Subscription Glossary

The following glossary includes terminology related to subscription management within the Cleverbridge platform:

A

aaS

Acronym for as-a-Service. Model of providing cloud services.

Synonyms: as-a-Service

Active subscriptions

An active subscription is any subscription with at least one paid-for subscription item A subscription item is component of a subscription with its own set of attributes including price, description and feature set.. Active subscriptions can contain an unlimited amount of subscription items and those may vary in quantity. In analytics, this value is impacted by subscription items being added or removed by the subscriber during the customer An individual or business purchasing your product or service by placing an order through Cleverbridge. The customer is the end user of this product, as they are not allowed to resell the purchased products or services. ​ A customer is unique per client. If a customer purchases products or services from two different clients, there are 2 separate records of said customer.​ lifecycle. Active Subscriptions do not include trials.

For information, see Subscription Analytics.

Active subscribers

Holders of at least one subscription with a minimum of one paid subscription item per subscription. If a subscriber contracts a subscription that includes multiple subscription items, they are still registered as a single subscriber. In general, each unique email is counted as a single subscriber and this value is impacted indirectly by subscription items being added or removed by the subscriber during the customer lifecycle.

For information, see Subscription Analytics.

Active trials

Number of free subscription items at the end of a given period. Trials either expire after the trial period ends or are converted to active subscriptions.

Add-on

Optional subscription item that, when added, is billed in the recurring invoice for the subscription. An add-on can be a stand-alone product or a product used to augment the functionality of a perpetual product or another subscription item in the same subscription.

Synonyms: Cross-sell

Alignment

The act of consolidating the billing for two separate subscriptions with the same interval length into a single recurring billing event. This results in extending or shortening the running time of one subscription. An alignment Alignment is the act of consolidating the billing for two separate subscriptions into a single recurring billing event. also occurs when you upgrade a subscription immediately, see Alignment Purchase An order made by a customer and the records associated with it..

Synonyms: Co-term, merge

Alignment purchase

A purchase resulting from the change to a subscription during a running billing interval. This is often a subscription upgrade. Typically, the customer is billed a pro-rated amount for the time period between the change and the next billing date.

Synonyms: Pro-rated upgrade

Annual recurring revenue

Yearly representation of the monthly recurring revenue. With a stable customer base, the ARR provides a forecasting measure for future annual income.

Calculation: ARR is calculated by multiplying your MRR by twelve.

Synonyms: ARR

Automatic renewal

Type of renewal where, at the end of each billing interval, the subscription automatically renews, unless the customer explicitly cancels, upgrades, or downgrades the subscription. Auto-renewal is the default for subscription products in the Cleverbridge platform.

Customers opting for an offline payment Offline payment stands for a group of payment options that do not involve online transactions like direct debit, wire transfers, and checks. With the order confirmation, the customer receives a link with information on how to make the payment. Ordered products are delivered as soon as Cleverbridge receives payment confirmation from the payment provider. option still receive automated reminders and payment Exchange of money for goods and services in an acceptable amount to the customer where the payment amount has been agreed upon in advance. The customer can only pay with an accepted payment method. Each payment has an individual payment cost. requests as the renewal date for their automatic subscription approaches.

Automatic subscription

Type of subscription where recurring payments are processed automatically shortly before or on each renewal date of the subscription. ​

Automatic subscriptions streamline the fulfillment process to the product or service the customer subscribed to.​ Once the subscription is automatically renewed, the payment is triggered.​ For more details on subscription events based on the subscription management version you're on, see: Subscription Life Cycle Events. ​

Average revenue per user

Average monthly recurring revenue across your active subscribers in a given time. The ARPU is the chief indicator of the profitability of your products.

Calculation: ARPU is calculated by dividing the monthly recurring revenue by the number of active subscribers.

Synonyms: ARPU

B

Billing event

In the context of subscription products, customers are billed at regular intervals, and billing event refers to each billing instance.

Synonyms: Rebilling event, recurring billing event

Billing in arrears

The billing of a subscription on a recurring basis at the end (instead of the beginning) of a billing interval. The customer can use the subscription before being billed for it. Billing in arrears is typically used for billing usage or excess usage because such billing is based on actual (and therefore past) usage during a billing interval.

Synonyms: Usage-based billing

C

Cancelation list

A list of subscription products, set up in the Cleverbridge platform, that is used to automatically terminate a customer's existing subscription if the customer purchases a new subscription product that is a substitute. Cancelation lists are most used to provide customers with an option to upgrade or downgrade a subscription.

Churn

The loss of existing subscription items and their associated recurring revenue during a given period. Churn can be voluntary, where the customer purposefully cancels the subscription item, involuntary, where the payment is declined, or fixed-term, were the expiration of the subscription item is prearranged.

