Vetsource: Autoship Flexibility

For Vetsource & Making Sense - In collaboration with Vetsource Product Team

Improving AutoShip flexibility in a large veterinary e-commerce platform to reduce cancellations and increase retention through user research, UX design, and data-driven iterations.

Background

Vetsource is a large veterinary e-commerce platform that enables pet owners to purchase medications, food, and prescriptions directly through their veterinary clinics. One of its key features is AutoShip, a subscription service that allows customers to receive recurring deliveries of essential products.

Retention is a critical metric for the business. Internal data showed that AutoShip users had an average retention rate of around 80%, compared to approximately 50% for non-AutoShip users. Because of this significant difference, reducing AutoShip cancellations became a strategic priority for the business.

Non-AutoShip

Average 50% 6 months Retention Rate

AutoShip

Average 80% 6-month Retention Rate

The Problem

The team began analyzing data from users who had canceled their AutoShip subscriptions to better understand the reasons behind this behavior. One interesting pattern emerged: some users were canceling their AutoShip and then purchasing a similar product shortly afterwards.

To better understand this behavior, we conducted user interviews with clients that showed this type of practice and discovered that many users weren’t canceling because they no longer wanted the product. Instead, they needed to modify certain characteristics (such as flavor, size, or packaging) but the platform didn’t allow those changes within the existing AutoShip setup.

One user put it clearly:

“I cancelled my AutoShip when I switched the dog food because she didn’t like the flavor.”

Current state

When reviewing the current flow, we noticed that the existing “Edit Product” link only allowed users to change the quantity or remove the item. This limitation could create frustration, as the label suggested broader editing capabilities than what's actually available, potentially leading to confusion and unmet expectations.

The Challenge

The team aimed to expand flexibility by allowing edits to key product details (flavor, size, strength, etc.). However, a major challenge emerged: more than 60% of products are medications, and changing prescriptions often requires veterinary approval. This introduced risks of prescription denials and potential user frustration.

To better understand constraints, I collaborated with pharmaceutical experts within the company to map out how prescription approvals worked, identifying what changes were safe and what could trigger re-approval.

Approach & Phased Rollout

Once the prescription functionality was clear, we proposed a three-phase rollout, prioritizing safety and minimizing risk:

Phase 1:

Non-medication products with safe variations.

Phase 2:

Non-Rx products with variations requiring vet approval.

Phase 3:

Rx medications.

This allowed us to test and refine the feature in low-risk areas before expanding to more sensitive cases.

Designing the Solution

I created a prototype for Phase 1 using the company’s design system, introducing clear flows for editing details. Key decisions included:

Clear modifier options: Buttons that let the user change product characteristics.
Image adjustment: Product image changes with packaging changes.
Price transparency: If a change triggered a price adjustment, the drawer displays an “Updated” label to prevent pricing confusion.

Usability Testing

With the created prototype, I ran usability tests with 15 pet parents (US, ages 30–65, used to buy vet medications online) to validate the new flow.

Key objectives:

Assess visibility and clarity of the “Edit Product” CTA.
Measure overall ease of completing a modification.
Understand general interest in the tool.

Findings:

65% completed the task quickly and without hesitation.
35% experienced minor hesitation, confusing "Edit Product" with "Edit AutoShip" (button that aims to change AutoShip frequency) but still completed the task easily.
100% rated the feature as “very useful” and said they would use it, appreciating the price update in particular.
When asked about the clarity of the CTA, the “Edit product” label was preferred (79%), though some users suggested making it more prominent and differentiating it from “Edit AutoShip".

Iteration & Implementation

Based on testing feedback, I:

Adjusted language to reduce confusion between "Edit Product" and "Edit AutoShip", Edit AutoShip was changed into "Manage AutoShip".
Refined the prominence of the CTA for better visibility.
Made a second round of test to measure these changes. This time 100% of users clicked the correct button with no hesitation.

I also explored engagement strategies:

A “New feature” banner to highlight the capability to existing users.
An update in the cancellation flow, asking if the reason was “I needed to modify my product.” If selected, the user was redirected to the edit drawer instead of cancelling outright, preventing possible cancelations.

Preliminary results

Two weeks after phase 1 launched, we review current metrics.

Products editions triplicated

From 5.45% to 16.78% AutoShip product changes in two weeks

From 3% to 10% conversion rate

Interactions with "Edit product" more than doubled in two weeks

Phases 2 & 3

After positive results, strong user engagement, and no major technical issues, the implementation moved forward with phases 2 and 3.

Due to the sensitive nature of Rx products, additional approval alerts were added to the flows to prevent unintended cancellations of existing autoships. These alerts addressed scenarios such as mismatched pet weight or packaging changes that could increase the limited dosage for a refill. All alerts were carefully reviewed and approved by the company’s internal veterinary team.

Final Results

The introduction of product flexibility within AutoShip addressed a key friction point identified during research: a percentage of users are cancelling subscriptions simply because they needed to adjust product attributes.

Within the first month, the feature saw strong adoption, with more than 25% of AutoShip interactions resulting in product modifications. We also began seeing an increase of “I needed to modify my product” as reason for cancellation and those being redirected into the Edit Product flow.

Of the users who entered that flow, nearly 75% completed a product modification instead of cancelling their AutoShip, helping preserve recurring clients while improving the overall user experience.

Reflections

This project reinforced the importance of looking beyond surface-level metrics. At first glance, AutoShip cancellations appeared to indicate lost demand. However, deeper analysis revealed that some users still intended to purchase the product, they simply needed more flexibility in the system.

Combining data analysis with user research helped uncover this nuance and guided the team toward a solution that balanced user needs with technical and regulatory constraints.

Another key takeaway was the value of incremental releases. Rolling out the solution in phases allowed the team to test assumptions, monitor technical risks, and carefully introduce safeguards for Rx products with input from the internal veterinary team.

Ultimately, this project highlighted how small improvements to product flexibility can have a meaningful impact on both user experience and retention.