Set It and Forget It: Auto Renew Adoption Rates

Having introduced this to the industry first in 2015, Brandt was the first to offer auto renew and our agency partners continue to lead the way in system revenues and conversion rates. Brandt’s automatic renewal program (auto renew) makes it easy for public users to stay licensed whenever possible, setting their licenses and permits to be automatically renewed without lapsing.

Public users who complete a transaction online are asked if they would like to opt-in to auto renew their licenses during the checkout process, and can update their preferences at any time. When the item is about to expire, the license system notifies the customer and subsequently charges the customer’s credit card for the subsequent item duration.

This program has proven to be an easy and effective way to increase retention while decreasing the churn rate of license purchases. It has stabilized agency revenue streams with license auto renew, and allows public users to always be prepared for their next adventure.

By implementing automatic renewals, customers are more likely to renew their licenses on time, resulting in a smaller gap in licensures and long-term higher number of licenses sold. Additionally, the convenience of auto renew increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. After five years of offering the service, Brandt has seen an average of 9.5% auto renew adoption rate.

Auto Renew Features Include:

• Secure Payment Tokenization
• PCI Level 1 Compliant
• Optional Opt-In Program
• Automatic Communications
• Positive Public Feedback
• Administratively Configurable

To determine an estimated rate of customers utilizing the auto renew program, Brandt analyzed its current state agency partners that have auto renew running for over a year, and followed the adoption rate trend for the first five years when licenses were able to be renewed.

In Year 0, users are signing up for auto renew. Beginning Year 1, users are having licenses that are eligible to be renewed automatically. The auto renew adoption rate is calculated by the volume of transactions processed through auto renew divided by the total volume of transactions eligible for auto renew processed within the same time period.

Brandt’s Auto Renew Annual Adoption Rates

States are experiencing a compounding growth in the number of auto renewing license holders with every year after launch.

Brandt’s auto renew functionality is an opt-in program where a user must take the extra steps to opt-in to the service. This approach provides higher customer satisfaction by positioning the functionality as a value-add to users rather than a trick to purchase again.

During difficult license sales periods such as poor weather, consistent auto renew transactions provide a reliable revenue stream, including enrolled donations and hard cards. For 365-day licenses, the increase in auto renew enrollments shows a direct correlation to decreased average gaps in licensure.