Subscriptions v2
ShopWired's Subscriptions app lets you sell products on a recurring basis.
Use the app to create subscription plans, assign products or product variations to them, and manage the subscriptions created when customers place orders.
When a visitor places a subscription order, ShopWired creates an initial order and a subscription contract. The contract records what the customer has subscribed to. The app manages future online renewals and creates a new ShopWired order for each completed renewal.
Follow the Subscriptions v2 setup guide to install and connect the app.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subscription plan | The settings that define a subscription interval, price or discount, free trial and any limit on the total number of orders |
| Product assignment | The link between a product or product variation and a plan, allowing that product to be purchased using the plan |
| Subscription contract | The record created for a customer's subscription when they place the initial order. It contains the subscription's items, interval, payment method and billing and delivery details |
| Contract item | A product or product variation in a contract, including its quantity and price |
| Initial order | The order placed when the customer starts the subscription |
| Renewal | A scheduled repeat purchase under a contract |
| Renewal order | A new ShopWired order created for a completed renewal |
How subscriptions work
How subscriptions work
Configure a plan and assign the products or product variations that customers can purchase through it. A plan can define a free trial, a subscription price or discount, and a limit on the total number of orders.
An order limit includes the first order. For example, a limit of 6 allows the first order and 5 renewal orders.
A product can also be available for a one-off purchase if its product settings allow this. Read more about creating and managing plans.
Your website's theme must display the available purchase options and submit the selected plan when a visitor adds a subscription product to their basket. Follow the guide to displaying subscriptions on your website.
When a customer purchases a product using a plan, the initial order creates a contract. The contract retains the details of that subscription.
At each scheduled online renewal, the app uses the contract to process the next purchase. It creates a new order when the renewal is completed.
If a renewal cannot be completed, the app records the outcome. Where automatic retries are available, saved retry rules apply to eligible failed payments. Payments that need review remain on hold.
Read more about renewals and failed payments and subscription settings and notifications.
Managing contracts
Managing contracts
In your ShopWired account, use the Subscriptions app to:
- View contracts, including their items, renewal dates and related orders
- Edit a contract's items
- Edit billing and delivery details
- Change the order limit or trial end
- Pause or resume a contract
- Cancel a contract
- Help a customer update their card details
- Review renewal payments and issues that need attention
Cancellation is final. It does not cancel or refund orders already placed.
Follow the managing contracts guide for the available actions and their effects.
Use the import/export system to manage plans and assignments in bulk or export contract information.
Customer area
Customer area
Customers can manage subscriptions created through the new app using the customer subscription portal.
Add a Manage subscriptions link to your website's customer account pages. Customers sign in to the portal separately using a code sent to the email address on their ShopWired customer record.
Customers can:
- View their subscription details and available order information
- Edit billing and delivery details
- Pause or resume a subscription
- Cancel a subscription
- Update card details for eligible card subscriptions
- Edit item quantities
- Add products or product variations
- Remove items
- Pause or resume individual items
To replace a product variation, the customer adds the required variation and removes the previous item.
Changes apply to future renewals. They do not change orders already placed.
The portal is hosted outside your website's theme. Use Customer portal in the app to configure its font and colours.
Follow the customer subscription management guide to add the portal link, configure sign-in emails and review the available customer actions.
Existing subscriptions
Existing subscriptions
If you used ShopWired's earlier Subscriptions app, existing subscriptions continue to renew through that system.
Activating the new system applies to new subscription purchases across your account. It does not convert existing subscriptions into contracts or combine the two sets of subscriptions.
Continue to manage earlier subscriptions in the legacy system, and retain a link so customers can still access them.
