This playbook outlines practical, easy-to-follow ways to use Staylien to answer common retention and analytics questions — and turn those answers into concrete actions inside Stay.
Each play included here is structured to be skimmable and tactical, with:
A clear question to ask Staylien
An example of what Staylien’s response could be
Exactly what to do next
When are subscribers most likely to churn?
When to use this play
Use this when you want to understand where subscribers are most likely to drop off so you can intervene before they do. Give customers something that makes them excited about their subscription.
Ask Staylien
“What is the chance a subscriber will churn before placing their X recurring order?”
Example
Ask Staylien What are the chances a subscriber churns before order 5?
Staylien will respond by showing you the math behind the probability of subscribers churning before placing their fifth order. In this example, that’s 75%.
Staylien’s not limited to math! He will recommend where your most critical points for a retention play can be. In this example, the biggest drop off is right between Orders 1 and 2.
What to do next
Use a promotion built in ExperienceEngine to target the point of highest churn! For this example, you can test a free gift on Order 2. Make sure you have a Promotion Email configured to let customers know what they can look forward to!
Want help setting up your ExperienceEngine promo?
Refer to our Creating and Editing Promotions using ExperienceEngine article!
PRO TIP: Learn what kinds of free gifts subscribers respond to best by A/B testing different options! Free gifts with better take rates can inform future reward strategies going forward.
2. How long are subscribers staying overall?
When to use this play
Once you've tested free gifts on certain orders, you'll know which gifts motivate customers most. With this play, you can get a insights on how long your subscribers are staying so you can structure a Digital Punch Card experience that motivates them with compelling rewards to reach new milestones.
Ask Staylien
“What’s the average subscriber lifetime?”
Example
Staylien will give you the average LTO and go beyond that to give you deep insights so you can see how long subscribers are sticking around. In this example, the average subscribers complete around 3 orders.
Staylien will show you the math behind LTO and LTV and give you important take-aways. For example, “strongest performance with 5 lifetime orders and $400 in LTV per subscriber.”
What to do next
You already know what smaller rewards have the best take rates, incorporate that strategy along with the average subscriber lifetime to know how to structure your Digital Punch Card.
Choose rewards that go beyond the free hat you offer on Order 2 but still fit with what your subscribers like to see. Set the number of punches so they correspond with how long your subscribers usually stay.
In this example, try a 5 or 6 punch card before the customer gets their first reward. Then offer a larger reward after 10 punches. This makes rewards attainable, keeping your subscribers fully motivated.
Want help setting up Digital Punch Cards?
Check out our Setting Up Digital Punch Cards article!
3. How does my AOV compare month-over-month?
When to use this play
Use this when you want to understand changes in subscriber spend over time and identify what actions contributed to AOV increases or decreases.
Ask Staylien
“How does my AOV compare month-over-month for [timeframe]?”
For Example
You can ask Staylien “How does my AOV compare month-over-month from June 2025 to December 2025?”.
Staylien will give you a month-by-month breakdown of AOV, including:
AOV by month
Percentage change from the previous month
Notable increases or declines over time
This helps you pinpoint which months overperformed or underperformed.
What to do next
Identify peak and drop-off months
Look for months with clear AOV spikes or drops (for example, AOV peaks in October but drops sharply in December)
Focus on large month-over-month changes, not minor fluctuations (for example, 40–50% increases or decreases)
2. Audit what changed during high-AOV months
Ask: What did we do differently this month?
Check for an Experience Engine upsell or add-on promotion
Review whether a hero or high-revenue product was promoted via a customer portal banner
Look for subscriber campaigns with Quick Actions (add-on or swap)
3. Replicate and test in lower-performing months
Re-run tactics from high-AOV months in lower-performing ones (for example, applying an October upsell strategy in December)
Launch a similar Experience Engine promotion to drive add-ons or upsells
A/B test products (for example, hero product vs. seasonal or limited edition)
Offer a subscriber-only incentive (e.g. 15–20% off)
Add a portal banner encouraging one-time or subscription adds
4. Expand beyond in-portal tactics if needed
Review external campaigns (email, SMS, ESP) that ran during high-AOV months
Add Quick Actions to encourage add-ons or swaps to higher-value products
5. Pressure-test against retention
Compare AOV trends alongside churn trends
High AOV + rising churn may signal pricing sensitivity
Want more help?
Check out these help articles for setting up ExperienceEngine promotions for upsells, Quick Actions, and Customer Portal banner ads!
4. Which products generate the most revenue?
When to use this play
Use this when deciding which products to highlight with subscribers during a promo period or just to know what your best sellers are and how you can encourage more subscribers to try them!
Ask Staylien
“Which products generate the most revenue?”
For example
When you ask Staylien which products generate the most revenue, he’ll give you a breakdown of exactly which products/variants are your shining stars (and give insights into how subscribers to this product are retained).
What to do next
You can apply Staylien’s insights a few ways!
Use a Quick Action to encourage subscribers to swap into higher-performing products or add them to their subscription.
leverage the Customer Portal Banner ad to highlight your best-selling products to customers who haven’t subscribed to them yet.
In Save Offers, offer swaps to these products in cancellation flows
Want help setting up quick actions, the banner ad, or save offers?
Check out these help articles:
Learn more about Staylien!
Check out our Interacting with Staylien guide to get more question ideas. Staylien is here to be your analytics co-pilot and trusted partner.