Who are Former subscribers?
Former subscribers are logged-in users who had a subscription in the past, but it has expired, canceled, or otherwise been disabled. If a user has an active subscription to any Service, they are not a Former.
How does BLOX Audience+ decide who is a Former?
BLOX Audience+ dynamically evaluates the user’s status against Subscription records and the other rules that are established. BLOX will search every subscription type for a record of that user, and if any expired subscriptions exist, the user will be put in the Formers audience.
Does this work for circulation system integrations?
Yes. BLOX Audience+ dynamically evaluates the user’s status against all Subscription records. BLOX is dependent on the data passed from circulation systems to define who is a current/active subscriber and whose subscription has stopped. Circulation systems do not always pass expiration dates to BLOX, so a user may appear active until they log in again and the circulation system of record signals that the user has stopped or been disabled.
How does the Formers audience account for Grace periods?
Users in Grace periods are still considered active, since they still have access. These subscribers may need to update their payment information but do not need to re-subscribe. Circulation systems do not always pass expiration dates to BLOX, so a user may appear active until they log in again and the circulation system signals that the user has stopped or been disabled.
Do users have to be logged in to be recognized as a Former subscriber? What happens if they are not logged in?
Yes, users have to be logged in for the system to evaluate their past subscription status. If the user is not logged in, they will fall into one of the other audience cohorts, such as Anonymous or Light Readers.
Do I need Audience+ to take advantage of this feature?
Yes. If you don’t have Audience+, you will need to upgrade from Subscriptions Pro or BLOX Audience. Contact your sales rep or put in a ticket and our customer service team will be happy to help you.
Do I need to use 1-page purchase with transactions through BLOX to use this feature?
No, but the feature works best with Subscription type services. BLOX Subscription is dependent on the data passed from circulation systems to define who is a current/active subscriber and whose subscription has stopped. Circulation systems do not always pass expiration dates to BLOX, so a user may appear active until they log in again and the circulation system of record signals that the user has stopped or been disabled.
Does the Formers audience distinguish between subscribers who explicitly canceled and involuntary stops?
No. All logged-in users with a past subscription will be considered a Former. If you are interested in deeper segmenting functionality, please put in a ticket and our customer service team will assist you with submitting a feature request.
