Club Retention:
Membership Tenure & Loyalty
Average membership tenure for Subscription Clubs
Average memberhip tenure for Traditional 'Set Item' Clubs
Average memberhip tenure for Traditional 'User Can Choose' Clubs
Members Stick Around for Years—Especially in Traditional Clubs
Wine club memberships aren’t short flings, they’re long-term relationships.
Across all clubs, the average membership lasts about 3 years (1,110 days).
Traditional clubs lead the way, with set-item clubs averaging 3.1 years (1,120 days) and customizable 'User Can Choose' clubs lasting even longer at 3.2 years (1,159 days).
Subscription clubs follow a different pattern, with an average tenure of 789 days which is a little over 2 years. Although this is shorter than traditional clubs, it is still a strong result for a product designed for flexibility. The lower tenure reflects the easy-to-start and easy-to-cancel nature of subscriptions, which makes them an effective entry point for newer or less-committed buyers who may not jump straight into a 3-year club relationship.
This paints a clear picture: traditional clubs, especially those that allow customization, are long-lived and sticky.
Actionable Insights:
- Treat club onboarding like a 3-year relationship, not a one-off sale. Most members will be with you for multiple years—design education, perks, and communication with that horizon in mind.
- Leverage customization to extend tenure. Flexible traditional clubs combine the best of both worlds: long-tenure structure plus member choice.
- Respect subscription churn patterns. Subscription clubs will naturally churn faster. Build win-back flows and renewal nudges earlier in the lifecycle.
- Use set-item clubs intentionally. Set-item clubs still have a place, but only when curation is the value. Use them for limited releases, library collections, verticals, or themed shipments where choice isn’t the focus.