TEMPE, Ariz. – CCBill has added two new tools designed to help online merchants retain website members by selectively providing discounts on membership fees.

Direct Discount API adds additional retention and marketing support to the membership management solutions CCBill already offers all merchants. A new self-service feature enables instant access for merchants to discount memberships easily and immediately.

The new tools are the latest step in the company’s ongoing effort to adapt to merchants needs through customer expansion and retention support, according to a spokesman.

“Online processing is much more than just taking the transaction, and our vision of the member experience is based on automation, flexibility and options for the many different ways consumers want to pay for their subscription,” said CCBill Vice President of Sales Gary Jackson. “Being able to immediately offer a special for the at-risk member or to provide incentives for feedback and interaction just makes sense in the new world of savvy online consumers. Direct Discount API is just another item in the menu of CCBill tools designed to support any business model and retain subscribers.

“This just adds to the extensive subscription tools which are designed to capture and retain sales,” he continued. “And the 24/7 versatility and flexibility lets the business analyze trends and make the needed adjustments quickly to best support its sales goals.”

CCBill’s membership management solutions empower almost any business model, marketing strategy and sales plan with self-service and custom options for subscription, including the Subscription Management System (SMS) which offers a number of tools — including loyalty discount, one-click up-sells and upgrades, free trials and flexible pricing — that can automatically assist with member management and retention. The new Direct Discount API takes the process one step further, supporting retention and growth with five membership maintenance options Jackson called “critical and effective”:

Loyalty and Cancellation Discounts allow merchants to provide automated promotional discounts for long-term retention or promotional incentives, often saving members who otherwise might cancel.

Automated Email Notifications for Consumers and Merchants provide powerful, automated and customizable email notifications for any processing action on the account.

Notifications of Cancellations and Expirations sends a carbon copy of the consumer’s registered email address when someone abandons a membership, providing an opening to contact the departing member.

Variable Subscription Terms and Timeframe provides options for different subscription offerings for different markets, including lifetime access. Merchants may set different initial and ongoing amounts and timeframes for better conversions.

Upgrades and Add-On Sales, integrated so one-click upgrades and up-sells empower premium offerings and additional sales, automatically offer consumers additional product offerings that may interest them, thereby increasing merchants’ potential revenue streams.

Direct Discount API, self-service and free trials are but three of the hundreds of tools available to CCBill merchants through subscription services. For more information, visit CCBill.com, call 800-510-2859 or [email=merchantsupport@ccbill.com]merchant support[/email].