Most Popular Subscription Services in the US
From food and groceries to videos and audiobooks, the number of subscription services available to consumers today is on the rise. In fact, a recent report shows that the subscription economy has grown by nearly six times over the past decade or so.
So just what are people signing up for?
Biggest subscription businesses
According to the latest data on the most popular subscription services among adults in the United States, Amazon Prime currently tops the list. Two out of every five (60%) consumers there pay for it. This is a paid membership with Amazon (the biggest ecommerce company globally) that offers benefits like free shipping, one-day delivery, access to an entire library of videos and ebooks, and more.
The second- and third-biggest subscription businesses are Sam’s Club (owned by Walmart Inc.) and Costco Wholesale, which 26% and 24% of US adults pay for, respectively. Both are membership-based stores that claim to offer consumers name-brand goods at low and affordable prices.
This is followed by Walmart+, another product of the Walmart chain of hypermarkets, to which 23% of US consumers subscribe. Walmart+ offers a subscription service similar to that of Amazon Prime and is, in fact, often referred to as the US hypermarket’s version of Amazon Prime.
Nike, a popular sporting goods brand, is next, with 14%. It is followed by Best Buy, a large consumer electronics retailer, with 13%. DoorDash DashPass ranks next on the list of the most popular subscription services. It’s a monthly food-delivery subscription service that 11% of US adults pay for.
Three grocery delivery subscription services follow. Instacart Express is subscribed to by 8% of US adults, and Shipt and Fresh Direct DeliveryPass wrap up the list of the top subscription businesses with 4%, each.
A deeper look at the 10 most popular subscription services shows that most are related to groceries. As a matter of fact, Amazon, Walmart, and Costco also rank among the top online grocery stores. Apparel, household essentials, and electronics are also popular items consumers subscribe to on a regular basis.
Despite the growing popularity of subscription services in the US, some consumers still do not subscribe to any. As many as 16% of the US adult population say they do not pay for any retail membership services.