1. Who are Former subscribers?
    Former subscribers are logged-in users who had a subscription in the past, but it has expired, canceled, or otherwise been disabled. If a user has an active subscription to any Service, they are not a Former.

  2. How does BLOX Audience+ decide who is a Former?
    BLOX Audience+ dynamically evaluates the user’s status against Subscription records and the other rules that are established. BLOX will search every subscription type for a record of that user, and if any expired subscriptions exist, the user will be put in the Formers audience.

  3. Does this work for circulation system integrations?
    Yes. BLOX Audience+ dynamically evaluates the user’s status against all Subscription records. BLOX is dependent on the data passed from circulation systems to define who is a current/active subscriber and whose subscription has stopped. Circulation systems do not always pass expiration dates to BLOX, so a user may appear active until they log in again and the circulation system of record signals that the user has stopped or been disabled.

  4. How does the Formers audience account for Grace periods?
    Users in Grace periods are still considered active, since they still have access. These subscribers may need to update their payment information but do not need to resubscribe. Circulation systems do not always pass expiration dates to BLOX, so a user may appear active until they log in again and the circulation system signals that the user has stopped or been disabled.

  5. Do users have to be logged in to be recognized as a Former subscriber? What happens if they are not logged in?
    Yes, users have to be logged in for the system to evaluate their past subscription status. If the user is not logged in, they will fall into one of the other audience cohorts, such as Anonymous or Light Readers.

  6. Do I need Audience+ to take advantage of this feature?
    Yes. If you don’t have Audience+, you will need to upgrade from Subscriptions Pro or BLOX Audience. Contact your sales rep or put in a ticket and our customer service team will be happy to help you.

  7. How do you define Subscribers in Grace?
    Auto-renewal subscribers who are on Subscription-type services, in a grace period and past their natural expiration date. This subscriber state is only available for Subscription-type services, not 3rd party circulation systems.

  8. How does this apply to 3rd party circulation systems?
    BLOX does not have data from circulation systems on grace days, expiration dates or cancel reasons. You will be able to use the Formers and Active states specific to different services, but Grace will only work for Subscription-type services.

  9. What are Grace Periods and why should I use them?
    Grace is a brief extension where a user continues to have access after a subscription expires. Grace is activated when auto-renewal fails, giving you a runway to collect payment instead of losing the subscriber completely. 

  10. How do I turn on Grace?
    Grace is set at the Service level. In BLOX Subscription, open the gear at the top-right and click the Services panel. On the Configure tab of Subscription services, you’ll see a line for Grace Period, and a dropdown menu. Select the period you want, then click Save. Grace periods will begin to apply immediately. 

  11. When subscribers cancel, do they get a grace period?
    No, canceled subscribers do not get grace periods. Their access expires when their term expires, whether they cancel through the self-service flow or are canceled by a customer service representative.

  12. How do I identify the subscribers who canceled to try to win them back?
    Implement a Former Subscribers paywall to win back subscribers who cancel or expire involuntarily due to an issue with their credit card.

  13. What are the best practices for retaining my subscribers?
    BLOX Digital provides several resources to help you retain as many subscribers as possible:

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