SSG.com’s SSG 7 Club sees TVING-style subscribers triple, with 92% retention

Combining retail and media proves the power of customer lock-in

SSG.com’s 'SSG 7 Club' TVING-style membership, which combines grocery-shopping benefits with an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, is seeing explosive growth. Since its debut in March, the total number of members as of September has tripled from the first month of launch. With paid-subscription retention reaching 92%, the service is being recognized as a successful subscription model in the e-commerce industry.

The performance is closely tied to the success of 'TVING', which has drawn viewers with professional baseball broadcasts and original content. As the fall baseball postseason has recently gotten underway, the influx of sports fans has accelerated. The service’s tangible shopping benefit, which gives members 7% back on grocery purchases, has also created a synergy, analysts say. As retailers compete fiercely to secure loyal customers, the 'crossover membership' combining content and shopping has proved highly effective at preventing customer churn.

To meet rising demand, SSG.com is launching a major customer promotion. Through the 21st, it will run 'SSG 7 Club Week', offering members both a 7% off shopping-cart coupon and a 7% statement-credit discount on participating cards. The company has also prepared a special event featuring select popular household necessities and other products at rock-bottom prices to attract new members.

An SSG.com official said the key factor attracting members was the ability to enjoy premium grocery shopping and a wide range of media content with a single affordable subscription fee. The company plans to continue rolling out a variety of partnership promotions to maximize the benefits customers experience.