Cashfree Payments‘ Trends in Subscription Economy 2025 study reveals compelling insights about the booming membership economy.
Subscription-based businesses have grown by 435% over the last decade, far exceeding traditional business models.
The Subscription Economy Index (SEI) has shown remarkable growth, surpassing the S&P 500 by 4.6 times over the past ten years, with a staggering CAGR of 17.5% compared to 3.8%.
Additionally, churn rates have significantly decreased to 5.4% in 2023, demonstrating a strong commitment to subscription models year after year.
This business model provides two significant benefits that motivate companies worldwide:
- The subscription approach also increases customer lifetime value by extending relationships beyond single transactions.
- Studies show that the average subscription customer generates 3-5x more revenue over their lifetime compared to transactional customers in the same industry.
Within the golf industry, I found 6 examples:
- Titleist offers a golf ball subscription: you pick your preferred ball model (e.g., Pro V1 / Pro V1x, etc.), set delivery frequency (every 1, 2, 3, or 4 months), and have the balls shipped to you.
- Short Par 4 offers a membership/subscription service where, for a monthly fee (for example, ~$99/month for their “Tour Select” programme), you receive a curated package each month of golf apparel, accessories, etc.
- Mullybox offers a quarterly (or sometimes monthly) subscription box for golfers, including golf gear, accessories, apparel, etc.
- ClubHub markets a subscription model for golf clubs: “always play with the latest clubs”, upgrade anytime, and a monthly fee allows access to premium club sets.
- UrCaddie is an Australia-based service offering premium golf club subscriptions. You choose a plan (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold) and receive clubs to use, swap, or keep.
I was thrilled when Brandon Tucker, Communications Director of GolfN, accepted my invitation for an interview.
GolfN is a groundbreaking platform designed to celebrate every aspect of a golfer’s life—both on and off the course—while harnessing the transformative power of the subscription business model.
How well do golf brands grasp the benefits of the membership economy?
The brands already in the app’s points marketplace, like Cobra Golf, Srixon, LAB, and others, absolutely see the value of the membership economy.
We have users with a lot of points who might take a chance on a new brand or product, or splurge on something usually out of their price range with points they might not otherwise spend with cash.
Points is an entirely different market compared to traditional golf stores or e-commerce.
What is the concept of the GolfN mobile app?
The GolfN app is a digital caddie app that rewards engagement through its points (XP) system. The more golf you play using the GolfN app, the more points you earn.
It doesn’t matter how well you play or how actively you use the app during the round; you need to play golf to earn points that can be used to redeem for premium golf merchandise from our first partners, such as Cleveland, Srixon, L.A.B. Golf, Cobra Golf, Puma Golf, Jones, and Seamus.
Who are the ideal B2C and B2B customers of GolfN?
The ideal B2C are amateur golfers who regularly play and can benefit from earning points within the app.
They have a reasonable degree of knowledge about consumer app gamification, whether it’s through games like Pokémon Go or know how to use credit card rewards programs to their advantage.
For B2B, brands or properties want to use GolfN as a loyalty layer for their business via GolfN’Gage, Golf’s sweepstakes and redemption marketplace platform.
How do you acquire new users to download the app + motivate them to use it frequently as a habit?
Referrals, brand/community partnerships, and community play a large part. Those who are benefiting from the app already are telling their friends.
At first, the app may seem too good to be true because all the features are free. The only thing you can pay for is membership tiers, which help you earn points faster.
Once golfers use it a few times and see their points balance grow, they realize there really is power to the golfer through the GolfN app compared to other digital caddies.
Will you offer your apps for indoor golf & golf entertainment (e.g. Toptracer) users?
GolfN’s GolfN’Gage is purpose-built for off-course gamification and checking in at locations like TopGolf or PGA Tour Superstore, or participating in online games and entertainment concepts.
Right now, you can check in at various pro golf events, but that is expanding to all sorts of golf concepts.
What is your monetization strategy?
GolfN earns revenues in various ways. Fundamental to this is connecting brands with our growing user base to deliver targeted messages that our golfers will find value in.
Loyalty programs in golf are often non-existent or fractured.
GolfN can be a base layer for loyalty, where activity and engagement with golf and other brands result in more exposure and interaction with our partners.