This article covers how to add a subscription product. This includes:
- Setting basic information about the product, i.e. its name, description, and picture.
- Setting up the renewal and shipping schedule for when the customer can expect to pay for and receive their product.
- Setting pricing and shipping costs for the product.
- Setting up any prepayment terms, variants, or survey questions, if applicable.
Navigate to Create a New Product
From the Merchant Portal, choose Products from the navigation menu. Then choose Subscription Products. Next, click the green Add a Product button in the top-right corner of the screen.
1. Set Up Product Name and Description by filling out the product name and description fields, and upload an image.
2. Set Up Renewal and Shipment Schedule for when customers get billed for their renewing subscriptions.
Note: refer to Billing and Shipping Schedules for Subscription Commerce for more information.
By default, the above schedule applies:
- Last day of the month is the last day for your new subscribers to sign up.
- 1st of the Month: You get your final list of customers who need products
- 4th of the Month: Ship it!
- 11th of the Month: Subscribers auto-renew for next month's box.
Find the section for Billing Schedule and choose the Frequency of which the subscription should renew. Products typically renew Monthly. The Renewal Date can also be set up here. Use the calendar on the right to view the renewal date, target ship date, and cut-off window.
Want a different schedule?
Select "Some businesses prefer to select a custom schedule. Set yours up here." Choose whether subscribers renew at the beginning, middle, or end of the month or a specific day of the month.
3. Price the Products by setting the product prices and prepayment terms.
The total amount charged to a customer when they purchase a prepaid subscription (e.g. $29 for 3 months in the example above), as well as the per month cost (e.g. $29 boils down to $9.67 per month) is visible here.
Optional: Modify the page titles, descriptions, terms and images to promote different prepayment terms.
To enter product weight and shipping rates, find the section for Shipping Options, and enter your product's ship weight in both pounds and ounces. Use the radio buttons to set your rates and options for shipping.
Note: refer to How do product level Shipping Rates Work? for more information.
Press the Save button at the top or bottom of your screen, and you're done!
4. Customize your Subscription Flow with Product Variants or a Survey
Do you have different variants you'd like to offer your customers (e.g. different sized shirts, or savory vs. sweet snacks)? You can set up variants to have your customers select those options for themselves while checking out.
Do you want to gather any information about your customers while they checkout (e.g. "What's your dog's name?" for a pet box, or "What's your birth month?"). You can set up customer surveys to have your customers enter that information about themselves while checking out.
Underneath the Term Prices section, find the Add a new step button. Start by choosing to add a Product Variant or a Customer Survey then fill out the information as needed. You can read more about Variants and Customer Surveys here. To learn about how to use Variant Pricing, click here.
To add additional variants or survey questions you can simply click Add a new step again and add additional Variants or Survey questions.
Save Your Changes
Press the Save button at the top or bottom of your screen, and you're done!
Note: Duplicating your product - once you have created a product you can easily duplicate that product. Once you are on the Subscription Products page, if you hover your mouse over the product you want duplicated you will see a duplicate button appear on the right hand side of that product. Click duplicate and an exact copy of your product will be created.
