Membership expert, Stu McLaren, empowers entrepreneurs to create predictable profits through sustainable memberships.
Last week, I was sitting in my home office when the doorbell rang. It was my monthly pest control service, a guy I hired after discovering mice had taken up residence in our attic. As he wrapped up his routine inspection, he mentioned something that stuck with me: “You know, 80% of my business now comes from recurring monthly plans. People just don’t want to think about pest problems anymore.”
That simple observation crystallized something I’ve been seeing across every industry. The businesses winning today aren’t necessarily the ones with the best products or the lowest prices—they’re the ones removing friction from their customers’ lives.
The Convenience Premium Is Real
According to a 2023 PwC survey, consumers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience, with 43% of those surveyed willing to pay more just for convenience. This isn’t just about Millennials ordering everything online. It’s about a fundamental shift in how all customers perceive and evaluate value.
Consider the transformation we’re seeing in how people buy food. According to findings from NielsenIQ, in 2024, “in-store Food sales only grew +0.9% in the last year, but online sales saw a staggering 15.1% increase.” Instacart, for example, processed just over $9 billion in gross transaction value in Q2 of 2025. The message is as clear as day: People will pay and choose to pay premium prices for a more convenient option.
The Three Pillars Of Convenience
Through my work with thousands of membership and subscription businesses, I’ve identified three core areas where convenience shines.
1. Eliminates Repetitive Decisions
The pest control example isn’t unique. Dollar Shave Club built a billion-dollar business by eliminating the “remember to buy razors” problem. HelloFresh removed meal planning decisions. Even business-to-business (B2B) companies like Salesforce have thrived by turning software from a purchase decision into an always-updated service.
The key insight here is that every repeated decision represents an opportunity for subscription or membership model innovation. In our membership communities, businesses that identify and automate these friction points see a much higher customer lifetime value on average.
2. Brings Service To The Customer
Soothe didn’t invent massage therapy, they just brought it to your living room. Similarly, telemedicine platforms like Teladoc (now serving 90 million members) didn’t create new medical treatments, they just eliminated the waiting room.
This principle extends beyond obvious service businesses. B2B software companies are embedding their tools directly into customers’ existing workflows. Financial advisors are meeting clients via video instead of requiring office visits. Even traditionally location-based businesses like gyms offer hybrid models with at-home streaming options.
3. Prevents Problems Proactively
The most sophisticated convenience play isn’t solving problems faster, it’s preventing them entirely. My pest control service doesn’t wait for me to discover mice; they prevent the problem from happening in the first place.
This proactive approach is spreading across industries. IT services companies have shifted from break-fix models to managed services, preventing issues before they impact operations. Healthcare is moving toward preventive care testing and subscriptions. Even automotive companies like Tesla push software updates that fix problems owners didn’t know existed.
The Convenience Audit: Five Questions Every Business Should Ask
Based on patterns from high-growth subscription businesses, here’s how to identify convenience opportunities in your business:
1. Map your customer’s entire journey. Where do they experience friction, delays or frustration? A study by McKinsey found that a well-designed customer journey can increase customer satisfaction by 20%.
2. Identify repetitive customer actions. What do customers have to do repeatedly that could be automated or systematized? These represent subscription or membership opportunities.
3. Analyze your competition’s weak points. Where are competitors forcing customers to adapt to their processes instead of vice versa? Uber didn’t create a better taxi; they eliminated the friction of hailing and paying for one.
4. Study close-by industries. What convenience innovations from other sectors could apply to your business? The subscription model started with magazines but now powers everything from software to industrial equipment.
5. Listen to your customer service team. What problems do they solve repeatedly? Each recurring issue represents a potential convenience innovation.
Implementation: The 30-60-90 Day Convenience Plan
Days 1-30: Conduct your convenience audit. Survey customers about their biggest frustrations. Map every touchpoint in your customer journey. Identify at least three friction points you could eliminate.
Days 31-60: Test one convenience improvement. Start small. Consider offering a subscription option for your most frequently purchased product, or adding a self-service feature to reduce common support requests. Measure impact on customer satisfaction and retention.
Days 61-90: Based on results, expand successful tests and identify the next wave of improvements. Build convenience into your strategic planning, making it a core competitive differentiator rather than an afterthought.
The Competitive Moat Of Convenience
Here’s what most businesses miss: Convenience is a sustainable and long-term competitive advantage, not just a product feature. While competitors can copy your features or match your prices, replicating a truly convenient customer experience requires fundamental operational changes that take years to implement.
Amazon didn’t become dominant because it had better products. They won because they made buying anything as simple as clicking a button. Netflix didn’t have better movies than Blockbuster. They eliminated the trip to the video store.
In my experience working with membership businesses, those prioritizing convenience see higher retention rates and higher customer lifetime value than those competing on features or price alone.
The businesses thriving in 2025 and beyond won’t be those asking, “How can we make our product better?” They’ll be asking, “How can we make our customers’ lives easier?” Because in a world where time is the ultimate luxury and attention is the scarcest resource, convenience isn’t just an advantage—it’s the advantage.
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