01
Volume versus commercial efficiency
The tension
Growing acquisition is instinctively measured by the traffic it generates.
The call made
Separate traffic generation from its real contribution to subscriptions.
Case Studies~4 min read
Growing online subscriptions for a major energy supplier
An engagement with a major energy player, on digital acquisition and online sales. The challenge concerned a subscription model sold through a sign-up journey: attracting relevant prospects, making the offers understandable, and supporting the decision through to signature.
SectorEnergy · Online sales · Subscription
ContextDigital acquisition and sign-up
EngagementAcquisition · Selling the offers · Conversion
First-hand account
Applying e-commerce standards to selling a contract
The supplier operated at considerable scale and sold energy offers as subscriptions. The engagement covered growing their online sale. The journey had to turn an intention, often shaped by comparison between suppliers, into a signed subscription.
The nature of the product called for a particular reading of conversion: the customer was entering a contractual relationship, choosing on price, terms and the trust placed in the supplier.
Connecting acquisition to the commercial decision
The work covered campaigns, how the offers were presented, and the sign-up journey as one whole. Acquisition had to be judged on what it produced commercially: the quality of the traffic and its ability to end in a contract mattered as much as the volumes generated.
- Campaigns judged on commercial contribution, not volume
- Offers to make comparable and understandable
- A sign-up journey to carry through to the contract
- An advertising promise to hold until the final step
The advertising promise, the offer discovered and the sign-up steps all had to answer the same intention.
Giving digital performance a commercial reading
In this model, the value of an acquisition is built beyond the click. Conversion into a subscription is the essential reference point for judging what the investment is worth.
- Measure acquisition cost against the subscriptions actually obtained
- Set that cost against the economics of the contract
- Ask the right questions about how budget is allocated
- Question how relevant the audiences are
- Judge the journey's performance all the way to signature
Three structuring priorities
01
Grow useful acquisition
The work had to support selling the offers, with attention on the link between traffic generated and intent to subscribe.
02
Make the offer easier to understand
Commercial presentation mattered a great deal in a decision built on comparison and contractual commitment.
03
Govern through to signature
Performance had to be read including the end of the journey, not just advertising indicators.
The scope covered
01 · ACQUISITION
Digital acquisition
The engagement covered acquisition in service of the supplier's online commercial growth.
02 · OFFERS
Selling the offers
The work covered selling the subscriptions digitally and how they connected to the acquisition journeys.
03 · CONVERSION
E-commerce conversion logic
Sign-up was treated as a complete commercial journey: attract, make the offer understood, and let the prospect act on their decision.
The trade-offs at the heart of the case
02
Appeal versus understanding
The tension
The argument that makes someone look at an offer is not always the one that lets them judge it.
The call made
Hold both: make people want to examine the offer while letting them weigh its terms.
03
Acquisition versus subscription economics
The tension
The level of commercial investment cannot be decided on cost per click alone.
The call made
Bring the value of the contract into the thinking about what a subscription is worth.
E-commerce expertise applied to an essential service.
This engagement applied acquisition and conversion methods to selling an energy offer by subscription. It covered a complete commercial chain, from the prospect's arrival to their decision to sign, in an environment where understanding the offer and trusting the supplier were central.
