Usage of subscription services: key findings of survey (Opinium, November 2021)
Published 25 April 2023
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Project details
Company name: Opinium Research
Project number: OP18234
Project name: Subscriptions Survey
Client company name: BEIS
Sample: 2,000 UK adults
Fieldwork dates: 16 to 19 November 2021
When it comes to subscription services, almost half (49%) of UK adults pay regularly for access to entertainment and books platforms such as Spotify, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. This is followed by subscriptions to product delivery services (29%), charitable donations and newspaper/magazine subscriptions (both 16%). Just over a quarter (27%) claim not to pay regularly for any subscription services – this rises to two fifths amongst those aged 55+ (versus 14% of 18 to 34s).
Types of subscription services held
| Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Entertainment and books | 49% |
| Product delivery service subscription | 29% |
| Charitable donations | 16% |
| Newspapers and magazines | 16% |
| Gym and wellness memberships | 13% |
| Food and drink | 10% |
| Credit reports/credit checkers | 8% |
| Digital fitness and wellbeing | 6% |
| Education | 6% |
| Clothing and shoes | 6% |
| Health and beauty | 5% |
| Flowers, craft, chocolates, and other treats | 3% |
On average, those with entertainment subscriptions tend to hold around two different subscriptions of this type (2.16 mean, 2.00 median) however, when it comes to product delivery services, the average number of subscriptions held is closer to one (1.29 mean, 1,00 median).
Value for money and price rise effects
When asked about value for money amongst those who hold each subscription type those who regularly donate to charity through subscription are most likely to feel this is of good value (73%), followed by those subscribing to product delivery services (72%). The subscriptions considered worst value for money amongst those who hold them include clothing/shoes and flowers/craft with only around half feeling these are good value.
| Category | Net: good value for money | Net: poor value for money |
|---|---|---|
| Charitable donations | 73% | 4% |
| Product delivery service | 72% | 5% |
| Entertainment and books | 69% | 4% |
| Newspapers and magazines | 68% | 7% |
| Gym and wellness memberships | 68% | 10% |
| Food and drink | 64% | 10% |
| Education | 62% | 15% |
| Digital fitness and wellbeing | 61% | 15% |
| Credit reports/credit checkers | 54% | 13% |
| Health and beauty | 53% | 12% |
| Flowers, craft, chocolates and treats | 50% | 22% |
| Clothing and shoes | 49% | 24% |
With that in mind, we then asked respondents how likely they would be to cancel their subscriptions if they were to increase slightly in price. Four fifths (79%) of those with food and drink subscriptions feel that they would be more likely to cancel their commitment in the event of a price increase, with just over over three quarters (76%) of those with digital fitness and wellbeing subscriptions also feeling this way.
Charitable donations are most resilient as three fifths (61%) say they would not be any more likely to stop their regular charitable donations if these were to increase in cost.
| Category | Net: More likely to cancel | Not more likely to cancel |
|---|---|---|
| Food and drink | 79% | 14% |
| Digital fitness and wellbeing | 76% | 17% |
| Health and beauty | 73% | 19% |
| Clothing and shoes | 73% | 19% |
| Education | 69% | 22% |
| Flowers, craft, chocolates and treats | 66% | 23% |
| Product delivery service | 64% | 33% |
| Entertainment and books | 64% | 34% |
| Gym and wellness memberships | 62% | 33% |
| Credit reports/credit checkers | 61% | 30% |
| Newspapers and magazines | 60% | 37% |
| Charitable donations | 38% | 61% |
Fixed terms and auto-renewals
The types of subscription contracts held varies across the categories with clothing/shoes, fitness/wellbeing/health/beauty, education, newspaper/magazine and flower/craft subscriptions more likely to be on a fixed term contract as opposed to a rolling basis that can be terminated at any time.
Charitable donations, entertainment, credit report/checkers and food/drink subscriptions tend to be held on more flexible rolling contracts with only a fifth (18%) of those who donate to charity via subscription doing so on a fixed term basis.
| Category | Fixed-term | Rolling | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing and shoes | 67% | 31% | 98% |
| Digital fitness and wellbeing | 58% | 36% | 94% |
| Health and beauty | 56% | 42% | 98% |
| Education | 54% | 41% | 95% |
| Newspapers and magazines | 52% | 44% | 96% |
| Flowers, craft, chocolates, and other treats | 49% | 48% | 97% |
| Gym and wellness memberships | 47% | 49% | 96% |
| Product delivery service subscription | 42% | 53% | 95% |
| Food and drink | 36% | 61% | 97% |
| Credit reports/credit checkers | 33% | 54% | 87% |
| Entertainment and books | 30% | 63% | 93% |
| Charitable donations | 18% | 74% | 92% |
Note: percentages do not sum up to 100% due to ‘Don’t know’ answers.
Among those with a fixed-term contract, the most common contract length was 7 to 12 months (61% for Product delivery service, 49% for Newspapers and magazines, 49% for Entertainment and books). Gyms and fitness were also more likely to be 7 to 12 months while Education and Clothing and shoes were more evenly distributed across the range of answers, as were charities.
When asked what they would like to happen at the end of their fixed term subscription, Entertainment and books, Product delivery services, and charitable donations being the most likely for subscribers to want an automatic renewal:
| Category | End at the end of fixed-term | Automatic renewal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charitable donations | 38% | 62% | 100% |
| Product delivery service subscription | 41% | 59% | 100% |
| Entertainment and books | 41% | 59% | 100% |
| Newspapers and magazines | 47% | 53% | 100% |
| Credit reports/credit checkers | 48% | 52% | 100% |
| Education | 49% | 51% | 100% |
| Gym and wellness memberships | 49% | 51% | 100% |
| Digital fitness and wellbeing | 54% | 46% | 100% |
| Health and beauty | 58% | 42% | 100% |
| Food and drink | 65% | 35% | 100% |
| Flowers, craft, chocolates, and other treats | 68% | 32% | 100% |
| Clothing and shoes | 69% | 31% | 100% |