In 2026, subscription businesses face a maturing market where retention determines survival amid rising acquisition costs and subscriber selectivity. Consumers and businesses alike are pruning portfolios, with average U.S. households holding 2.8 subscriptions after dropping from 4.1 in recent years, amplifying the need for data-driven retention focus.
This article compiles over 60 subscription retention statistics from primary research and industry reports published within the last two years. These figures reveal benchmarks across industries, business models, regions, and interventions, providing a reference for understanding subscriber lifecycle performance.
Scope and methodology:
- Includes only publicly available subscription retention statistics relevant for 2026.
- Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
- Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
- Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
- No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.
Key Subscription Retention Statistics for 2026
- 90% average retention rate for Subscription (B2B SaaS), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 72% average retention rate for Subscription (B2C), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 5.2 years median customer lifetime for Subscription (B2B SaaS), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 2.8 years median customer lifetime for Subscription (B2C), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 77% of consumers holding their subscription counts steady, based on a 2026 report by Recurly.
- 41% of consumers experiencing subscription fatigue, based on a 2025 dataset referenced by Subsets.
- 31% of streaming subscribers cancelling at least one service, based on a 2025 report by CivicScience.
- 84% average retention rate for Media industry, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 23% higher customer retention rates for companies using advanced subscription analytics, based on a 2026 guide by ReferralCandy.
- 55-85% average rate of customer retention, based on a 2026 report by Rivo.
Adoption and Usage Statistics
- 2.8 average U.S. household subscriptions after dropping from 4.1 in a year, based on a 2025 Self Financial survey.
- 77% of IT & Software (SaaS) average retention rate, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 78% average retention rate for Telecommunications, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 81% average retention rate for IT Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 83% average retention rate for Automotive & Transportation, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 337% surge in pause-feature usage among 2,200 subscription businesses, based on a recent analysis by Senal News.
Audience and Behavioral Statistics
- 7.1% retention lift from trial rescue targeting low-engagement signals, based on customer data by Subsets.
- 23.9% retention improvement from smart downgrades for declining users, based on customer data by Subsets.
- 4.1% retention lift from re-engagement campaigns, based on customer data by Subsets.
- 54% increase in pageviews from re-engagement campaigns, based on customer data by Subsets.
- 31% higher retention for engaged community members than non-participants, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
Channel Performance Statistics
- +7% average impact on retention from multi-channel support, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 77% of consumers holding subscription counts steady across channels, based on a 2026 report by Recurly.
Conversion and Acquisition Statistics
- 50–60% more revenue per user from annual plans, based on an analysis of 2,200 subscription businesses by Senal News.
Trust, Influence, and Perception Statistics
- 41% of consumers reporting subscription fatigue, based on a 2025 dataset by Subsets.
Customer Value and Retention Statistics
- 86% average retention rate for Contractual Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 81% average retention rate for Membership Models, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 24% average retention rate for One-Time Purchase models, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 38% average retention rate for Transactional (E-commerce), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 18 months median customer lifetime for Transactional (E-commerce), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 4.1 years median customer lifetime for Contractual Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 3.6 years median customer lifetime for Membership Models, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 11 months median customer lifetime for One-Time Purchase, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
Revenue and Business Impact Statistics
- +14% average impact on retention from proactive customer success outreach, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- +12% average impact on retention from usage-based pricing models, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- +11% average impact on retention from quarterly business reviews (B2B), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- +10% average impact on retention from onboarding optimization, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- +8% average impact on retention from loyalty/rewards programs, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- +6% average impact on retention from community building, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
B2B vs B2C Statistics
- 90% retention for B2B SaaS vs 72% for B2C subscriptions, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 25% higher retention for business buyers over consumers in subscriptions, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 5.2 years lifetime for B2B SaaS vs 2.8 years for B2C subscriptions, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
Industry-Specific Statistics
- 84% average retention rate for Professional Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 83% average retention rate for Insurance, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 80% average retention rate for Construction & Engineering, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 78% average retention rate for Financial Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 77% average retention rate for Healthcare, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 75% average retention rate for Banking, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 67% average retention rate for Consumer Services, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 67% average retention rate for Manufacturing, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 63% average retention rate for Retail, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 55% average retention rate for Hospitality & Travel, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 38% average retention rate for E-commerce, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
Regional or Geographic Statistics
- 31% of U.S. streaming subscribers cancelling at least one service, based on a 2025 CivicScience report.
Retention Initiative Impact Statistics
- 6-9 months time to result for +14% retention from proactive customer success outreach, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 3-6 months time to result for +12% retention from usage-based pricing, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 9-12 months time to result for +11% retention from quarterly business reviews (B2B), based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 3-6 months time to result for +10% retention from onboarding optimization, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 6-12 months time to result for +8% retention from loyalty/rewards programs, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 3-6 months time to result for +7% retention from multi-channel support, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
- 12-18 months time to result for +6% retention from community building, based on a 2025 study by Focus Digital.
References
- https://focus-digital.co/average-customer-retention-rate-by-industry/
- https://recurly.com/ad/sos-subscription-trends-predictions-and-statistics/
- https://www.subsets.com/blog/retention-strategies-for-subscription-companies-in-2026
- https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/subscription-analytics-ecommerce-the-complete-2026-guide-to-data-driven-growth
- https://www.rivo.io/blog/customer-retention-statistics
- https://senalnews.com/en/data/subscription-economy-retention-now-outweighs-acquisition