Subscription Economy News: Week of 07/13/20

Every week, we bring you the top stories and analyses from the global Subscription Economy.

Google Play Pass is Expanding Outside the U.S. and Getting an Annual Subscription

Excerpt from an article by Jay Peters on The Verge

Google Play Pass, Google’s subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of Android games and apps with no ads or in-app purchases, is rolling out to nine new countries.

The service will soon be available to Android users in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK.

Google is also rolling out a new annual subscription option for Play Pass that gives you a nice discount if you opt to pay for 12 months up front.

Play Pass typically costs $4.99 per month, but the new annual subscription will cost $29.99 in the US. That price also undercuts Apple Arcade, an app subscription service from Apple that only offers games and costs $49.99 per year.

For more, read the full article on The Verge and learn how the gaming industry is evolving to meet new demands in the Subscription Economy

Retail Subscriptions Thrive During COVID-19

Excerpt from an article by Kaleigh Moore on Forbes

A new study from CouponFollow shows that during the COVID-19 crisis, many US consumers have leaned into subscription-based product.

Retailers are taking note of this shifting behavior, and data projects that by 2023, as many as 75% of direct-to-consumer brands will have a subscription-based offering.

“Subscriptions continue to deliver above market growth,” Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo said. “If these moments of time tend to accelerate underlying trends, we believe the current crisis will only accelerate the shift of the modern global economy towards digital services and subscription models.”

For more, read the full piece on Forbes and learn how retailers can flip the traditional script by launching subscription membership models.

Muji is launching a furniture subscription service

Excerpt from an article on The Spaces

Those of us suffering from a post-lockdown urge to redecorate can now take out a Muji furniture subscription.

The retailer will be offering monthly and annual options, which will cover office, bedroom and lounge furniture. Japanese cities will be the first to access the service, which will gradually be rolled out to other areas.

The Japanese lifestyle brand has also created ‘petite renovation’ in response to COVID-19, to help office workers transition to working from home.

For more, read the full article on The Spaces

For more Subscription Economy resources and events, head to www.subscribed.com and subscribe to Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo’s Subscribed Weekly newsletter, coming to your inbox every Saturday. 

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