*Note: The Product Subscription is an additional paid module. Please contact the Online Merchant Success team for more information and pricing details.
What is a product subscription?
With this feature, customers with long-term product demand can get their products more conveniently. Our system automatically generates orders on a fixed basis so that customers can receive their orders on a fixed schedule.
The process of product subscription
- The merchant sets up the subscription product and subscription cycle.
- Customer orders a subscription product in the store > Customer receives the product.
- The system automatically creates new orders by cycle > Customer receives the product again with the same payment and delivery method as the last cycle.
- Repeat Step 3 until the customer applies to end the subscription.
This article will guide you on how to:
- Set up a subscription product
- Manage product subscription order
- Edit product subscription order
- Notes
1. Set up a subscription product
Step 1
In the SHOPLINE Admin, go to [Products & Categories] > [Products]. Click Add to add a new product. For more information, please refer to Adding Your First Product.
Step 2
Go to the "Quantity & Pricing" tab, and switch on the "Subscription Product" toggle to set the subscription cycle and subscription limit.
The system will automatically generate orders according to the cycle you set, and terminate this subscription service once the number of subscription orders has reached the subscription limit.
- Cycle: 7, 14, 30, 45, 60, 90, 180, 365 days
- Subscription: Can be set to "Unlimited" or 1-99 subscription(s).
For example, if you set the cycle of product A to 7 days and limit it to 3 subscriptions. When the customer places an order for product A on 1 December, the system will automatically generate an order for product A on 8 December and 15 December. The subscription will terminate on 15 December once the last order is created.
*Note:
- Only one type of cycle/subscription limit per product is supported.
- After the launch of the subscription limit, the existing subscription product information will be as follow:
- Cycle: Will automatically be applied with the number of days you originally set.
- Subscription: Set as "Unlimited".
- If you edit an existing subscription product, the subscription product orders placed after the edit will be created based on the new cycle/subscription setting. Orders placed before the edit (including subsequent subscriptions) will not be affected.
After the setup is complete, the product page at the storefront will indicate it as a subscription item along with its subscription cycle.
If the subscription Product has a subscription limit, once the customer has placed a subscription order, the current subscription order and the subscription limit can be viewed on the order details page in the Member Center.
*Note: Currently does not support displaying the subscription limit on the first order.
1. Subscription product payment method:
- All non-integrated payment methods
- Stripe credit card
*Available for merchants qualified for Stripe payment application - SHOPLINE Payments credit card to pay in full
*Available for merchants who have applied to use SHOPLINE Payments. Orders created from [Social Commerce] > [Manual Order] are not supported. For more information, please refer to this article.
*Note: Before publishing your subscription products, please make sure you have set up a suitable subscription payment method.
2. Product subscription-supported delivery methods
If you are using product subscriptions that automatically execute delivery method, please select the following delivery methods:
- All non-integrated delivery options
- Integrated Tcat delivery/COD
- Integrated 7-11 B2C pickup/pickup COD
- Integrated 7-11 C2C pickup/pickup COD
- Integrated FamilyMart B2C pickup/pickup COD
- Integrated FamilyMart C2C pickup (pickup COD is currently not supported)
- Integrated HCT Logistics delivery
- Integrated FamilyMart Frozen pickup (Frozen pickup COD is currently not supported)
- Reminder: Since the customer needs to reserve a counter when placing an order with the FamilyMart frozen pickup, if a subscription order is generated and the store selected by the customer cannot be reserved (no counter), the subscription order may fail. Please contact the Online Merchant Success Team through the Admin dialogue window, and we will assist you with the follow-up.
2. Product Subscription Management
Once the subscription order is generated, go to the SHOPLINE Admin > [Order Management] > [Product Subscription] to view Subscription Information, Next Order Creation Time, Subscription Cycle, Name, Status, and Created Subscription.
Click on the Product Name to view and manage all the orders created under that subscription order.
Click on the Order Number to view more, edit, and update order details here. For further information, please refer to Order Management.
3. Edit Product Subscription Order
When customers want to change the order status or the next order creation time, you can go to the SHOPLINE Admin > [Order Management] > [Product Subscription] and click on a Product Name.
i. Pause Product Subscription Order
Step 1:
Click Pause Subscription on the right.
