# Subscription Analytics for Ecommerce: Subscribers, Churn and Recurring Revenue

Subscription analytics for ecommerce brands on Recharge: the subscriber, churn, skip and recurring revenue figures Luca AI works out once its team connects Recharge beside your Shopify store.

- Applies to: Shopify brands that run subscriptions on Recharge, connected by Luca's team
- Status: Live
- Verified: 2026-11-07
- Canonical page: https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/subscriptions

Subscription analytics for an ecommerce brand comes down to a handful of questions: how many subscribers are still active, how many cancelled or skipped this month, and what the renewals are worth. Recharge holds the raw records, but it doesn't put them beside your orders, ad spend or accounts. Once Luca's team connects your Recharge account, Luca AI works out those figures next to your Shopify store. It reads Recharge and never writes to it.

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}

| | |
|---|---|
| **What you get** | Active subscribers, monthly and 90-day churn, skip rate and skip value, skips undone, cancellations and their reasons, retention by plan and recurring revenue |
| **Which subscription app** | Recharge only. Skio and Stay.ai are not supported |
| **Who connects it** | Luca's team sets up Recharge for you. In **Sources** it shows **Get in touch** rather than **Connect** |
| **Standard or per client** | The core figures are standard for every brand with Recharge connected; deeper views are set up per client |
| **What sits beside it** | Your Shopify orders, ad spend, Klaviyo email and your Xero or QuickBooks ledger, in one private warehouse for your brand |
| **Where you see it** | On the **Subscriptions** tab of your dashboard, which refreshes every morning, and in chat |
| **What it never does** | Change a subscription, skip a charge or contact a subscriber. Luca only reads Recharge |

## What subscription analytics covers in Luca {#what-it-is}

This page is about ecommerce subscriptions: physical products that renew through Recharge on a Shopify store. Luca is an AI analyst for ecommerce brands, so it is not built for software seats or licence billing. If your subscriptions run on Recharge, the figures below are what you get once it is connected.

### What Luca reads from Recharge {#what-luca-reads}

Luca reads subscriptions, charges, orders, plans, skips, renewals, cancellations and their reasons. It also reads retention offers, discounts, bundles, store credit and customer segments. Nothing is written back to Recharge.

### The figures it works out {#the-figures}

| Figure | What it answers |
|---|---|
| **Active subscribers** | How many people are on a live subscription today |
| **Monthly churn** | How many subscribers you lost over the month |
| **90-day churn** | Whether losses are a one-month blip or a steady drift |
| **Skip rate and skip value** | How often renewals are skipped, and the revenue those skips held back |
| **Skips undone or lifted** | How many skips were later reversed |
| **Cancellations and reasons** | Who left, and the reason they gave in Recharge |
| **Retention by plan** | Which plans and frequencies keep subscribers longest |
| **Recurring revenue** | What your renewals are worth |

These figures are standard for every brand that has Recharge connected. Customer-level retention, such as [cohort retention by first-order month](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/customers/cohort-retention), comes from your Shopify order history and sits alongside them.

### Deeper views set up per client {#per-client-views}

Some subscription views go further, and Luca's team sets them up with your brand as part of a tailored subscription view. They include a monthly recurring revenue forecast, margin on subscription orders against one-time orders, and the mix of plans and delivery frequencies. They also cover churn reasons with customer comments, skips and pauses already booked ahead, and active against lapsed subscribers. The CAC payback period is set up the same way for subscription brands, using [customer acquisition cost](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/marketing/customer-acquisition-cost) from your ad spend.

## Why subscription analytics matters {#why-it-matters}

### What it's for {#what-its-for}

Subscription analytics tells a subscription brand whether its recurring revenue is growing or quietly leaking. It answers the question a founder asks first after connecting Recharge: which figures show the health of my subscribers, and where do I read them?

### How it helps {#how-it-helps}

- **You see losses early.** Monthly churn next to 90-day churn shows whether one bad month is becoming a trend.
- **You see skips as revenue.** Skip value puts a figure on the renewals that didn't ship.
- **You hear why people leave.** Cancellation reasons come straight from Recharge, beside the plan each subscriber was on.
- **You compare plans fairly.** Retention by plan shows which offer holds subscribers, not just which one signs them up.
- **You read it with the rest of the business.** Subscriber figures sit beside orders, ad spend and the ledger.

### What happens without it {#without-it}

Recurring revenue looks steady right up until it isn't. Skips hide inside a good month, cancellations arrive one at a time, and nobody sees the pattern until the renewal total drops.

