The effects of a subscription-based business model : A qualitative study of women who consume menstrual hygiene products and how subscription-based business models influence customer experience.

Abstract: In recent years, menstruation and menstruation hygiene products has had an increased interest, which has resulted in the topic being debated in many parts of the world. Change has been encouraged and some countries have acted to facilitate women's consumption of menstrual hygiene products. Sweden is not one of those countries, which means that menstrual hygiene products are neither free nor have reduced prices in the stores. Therefore, new business models such as online subscriptions need to be explored to increase the availability of menstrual hygiene products in the Swedish society. It can facilitate the buying process for women who consume the products, as the alternatives increase. The purpose of this thesis is to gain knowledge on how subscription-based business models influence the customer experience for women who consume menstrual hygiene products. New research is required to provide a perception of how subscriptions affect customers’ expectations and experience, which can result in a greater understanding of women's customer experience in this area. An interview guide was designed based on previous research and theories to be implemented in the focus groups which constituted the empirical findings. The findings were conducted by using a qualitative exploratory study of four focus groups with four participants in each. The thesis has used the conceptual framework when analyzing the empirical datawith the previous research to be able to identify patterns, similarities and differences. The conclusion of this thesis is that subscriptions to menstrual hygiene products can generate benefits that differ from one-time purchases. Menstruation and menstrual hygiene products is a sensitive topic that requires greater availability on the swedish market and subscriptions are one option. Identified touchpoints are flexibility, convenience, simplicity and time savings, which has a positive effect on the customer experience. Although, customer experience is defined differently and has individual meanings depending on the person. Therefore, it is challenging to measure the customer experience as the influencing factors vary between different people. Though, preferences for what affects the customer experience differ tosome extent between the age groups. Some barriers have been identified and the most prominent is irregular menstruationwhich can make subscriptions more complicated.