Subscription Economy News: Week of 06/08/20

Every week, we bring you the top stories and analyses from the global Subscription Economy.

Car subscription software Blinker, launches major platform update

Excerpt from an article by Jason Cartwright on TechAU

Today, Blinker has just announced its biggest platform update yet, providing car dealerships and businesses with a more streamlined experience to manage the car subscription service from end-to-end, all in one place.

The update includes a major UI/UX refresh and enhancements to allow car dealerships and OEMs even more control over individual subscriptions.

Improved customisation means the platform can now be integrated with other third party automotive, CRM and notification software, ensuring the Blinker solution fits seamlessly with existing software being employed by customers.

Blinker also offer a new dashboard feature which gives each client a detailed overview of their organisation’s subscription program at a glance. Customers can also now check credit and fraud risk indicators in real-time with the advanced proprietary credit assessment algorithm.

For more, read the full article on TechAU and learn how automotive companies are innovating in the subscription space.

EA Access is soon to be available on Steam

Excerpt from an article by Adrian Willings on Pocketlint

Electronic Arts has kicked this off with a wave of games appearing on Steam, with over 25 games available with some decent discounts on fan favourites too. Not only are classic games now available on Steam, but the company has also said EA Access will be available soon too.

EA Access is a subscription-based service that gives you access to play Electronic Arts games without forking out the full cost for each game. It also has other benefits like discounts, in-game benefits and more.

EA Access is already available for PS4 and Xbox One, there’s also Origin Access on PC but for Steam fans this latest news is certainly welcome.

This subscription-based service will be coming to Steam “later this summer”.

For more, read the full article on Pocketlint and read more about why the gaming industry is ditching the Hollywood model for Silicon Valley’s subscription approach. 

Pandemic effect accelerates subscription category

Excerpt from an article by Anne Flynn Wear on Furniture Today

Even before the current pandemic, the rental economy had taken off in areas such as apparel with Rent the Runway, games and appliances with Joymode and, of course, home furnishings.

Companies in the subscription home furnishings segment say the current crisis has further accelerated the category.

“We’ve seen companies come to the realization that the work-from-home situation for their employees is no longer just a temporary situation,” said Lisa Woodworth, senior vice president of marketing for Cort Furniture Rental, which is available in 100 locations nationwide and has been in the subscription business for more than 40 years.

“Some employers are already looking at the cost and value of supporting their employees with work-from-home benefit packages, including providing furniture.”

For more, read the full article on Furniture Today

Apple to Mac Buyers: Have We Got a Payment Plan for You

Excerpt from an article by M. Corey Goldman on TheStreet

Apple is planning to launch a services bundle soon, according to a beta version of an upcoming iOS release.

The beta version of Apple’s iOS 13.5.5, which was released last week, contains references to a subscription bundle that didn’t exist in prior versions, suggesting that a services bundle could launch alongside that version of iOS.

For more, read the full article on TheStreet

 

For more Subscription Economy resources and events, head to www.subscribed.com and subscribe to Zuora CEO Tien Tzuo’s Subscribed Weekly newsletter, coming to your inbox every Saturday. 

Recommended for you

ZEOs Investing in Women this International Women’s Day
Strategic Insights from Zuora’s Subscribed Institute Executive Breakfast in London
How to create personalized subscriptions using Zephr