A free grinder beat 30% off, and new subscribers stayed longer.

The problem

Kettle & Crow grew on a 30% first-order discount. It brought sign-ups, but many people cancelled after the first bag, and the discount was eating most of the margin on the orders that did stick.

What we did

We tested six offers in eight weeks, one at a time, with the same ads and the same budget: free shipping, a bigger first bag, a tasting set, a free grinder and two discount levels.

The free grinder won clearly. It cost less than the discount per subscriber and gave people a reason to keep brewing at home. We rebuilt the ads around it and moved the landing page to lead with the offer.

Watching retention, not sign-ups

Every offer was judged on cost per subscriber still active after 60 days, not on the cheapest sign-up. That single change is what made the grinder stand out.

The result

Cost per subscriber is down 36%, and 18% more new subscribers are still active after three months. The discount ads are gone for good.