# Performance - Subscriptions

### Introduction

The Subscriptions tab tracks the growth and health of your subscription base over time. While Revenue shows money and Orders shows transactions, this tab focuses on the subscriptions themselves — are you gaining more subscribers than you're losing?

This helps you answer: "Is my subscriber base growing, and how engaged are my subscribers?"

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### Metrics explained

### Total active subscriptions

Total number of subscriptions in active status at the end of your reporting period.

**What's inside the card:**

| Segment                             | What it means                                                                                |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Ongoing from before this period** | Subscriptions that were already active before the start of your date range and remain active |
| **Newly started this period**       | Subscriptions that were created and activated during the date range                          |
| **Re-activated this period**        | Subscriptions that were previously cancelled and reactivated during the date range           |

For example, if your date range is Jan 1 – Jan 31 and you have 1,194 active subscriptions at Jan 31: 1,090 were already active before Jan 1, 74 were created in January, and 30 were reactivated in January.

**What to look for:** A healthy mix has a large "Ongoing" base with steady "Newly started" additions. If "Ongoing" is shrinking while "Newly started" is flat, you're losing subscribers faster than gaining them.

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### New subscriptions

Total number of subscriptions created during the reporting period, broken down by their current status:

| Segment                          | What it means                                          |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Still active**                 | Created during this period and still active at the end |
| **Paused within same period**    | Created and paused within the same period              |
| **Cancelled within same period** | Created and cancelled within the same period           |

**What to look for:** If a high percentage of new subscriptions are being cancelled in the same period, something is wrong with the onboarding experience or the initial value proposition. Investigate your subscription pricing, product quality, or first-order experience.

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### Inactive subscriptions

Total number of subscriptions that are not active, broken down by status:

| Segment                            | What it means                                                                                |
| ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Paused (this period)**           | Subscriptions paused during this date range                                                  |
| **Paused (before this period)**    | Subscriptions that were already paused before the date range started                         |
| **Cancelled (this period)**        | Subscriptions cancelled during this date range                                               |
| **Cancelled (before this period)** | Subscriptions that were already cancelled before the date range started                      |
| **Expired**                        | Subscriptions that completed their prepaid term or reached their end date during this period |

**What to look for:** A rising "Cancelled (this period)" number is a warning sign. Compare it against "New subscriptions" — if cancellations outpace new signups, your subscriber base is shrinking.

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### Active subscriptions growth over time

A line chart showing the number of active subscriptions at each point in time during your date range.

* **Solid line:** Actual active subscription count
* **Dashed line:** Average active subscriptions over the period

**What to look for:** An upward-trending line means your subscriber base is growing. If the line is flat or declining, focus on acquisition (getting new subscribers) or retention (reducing cancellations).

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### Net subscription change over time

Shows whether you're gaining or losing subscriptions over time:

**How it's calculated:**

Net change = New subscriptions + Reactivated subscriptions − Cancelled subscriptions

| Segment                            | What it means                                     |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **New** (positive, blue)           | Subscriptions created in this time interval       |
| **Reactivated** (positive, purple) | Previously cancelled subscriptions that came back |
| **Cancelled** (negative, red)      | Subscriptions cancelled in this time interval     |

For example, in Week 1: 25 new + 5 reactivated − 18 cancelled = **+12 net change** (positive growth).

**What to look for:** Positive bars mean you're growing. Negative bars mean cancellations exceed new signups. If you see a pattern of negative weeks, investigate what's causing cancellations — check your cancellation reasons in the main Subscriptions tab.

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### Average order cycles

Shows how many billing cycles (orders) subscribers typically complete before churning or as of today.

* **X-axis:** Cycle number (1, 2, 3 ... 10+)
* **Y-axis:** Number of subscribers at that cycle
* **Big number:** The average across all subscribers

**How it's calculated:**

Average cycles = Total cycles across all subscribers ÷ Total subscribers

For example, if you have 430 subscribers with a combined 1,495 cycles:

* 100 subscribers at cycle 1, 80 at cycle 2, 60 at cycle 3, 50 at cycle 4, 40 at cycle 5, 30 at cycle 6, 20 at cycle 7, 25 at cycle 8, 15 at cycle 9, 10 at cycle 10+
* Total cycles = (1×100) + (2×80) + (3×60) + ... = 1,495
* Average = 1,495 ÷ 430 = **3.48 cycles**

You can filter by subscriber status using the dropdown:

* **Active** — cycles for currently active subscribers (default)
* **Paused (this period)** — cycles for subscribers who paused during this period
* **Cancelled (this period)** — cycles for subscribers who cancelled during this period

**What to look for:** If average cycles is low (e.g., under 3), many subscribers cancel early. This suggests issues with early retention — consider improving the onboarding experience, adding loyalty incentives after the first few orders, or offering a discount to stay past cycle 3.

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### Overall

The Subscriptions tab is your pulse check on subscriber growth. Healthy subscription businesses show steady new subscriptions, low cancellation rates, and increasing average order cycles. Check this tab weekly to catch trends early and take action before small issues become big problems.

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