How to Sell a Luxury Subscription to Anyone
AKA: The customer experience was so good that it inspired me to start this blog.
Alright, buckle up!
I’ve got a story to tell ya.
Not a business story (not quite yet, anyway), but the story of how I, someone who has never bought perfume before, willingly handed over $170 for a fragrance I had never smelled.
Scent un-sniffed!
Zero hesitation.
Two thumbs up.
Bingo, bango, bongo, take my money.
Welcome to the customer experience that has been living rent-free in my brain for weeks: Ffern.
(This is not sponsored whatsoever, a gal can only dream of being that cool one day).
Fern is an organic, small-batch fragrance brand from Somerset that runs the e-commerce subscription models I’ll now measure every other one against for years to come.
I had seen them around on Instagram. I’m their customer avatar for sure
I love their podcast (you know I’m ALWAYS listening).
But it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that they finally got me, hook, line and sinker.
And because part of my job is to make your offers feel like the inevitable, irresistible next step for your ideal customers and clients… I’m going to walk you through exactly how they did it, and what you can steal for your business.
But first: let me set the scene.
You know I love goals and New Year’s Energy.
One of my goals this year is to smell really good. Like, I want people to think “Chelsea smells good” when I pop into their heads the same way they currently think “feral flower creature with Hermione hair” or something.
In addition to wanting to smell good, I’ve also declared that something must be done about my personal style.
Between working from home and/or on farms, all my clothes and outfits simply aren't giving off what I want, which is some combination of 1970s, cowboy, lighthouse keeper, and granola girl.
SO! In the midst of my aspirations at the start of the new year, a perfect storm was a-brewing.
On top of the 1970s cowboy/lighthouse keeper/granola girl, in general I want to look ~creative~.
And who looks the most creative? Artists. Artsy fartsy folky folks.
Enter: Tabby Booth. An artist I admire on the internet (I love her work, the brand she’s building, and her marketing strategy). I also LOVE HER OUTFITS.
LO AND BEHOLD ( there are so many los to be held here)! Tabby Booth was the interview for the Found Sounds episode of Ffern’s As the Season Turns podcast for Jan.
Now why would an organic fragrance brand from Somerset have a podcast?
TO GET PEOPLE EXACTLY LIKE ME TO FORK OVER $$$$!
And be happy about it!
Crazy work, hats off to them, a joy to behold (Lo, once again).
How Ffern Pulled Me In (With Witchcraft?)
Now let’s get into the actual step-by-step of the customer experience that got me to give them my credit card details until further notice.
(This is called journey mapping, and it's a wonderful tool that I use with clients)
We’ve already talked about the podcast, and I had seen a few of their ads on Instagram.
I’ve always been fascinated with fragrance ads, because how do you sell someone a smell, through words and images????
They had one line that stuck in my mind: “What does cold smell like?”, coupled with clips of the North Sea and lighthouses and seaweed.
Tell me that isn’t absurdly effective copywriting.
This was SO STICKY in my brain. I just kept getting stuck looping on this question the same way you absentmindedly trace a hole in your jeans, or pull at a loose thread. I mean come on, I want to smell good, and I want I want other people to think I’m a lighthouse keeper!!
When I was telling my cousin about this whole saga the other day, I said “you’ve definitely seen the ads on instagram” and she said “wait! ‘What does cold smell like!?!’” So this little line was sticky in her brain too! Hats off the the Ffern writers.
So step 1: find the stickiest headline/hook you can
Step 2: Consider the other places your ideal client/ customer will be that aren’t your primary marketing channels or paid advertising channels.
Fern’s ideal client is someone who works in a way that lets them listen to podcasts or music throughout their day and is into the witchy woo-woo wheel of the year. Hence, their podcast is the perfect supplemental marketing tactic.
When I sat down to listen to Tabby Booth’s episode of the podcast, I decided to peruse the Ffern Instagram feed.
It was like my Pinterest board had sprung to life before my eyes.
It felt like Ffern had crafted this whole thing just for me.
I entered a whole, entire cinematic, immersive brand world of The Lighthouse Keeper.
(notice how the key storytelling posts for their seasonal offering are pinned to the top of their IG Feed)
and what is the ‘Florist’s Table??’ I wanna know!
Step 3: Tell a rich story that imagines and illustrates your ideal client/customer’s desired transformation.
This is the moment in the customer journey that I always describe as the “Oh my god, where have you been?!? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Remember, your ideal customer is someone who has the highly specific problem that you are uniquely positioned to solve perfectly.
For me, again, I can’t get over how specifically perfectly they solved my problem: smell good, give off the vibes of a lighthouse keeper.
COME ON.
Obviously, at this point, I was already so sold.