### Why buyers care {#why-buyers-care}

Founders of subscription brands care most when they are deciding how much to spend on winning new subscribers. Finance leads care at month end, when renewals have to agree with what the store and the books report.

## The Luca AI approach to subscription analytics {#approach}

{/* 5P */}

Picture the founder of a Shopify brand that sells toothpaste tablets on a refill subscription. Recharge sends a fresh pouch every few weeks, and most of her revenue now arrives as renewals. Before her monthly review she wants three answers: how many subscribers are active, how many cancelled or skipped, and what the renewals are worth.

The usual route is to export from Recharge, export from Shopify, and line the two up in a spreadsheet. That tends to take an afternoon each month, and it can still miss things. Skips rarely show up in a renewal total, and cancellation reasons often sit in a separate export nobody opens.

What has changed is how many places the answer lives. Renewals sit in Recharge, one-off orders in Shopify, ad spend in Meta and Google, and the cash in Xero. A subscriber figure on its own says little until it sits beside the cost of winning that subscriber and what the business actually banked.

Luca works out the subscriber figures from Recharge and keeps them next to everything else the brand connects. It reads subscriptions, charges, skips, renewals and cancellations with their reasons. It then reports active subscribers, monthly and 90-day churn, skip rate and skip value, retention by plan and recurring revenue. She can open them on the **Subscriptions** tab, or ask in chat why churn rose and get figures linked to the tables they came from.

You can check one of these facts on this page: skip rate and skip value are part of the standard Recharge figures, not an add-on. That point is covered in How Luca AI compares for subscription analytics, below.

## Read your subscription figures, in order {#read-the-figures}

Read the figures in the order the problems usually show up. Each step tells you what to check before you move to the next.

### Start with active subscribers and recurring revenue {#start-with-active}

Look at active subscribers and recurring revenue together. If subscribers rise while recurring revenue stays flat, check whether new sign-ups are landing on cheaper plans or a discount. Retention by plan and the discounts Luca reads from Recharge tell you which.

### Then compare monthly and 90-day churn {#compare-churn}

A single bad month shows in monthly churn but barely moves 90-day churn. If both climb, the problem has lasted a quarter and needs a real answer. The [customer churn analysis guide](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/customer-churn-analysis) walks through how to trace a rise back to its cause.

### Check skips before you call it churn {#check-skips}

A subscriber who skips twice hasn't left, but they haven't paid either. Read skip rate beside skip value, then look at how many skips were undone. A high skip rate with many skips undone usually points to timing, not to unhappy customers.

### Read the cancellation reasons last {#read-reasons}

Once you know where subscribers are leaving, the reasons tell you why. Group them by plan: "too much product at home" on a fast plan points to delivery frequency, not to the product itself. You can ask Luca in chat which plans lose the most subscribers and what reasons they gave.

## Get subscription analytics running {#set-up}

1. Connect Shopify yourself from **Sources**. It connects self-serve with read-only access, and the [set-up guide](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/getting-started/set-up-luca) covers the first steps.
2. In **Sources**, open the **Email & subscriptions** group, find Recharge and click **Get in touch**. Luca's team sets up the connection for you.
3. After the next overnight refresh, open your dashboard and choose the **Subscriptions** tab. Which tabs you see depends on what was built for your brand.
4. Ask a first question in chat, such as "Which plan had the highest churn last month?" Answers name the systems they were built from, Recharge included.
5. If you need a deeper view, such as a recurring revenue forecast or subscriber margin, ask Luca's team. They set it up with you, as they do for any [custom dashboard](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/numbers/custom-dashboard).

## How subscription analytics works with the rest of Luca {#works-with}

### Shopify {#with-shopify}

[Shopify](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/integrations/commerce/shopify) holds your one-off orders and full customer history. Subscriber figures from Recharge sit beside it, so a founder can see subscription and one-time revenue in the same place. Repeat buying outside the subscription shows in your [repeat purchase rate](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/customers/repeat-purchase-rate).

### Klaviyo {#with-klaviyo}

Where Luca's team has connected Klaviyo, Luca also reads Klaviyo's own predicted customer value and churn risk for each customer. That sits beside Recharge's actual cancellations, so you can compare a predicted risk with what subscribers did.

### Xero and QuickBooks {#with-accounting}

Your ledger connects read-only. With [Xero](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/integrations/accounting/xero) or QuickBooks in the same warehouse, a question about recurring revenue can be answered next to what the business booked, as covered in [cross-source answers](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/chat/cross-source-answers).

