Critical findingsWhat the audit found
Each finding carries the observation, why it mattered commercially, and the recommended correction. This is the format every AME audit uses.
Finding 01
Full commission paid on a discounted first box
Critical
- Observation
- Commission was paid in full on the first order, which was itself heavily discounted, with no relationship to whether the subscriber continued.
- Why it matters
- This is how a subscription business buys churn at full price. The model rewards the partner who delivers a signup and is indifferent to whether that signup was ever going to stay.
- Recommendation
- Split commission: reduce the first-box rate and release a materially larger payment at the third billing cycle, so the money follows durability.
Finding 02
Only 41% of affiliate subscribers reached the third billing cycle
Critical
- Observation
- Affiliate-sourced subscribers cancelled at more than twice the rate of every other channel, with 41% reaching the third billing cycle.
- Why it matters
- Retention at the third cycle is the point at which a subscriber becomes worth acquiring. Below it, the channel is generating activity rather than customers.
- Recommendation
- Make month-three retention the reported measure of channel health, ahead of subscriber volume.
Finding 03
No cohort tracking by partner
Critical
- Observation
- There was no reporting showing which partners sent subscribers who stayed and which sent subscribers who left.
- Why it matters
- Without it a retention-weighted commission model cannot be defended to the partners who earn less under it, and the conversation becomes an argument rather than a demonstration.
- Recommendation
- Build cohort tracking by partner before changing the commission model, so the change can be evidenced from the first conversation.
Finding 04
71% of subscribers arriving through discount partners
Critical
- Observation
- Coupon and cashback partners accounted for just over seven in ten subscriber acquisitions, promoting a heavily discounted entry offer.
- Why it matters
- Discount partners earn a place in a programme — they close people who are ready. The failure is when they become the entire strategy, because then the programme is buying the least durable customers available.
- Recommendation
- Cap entry discounting, re-tier voucher partners, and use the freed commission to fund partner types that build durable subscriptions.
Finding 05
Veterinary, trainer and owner partners priced out
High
- Observation
- The partner types that build trust slowly — veterinary content, trainers and genuine owner accounts — were absent from the mix.
- Why it matters
- These partners take longer to convert and produce subscribers who stay. Under a model that pays the same for a discount-chaser, they are simply not worth their own effort.
- Recommendation
- Once commission rewards retention, recruit these partners deliberately and give them the commercial room the model now creates.
Finding 06
No cancellation reason capture
High
- Observation
- Cancellations were counted but not explained, leaving the programme unable to distinguish price-driven churn from product or delivery issues.
- Why it matters
- Without reasons, retention work is guesswork and the partner conversation has no evidence behind it.
- Recommendation
- Capture cancellation reasons and feed them back into partner briefing and offer design.