Beekman 1802 is a heritage beauty brand rooted in kindness and clean skincare. With a loyal subscriber base, the team knew that failed payments were more than a billing issue; they were a retention risk.
Every missed charge puts valuable recurring revenue at stake and leaves subscribers with a frustrating experience.
Beekman 1802 was losing too many subscribers to failed payments. Their old system canceled subscriptions too early, and retry logic stopped after just a few attempts. Subscribers didn’t have time to fix issues, and the brand had no way to adjust the cadence. As a result, cancellations piled up and long-term growth suffered.
How Beekman 1802 used smarter retry logic and adaptive cadences to boost payment recovery
Tailored retry logic for different failure types
Beekman 1802 turned to Smart Dunning, Stay AI’s intelligent payment recovery system. Instead of retrying charges on a static schedule, Smart Dunning adjusted retries based on the reason for the failure. Hard and soft declines were treated differently, giving the brand a smarter path to recovery.
Extended recovery window before cancellation
The old system cut subscribers off too soon. With Smart Dunning, Beekman 1802 could extend the recovery window, giving subscribers more time to resolve billing issues. This change meant fewer lost subscriptions and more opportunities to save at-risk customers.
Adaptive cadence based on real-time signals
Smart Dunning optimized cadence using live data, making retries more thoughtful and effective. Paired with Klaviyo integration, Beekman 1802 could delay outreach until it was truly needed, avoiding unnecessary interruptions and keeping the subscriber experience positive.
The impact of Smart Dunning
The impact was immediate. Smart Dunning helped Beekman 1802 transform failed payments from a churn driver into a retention win, with victories like:
- ~40% lift in recovery rate
- Daily recoveries doubled
- 4-day faster average recovery time
- System cancellations reduced by over half
Recoveries began outpacing cancellations for the first time! Cancellations shifted later in the billing cycle. The new adaptive cadence, based on real-time signals, meant cancellations occurred later in the billing cycle, giving subscribers more time to resolve payment issues.
Beekman 1802 shows how failed payments do not have to mean lost subscribers. With Smart Dunning, the brand recovered more revenue, reduced cancellations, and gave customers the time and experience they needed to stay loyal.
More proof in action
Rho Nutrition – faster payment recovery leads to big wins
Rho Nutrition, a modern DTC supplement brand specializing in high-absorption liquid, liposomal vitamins, had long struggled with failed payments, but Smart Dunning transformed recovery into a reliable growth lever. Rho Nutrition boosted recovery rates from below 50% to an average of ~60% each month with Smart Dunning, nearly doubling recovered subscriptions and accelerating payment resolution by 1–3 days. This improvement gave subscribers less downtime and the brand a steadier, more predictable revenue stream.
Results at a Glance
- ~60% recovery rate each month (up from <50%)
- Nearly 2x more subscriptions recovered
- Payments recovered 1–3 days faster
First Day – Timing That Works
First Day, a family-focused brand making science-backed gummy multivitamins for all ages, reduced early cancellations, improved retention, and restored revenue predictability with Smart Dunning. While the team had previously faced frustrated customers, early cancellations, and missed revenue under its old system, they replaced a rigid third-party tool with Smart Dunning.
With Stay’s Smart Dunning, the brand turned failed payments from a churn driver into a retention win.
Results at a Glance
- 1 day faster median recovery timeline
- Significant drop in unnecessary subscriber messaging
- Improved retention through better customer experience
All About Smart Dunning
Failed payments happen. How you handle them makes all the difference. Too many recovery systems follow rigid retry schedules and treat all error codes the same. They send messages too soon, which frustrates subscribers and creates churn that could be avoided. Smart Dunning from Stay AI works differently. It uses error-aware retry logic that adjusts to the reason a payment fails. When paired with Stay AI’s native Klaviyo integration, brands can delay outreach until it is truly needed. This strategy, recommended by Stay’s experts, helps subscription brands recover more revenue while maintaining customer trust.
How It Works
Smart Dunning makes faster, more effective payment recovery possible in just one click.
- Intelligent retry logic automatically adjusts timing based on the failure reason, drawing from data across the Stay AI platform. Temporary declines are retried quickly, while every attempt is optimized to improve recovery without triggering churn.
- Paired with Klaviyo integration, brands gain control over when and how to communicate. Many adopt a silent retry strategy, holding back messages during early retries and only alerting customers when recovery is unlikely without action.
- Stay’s team helps configure each setup so retry logic and communication flows align seamlessly with a brand’s retention strategy.
The result is fewer cancellations, less subscriber fatigue, and more recovered revenue.
Ready to Boost Your Recovery Rates?
Beekman 1802, Rho Nutrition, and First Day prove how powerful Smart Dunning can be. With error-aware retry logic, Klaviyo integration, and expert support from Stay, brands are transforming failed payments into recovered revenue and loyal subscribers.
Do not let failed payments chip away at your growth. See how Smart Dunning can help your brand recover more, cancel less, and give subscribers a smoother experience.
