The boom in the subscriptions economy is causing “subscription fatigue” in the Philippines, a survey by digital marketing firm Bango said.
Nearly nine in ten (85%) Filipino subscribers believe there are now “too many” subscription services available, according to the survey.
As a result, 91% are now demanding a unified platform to administer all of their subscriptions. Despite many feeling overwhelmed, 83% say they would sign up for more subscriptions if they were consolidated through a centralized content hub.
Bango said the figures are based on a survey of over 6,000+ consumers currently paying for subscription services across India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to the data, 79% of Filipino consumers have more than two subscriptions and 13% have more than six. These include services ranging from video streaming to food delivery, music, and sports.
The growing number of subscriptions to manage is causing Filipino consumers to become frustrated by the administrative nightmare. Forty three percent say it’s hard to know how much they are paying for subscription services.
Fifty nine percent find difficulty searching for content across different apps and services. 47% feel locked into their current subscription providers. And 72% wish they could easily opt out of automatic subscription renewals.
This is leading to consumers accruing unnecessary costs for subscriptions they no longer use. Nearly half of Filipino survey respondents (45%) say they keep paying for subscriptions they forgot were still active; one-third (27%) of Filipinos report that they currently pay for a subscription service they don’t use. With consumers juggling multiple services, it is costing them their money and their patience.
Bango’s study shows that Filipinos don’t want fewer choices when it comes to subscriptions – they simply want a more seamless experience. The study reports that 91% want all of their subscriptions to be streamlined through a ‘Super Bundling’ content hub where a single payment can be made to a service provider for multiple subscriptions.
The demand for Super Bundling in the Philippines is clear. The study said 96% would be more loyal to a brand offering this service, and 93% would spend more time using their subscriptions if it was available.
“Managing multiple subscriptions is a headache for users. They don’t want less choice – just less admin. We should focus on building all-in-one solutions that can offer consumers flexibility on billing, a wider variety of choices, and a great user experience. That’s what they really want,” Anil Malhotra, co-founder at Bango, said.
When it comes to building this solution, the survey reveals that local mobile network operators may be the key to unlocking Super Bundling. In the Philippines, most consumers already have subscription services included in their phone plan, making telcos the most trusted provider for a centralized content hub.
The survey said 70% of Filipinos said they would trust their mobile provider to unlock this central hub and enable Super Bundling. And 90% would subscribe to more international content like Netflix or Disney+ if it was easily accessible through their mobile providers.
