Case studies

21% Increase in AOV Using Bundles

A conversation with:

21%

Increase in AOV

53%

Increase in active subscriptions

500%

YoY total sales growth
About the brand
Slate is a line of all natural, lower sugar, higher protein, lactose free chocolate milks and lattes for healthy-minded people.
Vertical
Solution
Use case
Solution
Migrated from Legacy App

Not only has Slate Milk seen unprecedented results since migrating to Smartrr, with a 53%+ increase in subscription revenue, but they were also the key inspiration behind Smartrr’s latest bundle builder feature. We connected with their Senior Marketing Manager, Ron Lubin, for the ‘full pour’ on everything from lactose to LTV:

Reframing the Chocolate Milk Narrative

Chocolate milk–it’s not just for children!! Originally motivated by a goal of rebranding chocolate milk from its historically kid-focused association to “chocolate milk for adults,” Slate Milk has positioned itself uniquely in the market as a high-protein drink with a clean aesthetic. Perfect as a breakfast replacement or post-workout snack.

With a goal of providing delicious strength and energy to healthy-minded people worldwide, Slate does just that with its all-natural, lactose-free chocolate milk. Crafted with intention, Slate Milk is ultra-filtered to remove lactose sugars and then blended with natural ingredients containing essential vitamins and electrolytes. In addition to its health benefits, Slate is proud to be a Certified Plastic Neutral company. With a mission to increase the reusability of material products and help reduce water usage, all products are packaged in 100% recyclable aluminum cans, and excess water removed during filtration is sent back to family-owned farms to be reused.

Slated for Subscriptions

As a consumable product, the Slate team knew right off the bat that subscriptions were a perfect fit to ensure that customers always have protein ready in their fridge. Initially offering only 12 and 48-packs of milk, Slate later introduced 24-packs and strategically crafted its subscription program offerings to align best with customer purchasing behavior based on order sizes. Not only does Slate provide price decreases as customers buy higher quantities, but they also give increasing discount percentages based on the pack sizes.

Slate prides itself on providing the best possible experience for its customers, even passing on their savings to subscribers. When Slate saw shipping prices skyrocketing, the team thought creatively to develop a solution where everyone wins. Slate reached out to each subscriber to offer them a special deal: subscribe to receive 48-packs half as often as 24-packs at a higher discount, in an effort to continue providing VIP treatment.

“When it comes down to it, our best customers, and by far our most loyal customers, are our subscribers.”
– Ron Lubin, Senior Marketing Manager at Slate Milk

The Tipping Point That Moved Slate to Smartrr

Initially launching its subscriptions on another subscription app, Slate ran into numerous problems; the main one stemming from its bundles being built as one master product with many variants causing blockers with their 3PLs and on inventory reporting. This, coupled with terrible customer support, caused the Slate team to quickly realize that this subscription app just wasn’t advanced enough for their needs. But the true tipping point that moved Slate over to Smartrr occurred when the “add to cart” button was not working for both subscriptions and one-time orders, meaning that no one could order from the Slate website. Slate’s Senior Marketing Manager, Ron, says that moving over to Smartrr allowed Slate to run with a higher degree of confidence overall, calling out Smartrr’s advanced capability to manage different variants, and that the customer support is incomparable.

Slated for Subscriptions

As a consumable product, the Slate team knew right off the bat that subscriptions were a perfect fit to ensure that customers always have protein ready in their fridge. Initially offering only 12 and 48-packs of milk, Slate later introduced 24-packs and strategically crafted its subscription program offerings to align best with customer purchasing behavior based on order sizes. Not only does Slate provide price decreases as customers buy higher quantities, but they also give increasing discount percentages based on the pack sizes.

Slate prides itself on providing the best possible experience for its customers, even passing on their savings to subscribers. When Slate saw shipping prices skyrocketing, the team thought creatively to develop a solution where everyone wins. Slate reached out to each subscriber to offer them a special deal: subscribe to receive 48-packs half as often as 24-packs at a higher discount, in an effort to continue providing VIP treatment.

“When it comes down to it, our best customers, and by far our most loyal customers, are our subscribers.”
– Ron Lubin, Senior Marketing Manager at Slate Milk

The Tipping Point That Moved Slate to Smartrr

Initially launching its subscriptions on another subscription app, Slate ran into numerous problems; the main one stemming from its bundles being built as one master product with many variants causing blockers with their 3PLs and on inventory reporting. This, coupled with terrible customer support, caused the Slate team to quickly realize that this subscription app just wasn’t advanced enough for their needs. But the true tipping point that moved Slate over to Smartrr occurred when the “add to cart” button was not working for both subscriptions and one-time orders, meaning that no one could order from the Slate website. Slate’s Senior Marketing Manager, Ron, says that moving over to Smartrr allowed Slate to run with a higher degree of confidence overall, calling out Smartrr’s advanced capability to manage different variants, and that the customer support is incomparable.

“Honestly I’ll say Smartrr’s number one differentiator is the level of customer support. Our CSM, Sam, knows exactly what she’s doing, she can always help me out with any issues, and she is always quick to respond. Nothing but absolutely positive things to say about the customer service.”
– Ron Lubin, Senior Marketing Manager at Slate Milk

The Inspiration Behind Bundles

By far Slate’s best seller is their variety pack that offers three of their chocolate flavors. But frequently customers were reaching out to request a box that mixed and matched their favorite flavors, something Slate couldn’t do unless they shipped separate 12-packs, which was both costly and disrupted their seamless customer experience. Unable to find a bundle builder that fit their needs, Slate turned to Smartrr. Working closely with the Slate team and using their specific pain points around bundles, Smartrr designed a Bundle Builder feature with first-of-its-kind inventory reporting for merchants and an enhanced personalized experience for customers.

“Build your own box is truly what we see as the future of eCommerce. Consumers want to customize their orders 100%, and a lot of our customers have even reached out to ask us about this feature.”
– Ron Lubin, Senior Marketing Manager at Slate Milk

Skyrocketing Subscriptions

The Slate team considers themself a huge fan of Smartrr’s customer account portal layout updates and advanced analytics. Specifically, Ron praises how Smartrr split up next orders versus subscription orders in a way that makes perfect sense to customers, making it easier to offer customers an unparalleled subscription experience. Additionally, the retention reporting feature has been a game-changer for the brand.

“The fact that you guys now split out next orders versus subscriptions is amazing and makes such a huge difference. Based on how people think about it overall, it really just makes sense. Especially when you get into things like Bundle Builder, where consumers are thinking ‘I want to subscribe to this 48-pack box, but next month I want to try something new in addition. With Smartrr’s bundle builder, the customer experience and customization options are absolutely incredible.”
– Ron Lubin, Senior Marketing Manager at Slate Milk

Prior to being on Smartrr, Slate did not see the rate of growth that it is currently seeing. In the last 90 days, active subscriptions are up 53%and AOV by 21%.

Looking ahead, Slate is releasing a new product in the coming year!

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