In my recent rant about streaming the NFL, many reached out to me to validate that, yeah, this is a big problem. Bango, a company that offers a SaaS platform for “super bundling”, has published specific metrics highlighting what many of us are already living, “Subscription Fatigue”. At the core, we all want the services but don’t want the 7+ subscriptions required.
The solution is “super bundling”. Many B2C service organizations are pursuing some super app to earn better customer relationships. Combining the ecosystem of digital services strategy and bundling is a crucial ingredient to making this a reality.
One challenge is that this needs to evolve beyond today’s static bundles. For years, Telcos have provided bundles as packages. This was successful, but it is now showing diminishing returns. Why? Relating this to my NFL streaming examples makes two points clear. First, there is no bundle specific to me. Second, creating one still requires multiple services to be integrated, priced, and contracted for.
Bango’s CEO, Paul Larbey, attended the MPA and APOS events here in APAC, which added a dimension to bundling that added clarity. Bango and Paul add that bundles require an evolution beyond what is offered today.
Two key points:
1 – Personalized bundles are what consumers want
2 – Interoperability inside the bundle
Today’s Subscription Management and billing platforms cannot support these use cases. The data-driven requirement that builds individual bundles is far off. Also, real-time interoperability inside each bundle has system challenges and entitlement obstacles.
Those who embrace this will be the future leaders. B2C services is a broad area to consider. If you are a Telco, you are probably already considering the option. However, maybe you are a retailer, bank, or transportation provider seeking to expand your customer engagement & ecosystem.
Please look forward to the application of the Value Threading methodology & the evolution of bundles.