Calculation: Churn is calculated by counting the number of unrenewed subscription items during a given period. Trials are excluded from the count.

Synonyms: Customer attrition, customer turnover, gross attrition, gross churn

Churn rate

Rate at which subscription items don’t renew compared to the total active subscription items eligible for renewal in a given period. Trial subscriptions are not included.

Calculation: Churn rate is calculated by dividing the subscription items lost during a given period by the number of the subscription items you had at the beginning of said period. Lost is understood as unrenewed by payment due date.

Synonyms: Attrition rate, gross churn rate

Churned subscriptions

All of the unrenewed subscription items during a given period. It is a scheduled renewal that did not occur shortly before or by the payment due date, which results in the loss of an existing subscription item.

Customer lifetime value

Gross or net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer.

Synonyms: CLV

D

Downgrade

Replacement of the customer’s current subscription product with a lower-priced subscription product that is viewed as a substitute. Letting customers opt for a downgrade midterm is not allowed as it results in a negative charge.

E

Excess usage

The quantity of usage that is above the quantity included in a subscription’s recurring billing amount.

Synonyms: Overage

F

Fixed-price subscription

Recurring product within the subscription set up with an unchanging price, applicable to automatically renewable subscription. Any change in usage or item quantity will affect the subscription price.

Fixed-term churn

Occurs when the expiration date for the subscription item is prearranged after a specified contract period. This means that the subscription item has a rigid expiration date, or there may be unique circumstances leading to its termination, such as compliance regulations or the discontinuation of the product. The reasons for fixed-term churn are the following: External Reason, Limited Renewals, and Bounced Mail.

Free trial

A free trial allows a user to use a subscription product at zero cost for the first interval. At the end of the first interval, the subscription is either deactivated until the customer renews at a billed amount, or, if the subscription is set up as auto-renewal or is renewed, access to the program is denied until payment is submitted. You can set free trials where the payment details are collected automatically for auto-renewals. For more information, contact Client Experience.

Synonyms: Freemium is not a synonym.

Freemium

A marketing tactic Classification of an automation. A tactic refers to a ready-to-use marketing or renewal journey, each with its predefined parameters. These parameters, such as cadence, can be customized to fit your own specific needs. Cleverbridge offers various tactics, such as winback, renewal, and PDN. in which a user can access a basic product for an unlimited amount of time. However, if users want to access premium features, such as LinkedIn’s InMail or Skype’s group video chats, they must upgrade to a paid subscription providing premium access.

Synonyms: Free trial is not a synonym.

Freemium Subscribers

Holders of a subscription with free basic products, which allows you to acquire a large user base. This ultimately drives conversion when freemium subscribers upgrade from a free plan to a paid plan, in turn increasing the number of paid subscribers.

Full-term upgrade

Upgrade where the current subscription interval is interrupted and a new one is started with a new and improved subscription item attached to it.

G

Grace period

The grace period occurs when Cleverbridge does not receive payment for a subscription but the customer may still use the product. It allows you to set a certain number of days for the customer to update their payment information (in the case of online payment Stands for a group of payment options that do not require the customer to submit the payment in an extra step after submitting the order. Online payments include credit, debit cards, and digital wallets. With an online payment option, the product is delivered almost immediately (as soon as the payment is processed which usually does only take a few seconds). options) or make a payment (in the case of offline payment options) before the subscription goes into the status Hold.

I

IaaS

Acronym for Infrastructure as a Service. Network and storage resources remotely accessible to customers on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Synonyms: Infrastructure as a Service

Initial purchase

First billing of a subscription product.

Synonyms: Initial billing, initial charge

Initial subscription interval

The time period between the initial payment and the first subscription billing event.

Involuntary churn

Occurs when the payment for the subscription item is not received by the renewal date for an unavoidable reason often related to outdated payment information, failed account connection, insufficient funds, or unsuccessful Offline Payment.

M

Manual renewal

Type of renewal offered to customers who opt out of an automatically renewable subscription and that requires the customer's consent for the subscription renewal. It also offers flexibility to customers to update their subscription if needed: add more data, change in item quantity, etc. This renewal type is reversible, which means customers can still switch to an automatically renewable subscription.

For more information, see Subscription Management 1.0 and 2.0.

Manual subscription

Type of subscription where the customer makes a renewal payment manually at the end of each billing interval in order An agreement between a seller and a buyer to exchange goods and/or services for money. An order can: - contain multiple products and quantities; - have multiple financial transactions. A preorder authorization is considered an order. to continue using the product or service they subscribed to. Manual subscriptions require the customer’s consent for each interval renewal and allow them to add items and data to the subscription or modify personal data and payment data of customer.

For more details on subscription events based on the subscription management version you're on, see Subscription Life Cycle Events.