And I was honestly a little annoyed I didn’t already own it. Like they clearly made this for me, personally, but had simply forgotten to send me my bottle.
Now onto the nerdy shit.
When I clicked in to buy, I was instead met with a WAITLIST.
What do you mean!?! I thought you had a bottle with my name on it!
Of course, I’m joining the waitlist.
But not just any waitlist, not a waitlist to be the first to know about a restock or a drop, the way everyone else does it.
A waitlist for the draw to be allowed onto the ledger.
A waitlist for the privilege to be one of the lucky few they blend a bottle for.
Genius.
They also include a 3-step process plan here. A process plan is part of brand strategy that I work through with clients, and Ffern has illustrated theirs beautifully here. Take notes.
I entered my phone number to be included in the draw for a spot on the ledger at noon on the following Monday.
That Sunday night, I turned to my partner and said, “This must be what other people felt like when they were waiting to be selected for the Eras Tour presale.”
And because this was a draw, there’s the chance of not getting selected.
Which makes the possibility of getting selected to become part of the special Ffern club of other artsy fartsy folksy folks on their ledger feel even more special.
The anticipation was killing me, and I was Unsuccessful!
Now, spoiler alert, I got in on the next draw the following week. So I can’t decide if this is real, or they just know how to play with people’s emotions to maximize emotional payoff and brand loyalty. Either way, it works.
By not getting in on the first try, my desire only intensified.
I know this is an automated text, but it's an excellent touch that makes it feel personal. Using my name, the Founder’s name, and delivering it as text, not email, all cultivate an elevated, personalized customer experience.
And it should feel personal! All of their copy is leading us to believe they personally “blend a bottle” for each individual on their ledger.
What Ffern Teaches Us About Selling a Luxury Subscription (to Anyone)
1. Create an immersive brand world
Ffern doesn’t sell perfume.
They sell a feeling, a season, and a membership into a club of other people who share the values you aspire to communicate to the world around you.
Their entire brand is built around folklore, ritual, and nature and if that’s not your thing, they’re not trying to convince you otherwise.
Takeaway for you:
Craft a brand world, build it, invite your customers inside.
You can’t be for everyone, so be deeply, magnetically for a specific someone.
2. Know your ideal customer’s deepest desire
My desire?
To look creative.
To improve my personal style.
To smell gooood, like the North Sea.
To feel like a lighthouse keeper.
Your customers have desires just as vivid and just as specific.
Speak to that.
Speak to who your customer wants to be.
3. Elevate everyday moments into rituals
Ffern could have said:
“Here’s your perfume subscription.”
But instead, they created a quarterly ritual that I desperately wanted to become a part of.
Takeaway:
Your product becomes more valuable when it becomes a ritual.
CSA shares.
Dahlia tubers.
Monthly sourdough club.
Quarterly tallow refills.
Seasonal workshops.
A ritual = super sticky emotional glue.
4. Use scarcity with integrity
Seasons don’t stick around forever, so their seasonal offerings don’t either.
When it’s gone, it’s gone.
That creates anticipation, urgency, and a sense of pride in membership.
For your business:
If you have limited spots, say so! And repeat it over and over until people get it.
5. Sell the transformation, not the product
On an emotional levelI didn’t buy a bottle of perfume.
I bought a new version of myself.
Your customers do the same.
From farmers: they’re not buying meat.
They’re buying nourishment, trust, family memories, and Sunday dinners.
From florists: they’re not buying flowers.
They’re buying a way to express all the emotions they can’t put into words.
6. Your customer experience needs to be airtight
This is the part no one pays enough attention to or puts enough effort into.
And I get it, as a small business owner, you’re wearing allllll the hats.
But please, this area of your process and customer experience probably needs some serious TLC before Spring.
Take some time to map out your whole customer journey. (I would love to help with this if you’re stuck)
And ask, what would Ffern do?
If you want someone to spend more money more easily, you need to remove friction everywhere:
Clear messaging
Clear pricing
Clear next steps
Beautiful visuals
Beautiful delivery
Beautiful follow-up
A luxury experience is not just the product.
It’s absolutely everything around it.
So… how do you sell a luxury subscription to anyone?
You don’t sell at all.
You invite.
You build a world that feels inevitable for the person it’s meant for.
You anchor your offer in identity, imagination, and ritual.
You treat your customer like a protagonist in a story they want to step into.
That’s what Ffern did to me.
And that’s what you can do, too.
If You Want to Build This Kind of Irresistible Brand Experience…
This is literally what I help my clients with.
From farms and florists to ranchers and creative solopreneurs, if you want:
a brand that feels like a fully immersive world
offers that sell because they are so aligned with who your people want to be,
and a customer experience that turns casual buyers into dedicated members…
If you're ready to create something people can’t help but say yes to…
