ecommerce personalization: 3 benefits & top tips to get it right

It is estimated that there are over 20 million ecommerce sites worldwide, with more being added every day. As the rise of digital commerce continues to permeate shoppers’ habits, online retailers have to work harder than ever before to capture consumer attention and hold it long enough to establish a solid relationship. 

Return on ad spend (ROAS): Are your marketing campaigns driving revenue?
Return on ad spend (ROAS): Are your marketing campaigns driving revenue?

When it comes to advertising efforts, ecommerce merchants should be looking to capture the most amount of business for every dollar spent on ad campaigns. We all know the term return on investment, or ROI. Return on ad spend is similar to the model of calculating ROI. You’re investing dollars into advertising campaigns in the hope that this will generate leads and increase the revenue generated. 

Value-based pricing: Pros & cons of this strategy
Value-based pricing: Pros & cons of this strategy

The value-based pricing strategy is among the most popular for ecommerce businesses. With information at their fingertips, consumers are able to compare price points and specs of similar products to help them reach a decision. The determining factor of the product that they ultimately go with? Its perceived value. 

How to overcome choice paralysis in your business
How to overcome choice paralysis in your business

Decision-making is a freedom that we, as consumers, are privileged to have. We utilize our conscious thought to make decisions for ourselves that tend to result in the purchase of a product or service that meets a current need we have. 

3 ecommerce customer acquisition costs to consider
3 ecommerce customer acquisition costs to consider

Ecommerce stores often face varying challenges when it comes to acquiring new customers. Whether due to a highly saturated market, or having to break through the noise to get in front of potential customers, it is imperative that you understand your customer acquisition cost (CAC) and how you can measure the value of your business utilizing this metric.

Dedicated to sustainability: Ecommerce merchants who showcase their purpose
Dedicated to sustainability: Ecommerce merchants who showcase their purpose

Sustainability is not just a buzzword, and it’s not just about creating environmentally friendly products.

6 ways to increase conversion-to-subscription without sacrificing margin
6 ways to increase conversion-to-subscription without sacrificing margin

One of the most common questions subscription merchants have is how to convert their one-time purchasers to subscribers. Though subscriptions are common and expected for consumers, there still remains the FUD factor (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). “What if I won’t be able to cancel easily and I’m locked into a long-term commitment?” “What if I don’t like the product?”

5 ways adding ecommerce personalization can increase retention
5 ways adding ecommerce personalization can increase retention

As more merchants enter the subscription market at record rates, customers are presented with a wide variety of opportunities to purchase from brands within the same vertical. While it may seem like the best way to capture their interests is to provide every option under the sun, you actually run the risk of inducing analysis paralysis. 

Announcing the 2022 State of Subscription Commerce report
Announcing the 2022 State of Subscription Commerce report

We are excited to bring you this year’s State of Subscription Commerce report, detailing key insights and takeaways from 2021. 

Confessions of a consumer: Treat me like a part of your community
Confessions of a consumer: Treat me like a part of your community

I am a consumer. In fact, I’m very likely your target customer. I am in my thirties—an “elder millennial”, if you will—a mom, a remote worker, and a frequent online shopper. I have purchased products directly from ads on Instagram, I hyper fixate on new things and tell all my friends, and I am easily influenced by products I see on social media. 

The keys to launching products outside your vertical
The keys to launching products outside your vertical

Customer loyalty isn’t just about long-term retention and lifetime value. Though those metrics are essential to measuring the health of your business, it’s imperative to look at the quality of the loyalty you’re fostering with your community. 

5 upselling strategies to boost your subscription business
5 upselling strategies to boost your subscription business

Upselling for ecommerce is a specific strategy that, when deployed strategically, can result in higher average order value (AOV) and stronger relationships with your existing customers. It differs from cross selling, in that it focuses on upgrading your customers to provide more value for a bigger or better version of the membership they may already have. 

How to attract venture capitalists to your subscription business
How to attract venture capitalists to your subscription business

Attracting a venture capitalist to invest in your subscription service is a fantastic way to inject considerable funding that will take your already budding business to the next level.

Social media and ecommerce: How to create an engaging social presence
Social media and ecommerce: How to create an engaging social presence

Social media, even amidst its many flaws, continues to be the most powerful source of scalable connection on this planet. Though changing at an increasingly rapid pace, with new applications springing up seemingly overnight, the main players in the space have maintained stability and have continued to change the landscape for ecommerce merchants. With these platforms being accessed by nearly 4 billion people, it's no wonder both traditional and ecommerce brands are taking to social media to connect with their customers. 

Tips to optimize your pet subscription box brand
Tips to optimize your pet subscription box brand

The pet industry is booming. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that 68% of households in the US owned a pet. Since the start of the pandemic, one in five more US households adopted a pet, according to a poll done by the ASPCA, which added a full 23 million to that initial number. Thankfully, the majority (about 90%) of those families still have those pets in their homes. 

