Bespoke subscription capability drives repeat revenue for UK pet care retailer

Overview

Our client is a UK based online pet retailer and veterinary dispensary, supplying affordable, trusted pet care products to customers nationwide. Its range includes prescription medications, specialist diets, supplements and everyday pet essentials, all sourced from the same suppliers used by veterinary practices.

In early 2025, the business completed a major digital transformation, replatforming from Magento Open Source to Adobe Commerce as part of a wider strategy to support future growth and establish a more robust, enterprise level ecommerce foundation.

To meet tight migration timelines and deliver a viable MVP, several pieces of legacy custom functionality were intentionally deprioritised. One of the most commercially significant features lost was the existing subscription capability.

The retailer engaged PushON to design and build a fully bespoke subscription feature, enabling customers to automate repeat purchases of essential products while aligning with complex operational and regulatory requirements.

Headline Results

£2m revenue generated from 29,000+ subscriptions within five months

Predictable recurring established revenue stream

Increased customer retention for essential repeat products

The Challenge

Operating within a highly regulated environment, the business sells both prescription and non-prescription products with complex product rules, catalogue logic and fulfilment workflows. Off the shelf subscription platforms were not viable.

The solution also required deep integration with a third-party payment provider to securely manage repeat transactions, a requirement that standard tools could not meet in a stable or scalable way.

A custom engineered subscription solution was required, built specifically around the retailer’s business rules, regulatory obligations and customer experience goals.

The Solution

PushON engineered a fully bespoke subscription capability using the flexibility of Adobe Commerce, tightly integrated with the existing ecommerce platform and operational workflows.

Custom configuration tools were built within the Adobe Commerce admin, allowing internal teams to manage subscription logic without developer involvement. Key capabilities included:

Discount management

Administrators can define introductory discounts for first subscription orders alongside perpetual discounts for ongoing renewals, supporting both acquisition and long-term loyalty strategies.

Flexible subscription frequencies

Granular control over delivery intervals, such as every 4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks, ensures subscriptions align with product usage patterns, regulatory guidance and customer expectations.

Customer self-service account management

A comprehensive subscription dashboard was introduced within the customer account area, enabling customers to manage subscriptions independently. Users can pause, resume or cancel subscriptions, adjust delivery dates and frequencies, update quantities, manage payment and address details, and view upcoming and historical orders.

This self-service functionality reduces customer service overhead while significantly improving convenience for customers.

The Result

The new subscription capability delivered immediate and substantial commercial impact. Within the first five months of launch, the programme generated approximately £2 million in revenue, establishing a strong and growing stream of predictable, recurring income.

In addition to revenue growth, the solution has driven improved customer retention, increased order frequency and greater operational efficiency. The business has successfully transitioned from a predominantly one-off transaction model to a more sustainable, loyalty driven ecommerce operation.

The subscription platform is now a core component of the retailer’s digital strategy and a key contributor to long term growth.