PROJECT SHOWCASE

Growing a $150M Subscription Business: Sakara's Platform Transformation

Empowering Sakara Life with a robust and flexible subscription management platform that handles personalized plans, flexible scheduling, and seamless add-on product integration, driving significant growth and operational efficiency.

Client

Sakara Life

Industry

Food & Beverage, Fitness & Nutrition

Key Technologies

Shopify, Shopify Subscriptions, Chargebee, AVI Kitchen Management

Project Type

Shopify Plus Subscription Platform Development, E-commerce Performance Enhancement

Sakara Life is a leading wellness and nutrition company, renowned for its organic, plant-based meal delivery programs. As Sakara Life experienced rapid growth, the expectations of its subscribers for personalized plans, flexible scheduling, and seamless add-on product integration also grew significantly. To meet these evolving demands and streamline operations, Sakara Life urgently needed a more robust system for order processing and subscription management.

Our Challenge

The rapid growth of Sakara Life exposed critical limitations in their existing order processing and subscription management systems. The need for personalized meal plans, flexible subscription options, and seamless add-on product integration became increasingly urgent. Their existing subscription app lacked the functionality to handle substitutions, schedule changes, or add-on products, leading to an overburdened customer service team managing a high volume of special requests. A more robust and scalable solution was essential to overcome these operational bottlenecks and meet evolving subscriber expectations.

Demonstrates significant growth in customer base.

233% Increase in Subscribers

Achieved substantial financial expansion through platform enhancements.

26x Revenue Growth

Platform enabled Sakara's growth fueled by a $4.8 million seed round.

National Expansion Supported

Our Strategic Approach

To address Sakara Life's evolving needs, Diff developed a scalable and flexible subscription platform that empowered subscribers with greater control over their plans while streamlining internal operations, leveraging both third-party integrations and native Shopify functionality.

Early Adoption of Chargebee Integration (2015): Recognizing the limitations of Shopify's native subscription capabilities at the time, Diff pioneered an integration between Chargebee's backend and Shopify's checkout. This innovative solution allowed subscriptions to be managed in Chargebee while non-subscription items were seamlessly processed through Shopify, providing a crucial early solution for complex subscription needs.

Enhanced Front-End Account Management Tools: We empowered users with full control over their programs by developing new, intuitive account management tools. These included a dynamic scheduling calendar, flexible substitution options for meal plans, and seamless add-on product capabilities, significantly enhancing the subscriber experience and reducing customer service inquiries.

Native Shopify Subscription API Integration (2020): Leveraging Shopify's new subscription API, we built a fully native subscription model. This strategic move further enhanced scalability and flexibility, future-proofing the platform and allowing Sakara to take full advantage of Shopify's evolving features for a truly integrated and robust subscription service.

Back-End Integrations for Scalability & Efficiency: To support Sakara's national expansion, we created critical backend integrations connecting each new commercial kitchen to the SMS customer service provider and kitchen management solutions. This ensured seamless communication and efficient operations as Sakara Life expanded its geographic reach, maintaining operational integrity at scale.

THE IMpact & Outcomes

By implementing a scalable and flexible subscription platform, Diff enabled Sakara Life to successfully manage its rapid growth, enhance subscriber satisfaction, and streamline its operations.

Supported National Expansion & Growth: The robust platform successfully supported Sakara's national expansion, which was significantly fueled by a $4.8 million seed round. This demonstrates the platform's capability to handle increased demand and operational complexity during periods of rapid growth.

Empowered Subscriber Experience: Users were provided with the ability to adapt and substitute their plans according to their individual schedules and dietary needs. This enhanced flexibility led to increased subscriber satisfaction and reduced the burden on customer service.

Streamlined Operations & Scalability: Backend integrations were created to connect new commercial kitchens to SMS customer service and kitchen management solutions, ensuring efficient operations as the business scaled. This streamlined workflow was critical for maintaining service quality during expansion.

Future-Proofed Subscription Model: Leveraging Shopify's new subscription API, a fully native subscription model was built, providing unlimited flexibility for Sakara's front-end and operational needs. This ensures the platform can adapt quickly to market demands and support continuous innovation.

LOOKING AHEAD & Key Takeaways