Avoiding analysis paralysis: options without overwhelm
Avoiding analysis paralysis: options without overwhelm

American psychologist Barry Schwartz published his book, The Paradox of Choice, in 2004. He argues that collectively, consumers have been given more choice and freedom than ever before, which actually hinders them from making effective decisions. Analysis paralysis is a direct result of too many options presented, often paralyzing the consumer from purchasing your products.

Success secrets for clothing subscription box merchants
Success secrets for clothing subscription box merchants

The ubiquitous nature of fashion and apparel brands paves the way for the sheer popularity of clothing subscription boxes. Where many consumers enjoy the experience of shopping in-store, there are just as many that loathe the entire process. And for some that lack the confidence to own their own style, they get stuck in a rut of clothing options and are often unsure of what styles may work for them.

The benefits of recurring payments for ecommerce merchants
The benefits of recurring payments for ecommerce merchants

Recurring payments and recurring billing are the cornerstones of the ecommerce subscription business model. 

How to turn a cancellation into a subscription reactivation
How to turn a cancellation into a subscription reactivation

Many brands see rapid growth with their subscription businesses. Some face the challenge of canceled subscriptions among their customer base and wonder what went wrong, and how they can remedy it. Determining why a customer has canceled subscriptions is the first step in the battle, but turning those into a subscription reactivation is how you win. 

The beauty of beauty subscription boxes for ecommerce merchants
The beauty of beauty subscription boxes for ecommerce merchants

If you’re in the subscription beauty box business, you’re well aware of the boom that has taken place in the last decade. When Birchbox hit the scene in 2010, they created a new avenue for consumers to receive curated subscription boxes to their doorstep with makeup and self-care brands they likely hadn’t seen before. 

Your guide to ecommerce holiday planning for the 2021 season
Your guide to ecommerce holiday planning for the 2021 season

Ready or not, the countdown to the holiday season has begun! Though you may feel like this year has been a time warp and that it can’t possibly be time to start thinking of the Cyber 5 promotions—Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Sunday, and Cyber Monday—it is upon us. In fact, as of this blog’s publishing date, we’re a mere 17 weeks away. That shakes out to about 85 business days to build your holiday promotion plan.

How subscription revenue strengthens your customer relationships
How subscription revenue strengthens your customer relationships

For ecommerce merchants, predictable revenue can often be elusive as customers purchase items one-off, and inevitably move on. Enabling subscriptions for your brand can turn one-time transactions into long-term relationships, ultimately reducing churn and increasing customer lifetime value (LTV). 

The Ultimate Guide to Transactional SMS is here!
The Ultimate Guide to Transactional SMS is here!

By now you have likely heard that utilizing SMS for your brand is a great way to get in front of your customers. However, many merchants are using SMS specifically for promotional messages, which can garner a 40%–60% opt-out rate. For those merchants with a subscription model, the less-risky form of SMS communications, transactional SMS (with only a 3%–6% opt-out rate), allows for increased engagement from your customers around their subscription.

The State of Subscription Commerce Report is HERE!
The State of Subscription Commerce Report is HERE!

We are excited to announce that our annual State of Subscription Commerce Report is officially live! This year’s report centers around the challenges and opportunities of 2020, and how merchants were able to meet their customers where they were to reach new levels of success.

Your subscribers want flexibility. Here’s how to offer it.
Your subscribers want flexibility. Here’s how to offer it.

Famous basketball player and coach John Wooden once said, “Flexibility is the key to stability.”For the ever-changing world of subscription commerce, it’s no different. Consumers are increasingly more interested in customizable options that work best for them. Brands are now expected to shift and change to meet the varying needs of their customers, rather than the other way around. Being flexible and giving customers options centered around product, delivery schedule, payment, and communication allow the best brands to shift to a relational commerce model. 

Powerful & Profitable Subscriptions Playbooks: Meet the experts
Powerful & Profitable Subscriptions Playbooks: Meet the experts

What do you get when you combine the contextual knowledge from our team here at Recharge with 12 of the industry’s best and brightest agency partners? 8 chapters of robust, actionable best-practices around key topics, like: 

The benefits and risks of curated subscription boxes
The benefits and risks of curated subscription boxes

Looking back just 10 years ago, the concept of subscription boxes or curated boxes was in its infancy. Brands originating the trend like Birchbox in 2010 scratched the surface of what would soon become a booming industry with products fitting every niche. From curated yarn, a personal favorite of mine, to entire wardrobes — subscription boxes have become the norm.

The DTC Handbook Series: Responding to Competitive Pressures
The DTC Handbook Series: Responding to Competitive Pressures

If you’re anything like me, you’re tired of hearing about the “unprecedented times” we had in 2020. Last year was the worst for many, but with everyone in their homes, unable to shop traditionally in brick & mortar stores, we saw an absolute rise of e-commerce. This has created the new playing field for merchants who are looking for ways to engage their shoppers in a highly competitive market. 

6 Ways To Optimize Your Site for Subscriptions
6 Ways To Optimize Your Site for Subscriptions