Metering

A process in which the number of times, the duration, the amount, or another metric of use for a customer’s subscription is monitored and recorded. The purpose of metering is to provide the data needed for usage-based billing.

Synonyms: Usage-based billing

Monthly recurring revenue

Recurring revenue normalized into a monthly amount. Previous and current MRR provide a forecasting measure for future income and overall growth rate.

Calculation: MRR is calculated by dividing the sum of the recurring revenue during x month by the subscription interval length.

Synonyms: MRR

My Account

Username and password protected area you offer your customers, enabling them to access privileged information about the purchased products and to manage their subscriptions and special marketing campaigns.

N

Net revenue

Amount of revenue generated by subscribers based on the exchange rate at the time of the transaction. All discounts and shipping costs are subtracted from the net revenue, while Cleverbridge fees and affiliate An individual or a company that markets a product to potential customers. The Affiliate receives a commission on a specific action (also called event: e.g., sale, lead, click, visit etc.) previously agreed upon with you, the advertiser. Each action is tracked via a unique tracking link from Partnerize.​ ​An affiliate is also called a publisher. commissions are included in the net revenue.

New subscriptions

Active and paid subscription items with the first payment having occurred in the selected period. In analytics, this value corresponds to the count of the initial billing interval for paid-for subscription items which is equivalent to 0.

P

Pay-per-use

A type of usage-based billing in which all units of usage are billed.

Prorated billing

Applicable when subscribers upgrade their plan mid-subscription interval, which requires an adjustment of the recurring billing of the subscriber to prevent undercharging or overcharging the customers.

Prorated billing is used to calculate the subscription amount for the remaining period of the interval, based on the number of days the subscriber used the current plan, subtract it from the full amount of the new plan they upgraded to, to determine the new billing amount for the upgraded subscription interval.

Prorated upgrade

Upgrade where the subscription item is replaced by a newly released and improved version while the current subscription interval stays the same.

Synonyms: Alignment purchase

R

Reactivation

The restoration, after deactivation, of a customer’s access or ability to use a subscription product. Reactivation must be done explicitly by the client.

Recurring billing

A defining characteristic of a SaaS or subscription service in which the service is billed on a regular and repeating basis, most commonly monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Recurring subscription interval

The time period between subsequent billing events starting from the first subscription billing event.

Renewal

The process of billing renewal for an additional interval, which allows customers to access a product or a service. The renewal of a customer’s subscription can be automatic or manual, depending on the subscription management version you are on. If a subscription is set up to automatically renew, the renewal (and billing the customer) is done seamlessly. If set up to manually renew, the customer must initiate the renewal. For more information, see About Subscription Billing Intervals.

Renewal date

Time of subscription renewal when the interval length of the subscription is fulfilled and the Cleverbridge platform bills the customer for the subscription upcoming interval.

Synonyms: Billing event date, subscription billing date, next billing date

Renewal rate

Rate at which subscription items renew out of the total subscription items eligible for renewal in a given period. Grace period is considered, and trial subscriptions are not included.

Synonyms:Retention rate

Renewal type

Subscription renewals are configurable to renew either automatically or manually. A subscription renewing automatically is the default for subscription products in the Cleverbridge platform. With manual renewals, the customer must confirm the renewal of the subscription on every renewal date at the latest. For more information on renewal types, see Subscription Management 1.0 and 2.0.

Renewed subscriptions

Paid subscription items for the purpose of extending the access to a product or a service beyond the initial purchase. In analytics, this value corresponds to the count of the recurring billing interval for paid-for subscription items: (1,2,3…etc.)

S

SaaS

Acronym for Software as a Service. Software that is owned, delivered, and managed remotely. It is usually sold and billed on a subscription basis.

Synonyms: Cloud-based software

Self-service

​A solution that enables subscribers to make modifications to their personal, payment, and plan information.

Synonyms: Customer self-service

Sign-up

The process when a customer decides to subscribe to a product/service. Sign-ups are equivalent to interval 0 and correspond to either a trial period or the first paid event for a one-item subscription as well as a newly added subscription item to a subscription.

Calculation: Count of newly added subscription items requiring a subsequent renewal. Trials are excluded from the count.

Subscription

An agreement subject to renewal, where access to a recurring product or service is granted to the customer at regularly and successfully executed billing intervals, such as monthly or yearly. A subscription renews automatically until it is canceled by the customer or manually where the customer initiates the renewal before the end of the billing interval. ​ There are single item subscriptions and multi-item subscriptions. A multi-item subscription can only contain more than one item if all items have an identical interval length.​

Subscription business model

A business model in which a company chooses to build and maintain customer relationships by making their product/service available for ongoing payment or fees.

Subscription event

​Any changes that influences a subscription, such as a customer address change, upgrade, renewal, etc.

Subscription interval

The time period between billing events that showcases the frequency with which a subscriber is charged to continue a subscription (e.g. one-time, monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.). Intervals are determined by the pricing model.