### Chat {#with-chat}

Every subscription figure can be asked about in plain English. Luca answers with figures, a chart where useful and next steps, and each figure links to the table it came from. You can download the data behind an answer as CSV or Excel.

### Forecasting {#with-forecasting}

The store-wide [revenue forecast](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/forecasting/revenue-forecast) is switched on per client. A dedicated recurring revenue forecast is one of the deeper subscription views Luca's team sets up.

## Who uses subscription analytics, and how {#who-uses-it}

### Founders and CEOs {#founders}

A founder checks active subscribers, churn and recurring revenue first thing in the week. When churn moves, the next question goes straight to chat: which plan, which month, and what reason. For a broader morning view, the [whole-business use case](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/see-the-whole-business) shows how subscriber figures sit beside sales and cash.

### Finance leads and CFOs {#finance-leads}

A finance lead uses recurring revenue and churn to plan the next quarter. With the ledger connected, the same answer carries what the books recorded, and the [KPI reporting guide](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/kpi-reporting) explains how one set of definitions carries into board packs.

### Growth and retention leads {#growth-leads}

A retention lead reads retention by plan and cancellation reasons before changing an offer. Customer-level patterns, such as which first products bring buyers back, come from [customer retention analysis](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/customer-retention-analysis). Subscriber value over time links to [customer lifetime value](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/ecommerce-customer-lifetime-value).

### Operations leads {#operations-leads}

An operations lead watches skips, because a skipped renewal is a parcel that doesn't ship. Where Luca's team has set up the deeper skips and pauses view, it includes skips already booked ahead. That gives the lead an early read on how many subscription orders are coming.

## How Luca AI compares for subscription analytics {#compare}

Luca reads Recharge directly and reports skip rate and skip value as standard figures, beside churn and cancellation reasons. It keeps those figures in the same warehouse as your store, ads and accounting ledger, and answers questions on all of them in plain English.

Subscription analytics features, from each platform's public documentation:

| Platform | Active subscribers and churn from Recharge | Skip rate and skip value | Cancellation reasons | Xero or QuickBooks beside subscriptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Luca AI** | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Daasity** | Yes ([subscription and subscriber analysis](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/data-integrations/setup-guides/digital-integrations/recharge/recharge-data-and-known-discrepancies)) | Not in docs | Yes ([cancellation reason visualizations](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/dashboards/report-library/data-source-dashboards/subscription)) | Not in docs |
| **Lifetimely** | Yes ([active subscribers metric](https://help.useamp.com/article/1387-lifetimely-subscriptions)) | Partly ([skipped subscriptions counted as active](https://help.useamp.com/article/1419-subscriptions-report-overview)) | Partly ([named for Seal subscribers](https://help.useamp.com/article/1407-how-to-connect-seal)) | Partly ([QuickBooks costs in the P&L](https://help.useamp.com/article/1390-lifetimely-income-statement)) |
| **Triple Whale** | Yes ([Subscription Metrics table](https://triplewhale.readme.io/docs/subscription-metrics-table)) | Not in docs | Yes ([cancellation reason field](https://triplewhale.readme.io/docs/subscriptions-table)) | Not in docs |
| **Saras Analytics** | Partly ([Recharge tables for your warehouse](https://help.sarasanalytics.com/en_US/recharge-payments-V3/schema-information-of-recharge-payments-v3)) | Not in docs | Partly ([raw cancellation reason column](https://help.sarasanalytics.com/en_US/recharge-payments-V3/schema-information-of-recharge-payments-v3)) | Yes ([Xero tables](https://help.sarasanalytics.com/en_US/change-log-2025/daton-october-2025)) |

*Yes: documented and built in. Partly: documented with a limit, shown in brackets. Not in docs: not found in the vendor's public documentation.*

Luca AI is the only platform in this table that does all four.

### Why Luca AI is the stronger choice for subscription analytics {#compare-stronger}

- **Skips count as their own figure.** Luca reports skip rate and skip value from Recharge, while Lifetimely's report says [paused and skipped subscriptions count as active](https://help.useamp.com/article/1419-subscriptions-report-overview). Read more in [Lifetimely alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/lifetimely-alternatives).
- **Reasons arrive as an answer, not a column.** Luca reports cancellations with their reasons, while Triple Whale documents [a cancellation reason field in its Subscriptions table](https://triplewhale.readme.io/docs/subscriptions-table) for you to query. See [Triple Whale alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/triple-whale-alternatives).
- **Your ledger sits in the same place.** Luca keeps subscriber figures beside Xero or QuickBooks, while Daasity's Recharge data is combined [with Shopify and Google Analytics](https://help.daasity.com/core-concepts/data-integrations/setup-guides/digital-integrations/recharge/recharge-data-and-known-discrepancies). Compare in [Daasity alternatives](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/daasity-alternatives).

