Stay AI’s Merchant-Focused Approach to Pricing

Stay Ai: Designed to Help You Grow Your Business

When we sat down to develop Stay Ai’s pricing strategy, we had two core goals in mind – to be transparent and merchant-forward — not give busy business owners another puzzle to solve.

Having worked with subscription ecommerce brands for years, we’ve seen the impacts of insidious subscription pricing strategy, ranging from confused and frustrated operators, to massive overage bills that fundamentally impact the company’s financial modeling. We were determined not to be one of those companies, because when our merchants grow, we grow.

Stay exists to help our merchants grow their subscription businesses. That’s our business.

In an effort to continue bringing the level of candid authenticity we pride ourselves on, we wanted to share a bit about the core principles that drive our pricing strategy, why we developed them, and honestly – just give brands some pro tips on what to look out for as they evaluate their current & future subscription provider(s).

Let’s dive in.

Your Feedback Shapes Our Strategy

Our pricing strategy is rooted in our years of experience working with brands, plus direct feedback from merchants in the industry. 

We’re building trusted partnerships by listening and adapting to the needs and challenges you face every day, and keeping those continuous feedback loops open. 

We Grow When You Grow

Scale without the stress. You shouldn’t be penalized for growing slower or faster than a revenue target, and your ambition shouldn’t be bound by a forecast set in stone months ago. We want you to grow. 

We’ve designed our pricing to scale with you. No growth barriers, no hurdles — just a seamless, transparent partnership.

Transparency: The Key to Building Trust

Transparency isn’t just a buzzword for us, it’s a foundational principle. Hidden fees and unexpected charges undermine trust and erode partnerships. 

No cloak and dagger, no fine-print traps… We’re committed to being open about our pricing structure and helping every brand really understand the total cost of ownership. 

Things to Look Out For in Your Subscription Partner

Locked-in fees based on forecasts:
Some subscription providers lock you into a contract based on your expected ARR. So if you forecast an ARR of $10mm, you’ll get locked in at a flat rate based on those numbers. But if something happens in your business and your subscription performance isn’t as high as you expected, you’ll still be on the hook at that contracted amount, which means you’re overpaying for what you’re actually using.

Overage charges for exceeding forecasts:
Those same fixed-rate contracts penalize you for exceeding your forecasts, too. If you go over your expected usage, you’ll get a big bill at the end of your contract for that — not at your negotiated rate, but at their standard pricing, leaving you with a huge, unexpected bill.

Customer support SLAs:
It’s critical to know in advance if your provider’s customer support team will be there when you need them. Check out any contract terms that denote how much support you can expect from CS, how long they have to respond to your inquiries, and what they cover with support versus don’t. Each subscription platform has different terms here, and not everyone gets the same level of service.

Why? Because It’s More Than Just Business

Our pricing approach isn’t just about numbers. It’s about building a trusted partnership with every brand we work with, and reaching shared goals. Hidden surprises? Just not our thing. The heart of our pricing playbook is transparency, scalability, and your success.