We chose Subi as the app for us to run hardcopy magazine subscriptions via Shopify. The scheduling option allows us to accept subscriptions for the current Issue up to a specific time before cutting over to the next Issue, this allows us to forecast accurately. The launch was a little hectic, but we were well supported by the Subi support team. We've ticked over to Issue 2, and the team has been able to help us out with a few tweaks, and it's been smooth sailing since. Highly recommend!
James McPherson
MANAGING DIRECTOR
About Never Too Small (NTS)
Never Too Small (NTS) began as a YouTube series showcasing innovative small-footprint living spaces. It was founded by James McPherson (owner of NTS) and filmmaker Colin Chee in Melbourne, and quickly grew into a full-fledged media company dedicated to clever small-space design. The NTS YouTube channel now boasts over 3 million subscribers worldwide, inspiring a global community to embrace smarter, more sustainable ways of living in the city. Building on this huge online following, the NTS team expanded into print publications – including design books and a quarterly Never Too Small Magazine – to deepen engagement beyond digital content.
Goal: Launching a Print Magazine
In 2024, NTS launched the NTS Magazine (Quarterly) to share ideas beyond video and satisfy audience demand for tactile content. "Niche print magazines really do seem to be having a moment… there's a nostalgia for a slower, more tangible experience as a reaction to digital fatigue," noted editor Elizabeth Price. The quarterly magazine aimed to complete their identity as a publication and explore broader topics (urban design, art, design theory) while reaching a new audience beyond YouTube.
Another key goal was establishing a sustainable revenue stream to fund NTS's creative work. Print publishing is expensive – writers, photographers, printing, and global distribution all add up quickly. Converting even a fraction of their millions of YouTube fans into paying subscribers could generate vital income to keep the project independent. A subscription model would also build a core community of dedicated followers. "Right now, we have three million subscribers [on YouTube]… but they're just numbers online. I want to meet them in real life… and build a stronger community," Colin explained. The magazine could facilitate deeper engagement – from exclusive content to future events in key regions like Europe.
Solution: Subscription Model Powered by Subi
NTS partnered with Subi (subi.co) to power their subscription program on Shopify. The "NTS Sub Club" launched mid-2024 with seamless integration for recurring billing, customer management, and fulfillment. Members are billed quarterly when each issue releases, with Subi handling multi-currency payments ($30 USD / $40 AUD / €25 / £20 per issue), enabling global subscriptions from day one.
Subscription Perks: The NTS Sub Club was designed with compelling benefits to attract and retain subscribers:
- Free Worldwide Shipping: Each issue is delivered to subscribers’ doors with no extra shipping fee – a major incentive given NTS’s international fanbase. (Magazines are shipped via Australia Post, USPS, Deutsche Post, etc., ensuring global coverage.)
- 4 Issues per Year: Subscribers receive four issues annually, automatically shipped as soon as each new issue is released. This guarantees they “never miss an issue” and always get the latest content first.
- Exclusive Discounts: Members enjoy a 10% discount on other NTS products, like design books and digital content, rewarding them for their loyalty.
Subi’s platform enabled NTS to easily configure these perks and manage the logistics behind the scenes. For example, the team could define cut-off dates for each issue cycle – e.g. “subscribe before October 19, 2025 to get Issue 5” – and the app would handle onboarding new subscribers for the correct upcoming issue. They even ran promotional campaigns through the subscription: one early offer gave subscribers a chance to win a design lamp if they signed up by a certain date. This kind of marketing integration was straightforward with Subi, helping NTS drive bursts of sign-ups around each issue launch.
Customer Experience: With Subi, NTS was able to offer a smooth subscriber experience. Subscribers could self-manage their accounts – updating their delivery address or cancelling anytime via a customer portal. This flexibility built trust, as fans knew they weren’t locked in and could opt out easily (though in practice cancellation rates have been low). The NTS support team also used Subi’s tools (and Intercom for communications) to handle any subscriber inquiries (e.g. lost magazines, invoice requests) efficiently. (No specific Intercom conversation details were found in the connected sources.) Overall, Subi’s subscription solution let a small creative team like NTS launch a full-fledged recurring revenue program without needing to build complex infrastructure from scratch.
Results: Rapid Growth in Subscribers & Revenue
The NTS Sub Club has been a resounding success. In just over 18 months since its launch, the magazine’s subscriber base grew from zero to over 5,100 active subscribers (as of Dec 2025), and it continues to climb. This far exceeded the team’s initial expectations. By the end of 2024 (around two quarters after launch), NTS had ~2,300 subscribers; by the end of 2025, that number had more than doubled to 5,144. The subscription program’s recurring revenue is supporting a significant portion of NTS’s operating costs. Such robust growth demonstrates the power of converting a passionate audience into paying subscribers. Each time a new issue is announced, NTS sees a spike of excitement – and sign-ups – from both existing fans and new readers. For instance, before Issue 3, 4, and 5, subscriber counts jumped noticeably as deadlines approached (with hundreds of new members joining in the week or two before each cut-off) thanks to NTS’s marketing pushes on YouTube and social media.
Subscriber retention has been excellent. Nearly all Sub Club members stay on board issue after issue, with only 2–3% churn after each quarterly billing – proof of the magazine's value and community loyalty. "You'll never miss an issue, and did we mention free worldwide shipping!" was NTS's promise, and subscribers have responded enthusiastically. Free shipping, quality content, and the subscriber discount keep churn low.
The global reach of the Sub Club is notable. With readers across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, NTS delivers magazines to dozens of countries quarterly. The Melbourne project has grown into a worldwide community, requiring international distribution partnerships (e.g. Ra & Olly in the UK) to meet demand. This subscriber base generates revenue and amplifies NTS's mission globally, turning subscribers into brand ambassadors.
Achieving NTS’s Vision (and Looking Ahead)
By partnering with Subi for its subscription platform, Never Too Small successfully transformed a bold idea – launching a high-quality print magazine in the digital age – into a thriving reality. The subscription model provided predictable recurring revenue and a direct connection to NTS’s most engaged fans. This, in turn, has helped fund NTS’s creative projects (from magazine content to video production trips) and proved that print media can flourish with the right niche and community. “The magazine isn’t just an extension of what we do – it’s its own universe, with its own readership and reach,” Colin noted, emphasizing how NTS has evolved into a multi-platform publisher.
Internally, the success of the Sub Club has validated NTS’s goals: it deepened their relationship with their audience and diversified the brand’s offerings. The team now has a highly engaged subscriber community to tap into for feedback, ideas, and future ventures. In fact, NTS is considering real-life meetups and events in cities where they have strong subscriber clusters, to bring that community even closer. With over 5,000 paying subscribers (and growing), they have a solid foundation to build on.
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