FROM SUBSCRIPTION OVERFLOW TO SUBSCRIPTION EXODUS: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF SUBSCRIPTION FATIGUE ON CONSUMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR

This study has systematically examined the phenomenon of subscription fatigue and its multidimensional impact on consumer purchase behaviour across digital service categories. Drawing on an integrative review of over forty academic and industry sources published between 2020 and 2026, the research has documented the structural drivers, behavioural consequences, and demographic variations of subscription fatigue, providing a theoretically grounded and empirically supported analysis of one of the central challenges facing the contemporary subscription economy. The evidence presented supports a clear and consistent conclusion: subscription fatigue is not a marginal or temporary consumer inconvenience but a structural property of a subscription economy that has expanded beyond consumers' cognitive and financial capacity to manage effectively. The doubling of average active subscriptions per consumer between 2018 and 2024, combined with consistently declining post-adoption usage rates, rising price sensitivity, and accelerating churn cycles, reflects a market that has prioritised growth over sustainability and acquisition over retention. As a result, consumers are increasingly responding not with wholesale rejection of the subscription model but with more sophisticated portfolio management strategies that include rotation, bundling preferences, and selective engagement rather than broad concurrent commitment. The research objectives set out at the beginning of this study have been addressed comprehensively. The primary drivers of subscription fatigue have been identified as financial strain from subscription stacking, cognitive overload from multi-platform management, post-adoption usage decline driven by the expectation-reality gap, and price escalation that erodes perceived value. The behavioural outcomes of fatigue have been documented across five dimensions: cancellation intent, churn cycling, platform switching and rotation, preference shifts toward flexible and bundled models, and heightened price sensitivity. Demographic variation in fatigue intensity has been mapped across generational cohorts and income groups, revealing that Gen Z and Millennials bear the greatest exposure to overload-driven fatigue while lower-income consumers face the sharpest financial triggers for cancellation. The practical implications of this analysis are consequential for all stakeholders in the subscription economy. Subscription providers must reconceptualise their business strategies around long-term engagement rather than short-term acquisition, investing in post-adoption value delivery and flexible service design that respects consumer agency. Policymakers must develop and enforce regulatory frameworks that protect consumers from opaque billing, difficult cancellation, and auto-renewal exploitation. And consumers themselves benefit from increased awareness of subscription portfolio dynamics and the adoption of active management practices that align their subscription commitments with genuine usage patterns. Looking ahead, the subscription economy will continue to evolve in ways that both intensify and potentially mitigate subscription fatigue. Artificial intelligence-driven personalisation offers the possibility of more relevant, higher-engagement subscription experiences that maintain perceived value over longer periods. The consolidation of services into comprehensive bundles may reduce the administrative burden of multi-platform management. Regulatory action across major markets is likely to improve transparency and reduce coercive retention practices. However, these mitigating factors will only address subscription fatigue if providers genuinely prioritise sustainable consumer relationships over short-term revenue maximisation. The trajectory of the subscription economy ultimately depends on whether its stakeholders treat subscription fatigue as a problem to be designed around or a market signal that the consumer-provider relationship must fundamentally evolve.

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