*Competitor details checked against each vendor's public documentation on 7 November 2026. Features and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you decide.*

## Limits {#limits}

- **Recharge is the subscription app Luca reads.** Skio and Stay.ai are not supported, so a brand on either of those won't see subscriber figures from it.
- **Luca's team sets up Recharge.** It is not a self-serve connection, so plan for a short set-up conversation before the figures appear.
- **Deeper views are per client.** The core figures are standard; forecasts, margin comparisons and plan mix are set up with Luca's team.
- **Luca only reads.** It never pauses, skips or cancels a subscription, changes a plan or contacts a subscriber. Every change stays with you in Recharge.
- **There is no attribution model.** Luca compares ad spend with subscriber and store figures, but it doesn't say which ad or campaign brought a given subscriber.

## Common questions {#common-questions}

#### Which subscription apps does Luca support? {#which-apps}

Luca reads Recharge for subscription data. Skio and Stay.ai are not supported. Recharge is set up for you by Luca's team, and it reads subscriptions, charges, skips, renewals and cancellations with their reasons.

#### Can I connect Recharge myself? {#connect-recharge-myself}

No. In **Sources**, Recharge shows **Get in touch** rather than **Connect**. Luca's team sets it up for you, read-only, and the figures appear after the next overnight refresh.

#### Which subscription figures are standard? {#standard-figures}

With Recharge connected, every brand gets active subscribers, monthly and 90-day churn, skip rate and skip value, skips undone or lifted, cancellations and reasons, retention by plan and recurring revenue.

#### What is set up per client? {#per-client}

Deeper views are set up per client by Luca's team. These include a recurring revenue forecast, subscriber against one-time margin, plan and frequency mix, churn reasons with comments, skips booked ahead and CAC payback.

#### Is this subscription analytics for SaaS businesses? {#saas}

No. Luca is an AI analyst for ecommerce brands. Its subscription figures cover physical products renewed through Recharge on a Shopify store, read beside your orders, ads and accounts.

#### Does Luca change anything in Recharge? {#changes-recharge}

No. Luca reads Recharge and writes nothing back. It never pauses, skips or cancels a subscription. The [read-only access page](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/platform/read-only-access) explains how this works for every source.

#### Where do I see subscription figures? {#where-to-see}

On the **Subscriptions** tab of your dashboard, which refreshes every morning, and in chat. Which tabs you see depends on what was built for your brand with Luca's team.

#### Can I ask about subscribers in plain English? {#ask-in-chat}

Yes. Ask a question such as "Why did churn rise in October?" and Luca answers with figures, a chart where useful and next steps. Each figure links to the table it came from.

#### Does Luca show which ad brought each subscriber? {#ad-attribution}

No. Luca has no attribution model. It compares ad spend and platform-reported results with your subscriber and store figures, but it doesn't tie a subscriber to a single ad or campaign.

#### Can I see subscribers beside my accounts? {#beside-accounts}

Yes. With Xero or QuickBooks connected read-only, subscriber figures and recurring revenue sit in the same warehouse as your ledger, so one answer can draw on both.

## Related {#related}

- [Luca AI product documentation](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs): every guide, area by area.
- [Customer churn analysis](https://ask-luca.com/blogs/customer-churn-analysis): find the root cause of rising churn.
- [Cohort retention](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/customers/cohort-retention): how each month's new customers come back.
- [Average order value](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/customers/average-order-value): what each order is worth, first and repeat.
- [Set up Luca](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/getting-started/set-up-luca): connect your sources and invite your team.
- [Read-only access](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/platform/read-only-access): why Luca never changes your systems.
- [Custom dashboard](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/numbers/custom-dashboard): views Luca's team builds with your brand.
- [Customer retention analysis](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/use-cases/customer-retention-analysis): which cohorts and products keep customers.
- [Shopify integration](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/integrations/commerce/shopify): what Luca reads from your store.
- [Cross-source answers](https://ask-luca.com/product-docs/chat/cross-source-answers): one answer from store, ads and ledger.