When it comes to selecting the best subscription platform for your direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, both Skio and Stay AI (previously Retextion) offer compelling features. Each has its strengths, and the right choice depends on the specific needs of your business. While Skio is known for its flexibility and unique subscription features, Stay AI brings its own set of robust features around analytics and theme engine configurations to the table – this might make it the better fit for certain business models.

Benefits of Skio Subscriptions:

Build-a-Box Flexibility

One of Skio’s standout features is its integrated build-a-box functionality. Unlike Stay AI, which may require additional customisation or third-party integrations for similar capabilities, Skio offers this feature natively. This is ideal for businesses that want to offer customers the ability to curate their own subscription boxes with a variety of products, quantities, and delivery intervals. Skio simplifies this process by grouping items into a single subscription line, rather than treating each item as a separate subscription, as Stay AI does.

The SKIO build-a-bundle in action, seamlessly guiding users through customising their own cereal selections on Eleat, offering a smooth and engaging online shopping experience.

Volume Discounts

Skio’s Volume Discounts feature is another strong selling point. This built-in tool allows businesses to offer tiered discounts based on the quantity of products purchased. Paired with the build-a-box functionality, this feature can drive higher order values and increase customer retention by incentivising larger purchases.

What is a volume discount?

For instance, if a customer has 3 or more items in their subscription, they can automatically receive an additional 5% discount.

Advanced Skip Options

Skio also excels with its skip management features. The “Gift on Skip” option allows subscribers to send their next delivery to a friend instead of skipping it altogether, while the “Half Skip” feature lets them delay their next delivery by half an interval. These options offer more flexibility for customers, helping to reduce churn and keep subscriptions active.

Surprise and Delight

Another innovative feature of Skio is the ability to offer surprise gifts or rewards after a certain number of orders. For instance, clients can provide a free product on the customer’s second or third order, helping to foster loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. Rule a easy to create but we are not going to give away the client or what their surprise contains.

For brands offering smaller samples or low-cost SKUs, this strategy is proving highly effective, reflecting a broader DTC trend of rewarding proven customer loyalty with the best offers, rather than reserving them exclusively for new customers. This approach helps cultivate long-term relationships with the right kind of customers.

Multi-Currency Support

Skio supports multi-currency payments, allowing businesses to cater to a global audience without the need for multiple stores. While Stay AI also offers multi-currency functionality, it may not be as seamlessly integrated as Skio’s offering.

Custom Dunning Flows

The customisable dunning flows in SKIO have become a standout feature, allowing clients to send personalised emails and SMS messages after a failed payment. This capability enhances communication with customers, significantly improving the chances of recovering lost revenue from failed transactions.

Benefits of Stay AI

Stay AI, formerly known as Retextion, has steadily built a reputation for offering features specifically designed for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. While it might not yet have the widespread brand recognition of some larger platforms, Stay AI’s focused approach makes it an attractive option for businesses looking for a platform that prioritises ease of migration and minimises disruption during the transition process.

Intuitive User Interface

Stay AI is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, ensuring that managing subscriptions is a hassle-free experience for both businesses and their customers. The platform’s user-friendly interface allows for straightforward navigation, making it easier to manage subscriptions without the need for extensive training or technical expertise.

Theme Engine Customisation

Stay AI offers a powerful Theme Engine that allows businesses to fully customise their subscription pages to align with their brand identity. This ensures a consistent brand experience across all customer touchpoints, enhancing the overall customer journey from start to finish.

SKIO does not offer this functionality and if the subscription interface is paramount Recharge’s SDK portal offers a more developer-focused approach, providing extensive APIs and customisation options for those who need deeper control.

While Recharge’s SDK is ideal for businesses with the resources to build highly bespoke experiences, Stay AI’s Theme Engine provides a more accessible and straightforward solution for most brands looking for seamless and effective customisation without the heavy lift. Learn more about SKIO vs. Recharge subscriptions in this recent article we’ve published.

Advanced Analytics and Reporting

One of Stay AI’s standout features is its comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities. The platform provides deep insights into customer behaviour, churn rates, and lifetime value (LTV), enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions that can optimise their subscription strategies. This advanced analytics suite is a significant advantage for businesses that rely heavily on understanding and improving customer retention.

Flexible Billing Options

Stay AI offers a wide range of billing options, including custom billing windows and specific renewal dates. This flexibility allows businesses to tailor their billing cycles to match their unique needs, whether for promotional periods, special offers, or specific customer requests. Such flexibility can be particularly valuable for businesses with non-standard billing cycles or those looking to offer bespoke subscription plans.

How they compare

Features	Skio	Stay AI
Integrated Build-a-Box Functionality	✅	❌
Volume Discounts	✅	❌
Advanced Skip Options – SKIO is more advanced	✅	❌
Surprise and Delight	✅	❌
Multi-Currency Support – SKIO is more advanced	✅	✅
Custom Dunning Flows	✅	✅
Analytics and Reporting – Stay AI is more advanced	✅	✅
Theme Engine Customisation	❌	✅
Billing Flexibility – Stay AI is more advanced	✅	❌

Conclusion: Skio remains a superior choice

While Stay AI offers a solid suite of tools, particularly in analytics, reporting, and interface customisation, Skio remains the preferred platform for most DTC businesses. Skio’s standout features—such as its fully integrated build-a-box functionality, volume discounts, advanced skip options, and surprise and delight capabilities—offer a level of flexibility and customer-centricity that Stay AI doesn’t yet match.

Moreover, Skio’s seamless multi-currency support and innovative features tailored for customer retention give it the edge in delivering a unique and engaging subscription experience. Stay AI is an excellent choice for businesses that prioritise analytics and interface customisation, but for those seeking a platform that excels in adaptability, customer engagement, and innovative features, Skio is the clear winner.

If your DTC brand needs a platform that can accommodate complex subscription models and deliver a tailored, customer-first experience, Skio is the better choice.