Before clicking Pause Subscription, the order status will appear as "In Progress", and the "Next order creation date" on the right is "2019-01-30".
Step 2:
A pop-up window will show up as below; please click OK.
When you see a system message "Subscription paused successfully,"; the order status on the left will have been changed to "Ended," the button on the top right corner will be changed to "Resume Subscription," and the Next order creation date will be "None."
ii. Resume Product Subscription Order
Step 1:
Click the Resume Subscription button at the top right.
Step 2:
You can set the next order creation date in the pop-up window and click OK.
When you see a system message "Subscription resumed successfully," the order status on the left will have been changed back to "In Progress"; the button on the right top corner will be changed back to "Pause Subscription," and the Next order creation date will be the date you just set, e.g. "2019-01-30".
iii. Edit next order creation time
Step 1:
Click Change next order creation date when the order status is "In progress."
The next order creation date is "2019-01-30" in the example below.
Step 2:
You can change to a new next-order creation date in the pop-up window and click OK.
When you see a system message "Next order creation date changed successfully," the next order creation date will be updated to the date you just set, e.g. "2019-02-05".
*Note: The "Next order creation date" can be set as the day after. This means if the merchant changes the creation date to 10 June, you can select the creation date on 11 June.
*Note: Once you change the next order creation date, the future orders in that subscription order will be created based on this change.
For example, if a customer places a subscription order on May 17th and the subscription cycle is 30 days, future orders will be created as below:
1st subscription on 17 May
2nd subscription on 17 June
If the customer applies to postpone the 3rd order subscription to 25 July, future orders will be created as below:
3rd subscription on 25 July
4th subscription on 24 August (25 July + 30 days)
5th subscription on 23 September(24 August + 30 days)
iv. Clear subscription order
When the status of the latest subscription order is "Cancelled," you can choose to clear the order so that the next order created will take up and replace the canceled subscription order.
*Note: If the order is cancelled as the customer fails to pay/ their payment is overdue, after receiving the Payment Failure Email Notification, you need to follow the steps below to clear the remaining subscription orders.
As shown below, when the latest order (the 5th subscription) is cancelled, a "Clear" button appears.
Once you click Clear, the subscription order will be removed.
When the next order is created, it will replace the subscription order.
4. Notes
- Product subscriptions are like general products. The inventory will be automatically deducted when the order is created. The order will not be created if the product is out of stock. To ensure a smooth continuation of the subscription cycle, after replenishing the inventory, please click the "Change next order creation date" button to adjust the next order creation date. Therefore, please pay close attention to the inventory of products under the subscription scheme, and update the next order creation date after a restock.
- Created automatically by the subscription scheme, discount, delivery fee or store credit will not be included starting from the second order. However, Order Reward Credits will still be assigned after every order is paid.
- For example, the amount of the subscription purchase is $1000, and the delivery fee selected by the customer is $100. Only the first subscription order will consist of the delivery fee (i.e. the total order amount is $1100). The total order amount will be $1000 starting from the second order (delivery fee excluded). Therefore, if you wish your customers to pay the delivery fee, please consider including the delivery fee in the product price for a subscription, then use the free shipping campaign for smoother operation.
- For example, the amount of the subscription purchase is $1000, and the delivery fee selected by the customer is $100. Only the first subscription order will consist of the delivery fee (i.e. the total order amount is $1100). The total order amount will be $1000 starting from the second order (delivery fee excluded). Therefore, if you wish your customers to pay the delivery fee, please consider including the delivery fee in the product price for a subscription, then use the free shipping campaign for smoother operation.
- After starting the subscription cycle, if the customer reaches the membership upgrade condition and is upgraded to a VIP, the subscription order created after the membership upgrade will not receive the default membership level benefits. Similarly, even though the subscription product has set a member price, members will not be charged the member price if they get upgraded after starting the subscription cycle.
- If order remarks are left in the first subscription order, they appear in subsequent orders. However, if a delivery remark is left in the first subscription order, it will not automatically appear in the next subscription order.
- Once the subscription begins, subsequent orders will be generated and charged at 10:00 AM on the day of the order production.
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