Synonyms: Billing interval

Subscription interval length

Length of the billing interval for a recurring product, set in days, months, or years. Subscriptions may only contain recurring products with the same interval length.

Subscription interval number

Count of the billing interval for a recurring product: initial (0) or recurring (1,2,3…etc). In reporting terms, it reflects how often a subscription gets renewed. For more information, see Subscription Interval vs Subscription Item Interval.

Subscription item

A component of a subscription with its own set of attributes, including price, description, quantity, and feature set. A subscription item can be a recurring product or service that you offer your customers.

Synonyms: Item

Subscription item interval number

Count of the billing interval for a subscription item: initial (0) or recurring (1,2,3…etc). In reporting terms, and particularly relevant for subscriptions with multiple subscription items, it reflects how often each subscription item gets renewed.

Subscription item status

Identifies the current state of a subscription item. Possible values are: Active, Deactivated, Finished, Removed, Awaiting Reinstate. For more information, see Subscription Statuses.

Synonyms: Item status

Subscription lifecycle

​The process of attracting, acquiring, growing, and retaining a subscriber.

Subscription link

Link to allow a customer to manage their subscription.

Subscription management 1.0

Two separate products must be created, one for manual-renewal subscriptions and the other for automatic-renewal subscriptions.

Subscription management 2.0

Offer automatic and manual renewal for the same product, which reduces product setup and maintenance efforts, as well as the risk of configuration errors. One product is created for both automatic- and manual-renewal subscriptions. Customers can cancel or reinstate individual subscription items. Option to turn on/off automatic renewal for the entire subscription.

Subscription next billing date

The date a charge is sent to a customer based on the terms of a subscription.

Subscription notification

​A webhook, machine-to-machine communication, triggered by events such as upgrades, renewals, address changes, etc.

Subscription option

Ends a subscription after a certain number of billing events.

Subscription pricing model

Defines how subscription pricing is set. Pricing can be: fixed, tiered, seat-based, usage-based, or some combination thereof. For more information, see Implement a Pricing Model.

Subscription-related URLs

Prolonging the life of a subscription. The process of continuing access to a product/service for additional billing intervals. The renewal can be automatic or manual, depending on the subscription management version you are on. For more information, see About Subscription Billing Intervals.

Subscription analytics

​Dashboards and detailed metrics for monitoring and improving the health of a subscription business. Reports can be segmented across a variety of dimensions such as by plan, product/service, demographics, region, and customer behavior.

Subscription status

Identifies the current state of a subscription. Possible values are: Active, Deactivated, Finished, Grace, Handled by Client, Hold, New. For more information, see Subscription Statuses.

Subscription upgrade

An upgrade expands the capabilities of an existing subscription, through:

• extending the interval period,​ or
• replacing an item with a premium version of the same or different item, or ​
• increasing the item quantity, or
• adding to the number of existing items within the subscription

Subscription update

A subscription update ​includes any modifications to the subscription, such as upgrades or downgrades, changes to customer personal information, updates to payment details, price increases to existing products, or the discontinuation of a product followed by its replacement with an equivalent alternative.

T

Trials-to-paid-rate

Percentage of trials converted by customers to paid subscriptions during a reported period.

U

Usage-based billing

Method of pricing and billing SaaS or subscription services in which the accumulated usage during a billing interval (as measured by metering) is billed at the end of the billing interval (in arrears). For some subscription products, the customer is allowed some maximum amount of usage and is billed only for the excess usage above this maximum; in other words, for the excess usage.

Synonyms: Metered billing

Unvoluntary churn

Occurs when the payment for the subscription item is not received by the renewal date for an unavoidable reason often related to outdated payment information, failed account connection, insufficient funds, or unsuccessful Offline Payment.

V

Variable-price subscription

Recurring product within the subscription set up with unique prices for different time intervals. Variable-pricing is a variant of the fixed subscription pricing model where instead of applying unchanging prices for all subscription intervals, you set up different prices for each interval.

Voluntary churn

Occurs when a subscriber purposefully decides to discontinue the use of a subscription item. The reasons for voluntary churn are the following: Customer Cancellation, Manual Subscription, Refund, and Chargeback A credit card chargeback, typically referred to as chargeback, occurs when a customer successfully disputes a transaction on their bank report. Unlike a refund, where Cleverbridge proactively returns the amount to the customer, a chargeback involves the customer's bank automatically withdrawing the amount from Cleverbridge's account. Cleverbridge can contest illegitimate claims, but the card organization makes the final decision. Successfully contested chargebacks still contribute to the chargeback ratio..

X

XaaS

Acronym for Anything-as-a-Service. A variety of services hosted on the cloud that customers can access remotely.

Synonyms: Anything-as-a-Service