Subscriptions: Setting Up Recurring Purchases – SHOPLINE Help Center

The Subscriptions app enables customers to make recurring purchases of products, such as beauty items, health supplements, pet supplies, and magazines. With one subscription, customers can skip the hassle of reordering and paying each time. For merchants, it helps boost customer loyalty, brings steady income, and improves inventory and delivery planning.

How to Set Up a Subscription Plan

Create a Subscription Plan: Go to the Subscriptions app, click Subscription plan group > Create new, and give your plan a name.
Add Products: Each subscription plan can include one or more products. Add or remove items from the subscription product list.
Set Subscription Rules:
- Subscription frequency: Set how many times a subscription contract is applied. If no number is set, the subscription will continue with unlimited cycles.
- Subscription plan options: Set the delivery frequency for subscriptions and customize a name for each option. The name will be shown directly to customers, making it easier for them to choose the subscription plan that fits their needs.
  - Discount settings: You can offer special discounts like 20% off or $10 off for subscribers.
    - Fixed Discount: Apply the same discount for all billing cycles.
    - Dynamic Discount: Set an initial discount for the first N billing cycles, which will automatically switch to a different discount afterward.
- Reward Settings: When enabled, you can offer exclusive rewards for subscribers, such as giving a free gift in the 3rd billing cycle. You can set up multiple rewards for a single subscription plan.
- Product swap: Select this option and set up a product to be automatically replaced once during the active contract period. This feature is ideal for subscription trial scenarios. For example, the first order delivers a trial pack with 3 pairs of contact lenses (Product A). Starting from the second order, the system will automatically replace it with the full-size pack containing 12 pairs of contact lenses (Product B) and ship it to the customer.
- Subscription plan priority: If a product is in more than one plan, the system will apply the one with the lower priority number. If the numbers are the same, the newer plan is used.

Notes:

Currently, only pay-per-cycle is supported. Full prepayment for the entire term is not available.
Each store can have up to 10 subscription plans, and each plan can include up to 50 products.

After setup, click Create, and the system will generate a subscription plan automatically.

Customizing Subscription Display on Your Storefront

You can customize the subscription component style in Subscriptions > Subscription widget and further adjust its appearance in SHOPLINE Admin > Online Store > Design.

Quick Subscribe on the Collections Page

In the theme editor, you can add the Quick subscribe component on the Collections page, under the Product list section. This allows customers to subscribe to products directly from collection listings.

Notes:

If you have added the Quick Subscribe component, we recommend turning off the theme editor’s built-in Quick Add-to-Cart button to avoid duplicated features or a poor user experience.
The Quick Subscribe component is supported only on OS 3.0 themes.

Subscription Display on the Product Page

Once the subscription plan is ready, customers will see the subscription option on the product page. After selecting a frequency and placing an order, they'll get a confirmation email with contract details. The system will then automatically create orders and send shipping notifications for each period, no manual work needed.

Offering Subscription Bundles

The subscription bundle feature lets customers bundle multiple products and receive them on a regular schedule, perfect for products like flower boxes, beauty kits, or wellness packs.

How to Set Up:

Go to the Subscription app > Subscription bundles, then click Create subscription bundles.
Set a name and bundle type (Classic / Dynamic), then add products, pricing, discounts, etc.
- Classic bundle: Fixed price. Customers can freely choose a set number of items, and the total price stays the same.
- Dynamic bundle: Variable price. Customers can freely select items from the product list, and the total price changes based on the selected items.
Set up subscription plans (optional). If you leave it blank, the item will be available for a one-time purchase.
Click on Next step to configure the template.
Once a subscription bundle is created, the system will automatically generate its product page. Go to your theme editor through SHOPLINE Admin > Online Store > Design, find the corresponding product page, and Create a template for it to avoid display issues on other product pages.
Insert the Subscription bundles component. Be sure to hide any other components on the page.

Notes:

The subscription bundles are only supported on OS 2.1 and OS 3.0 theme versions.
Currently, subscription bundles can only be shown on the product detail page.

Managing Subscription Contracts

To manage contracts: Go to the Subscription contract page to see product details, customer info, and order history.

You can:

Change the next order date
Create or skip an order
View all related orders, and click any order number to view its details
Take actions like pause/resume, modify subscription product, skip, cancel, or guide customer to update payment method

Note: If a customer modifies a product, the original contract discount still applies. Custom discounts for replacements aren’t supported yet.

Analyzing Subscription Performance

To help you quickly assess how your subscription business is performing, the system provides several key metrics across different areas of the admin panel. These metrics give you visibility into contract volume, subscriber activity, revenue contribution, and overall subscription growth.

On the Home page, you can view key metrics such as the total number of Subscription contracts.

In Analytics > Dashboard, you can view more subscription-related metrics, including active subscriptions, active subscribers, subscription sales, new subscribers, and the contract migration completion rate. Hover over any metric name to view its definition.

Notes:

The data is updated with a one-day delay, and the current data uses the GMT+08:00 time zone.
All amounts are shown in USD.

Importing External Subscription Contracts

If you already have subscription contracts on another platform, you can import them to SHOPLINE.

Follow these steps to import:

Go to Subscription contract > Import contract.
Export contract data from your original platform (must include product ID, customer ID, etc.).
Download and fill in the Import Template.
Upload the completed file. Then, select the payment channel for the uploaded file. SHOPLINE will automatically link the contract to the chosen payment channel.

Notes:

When the payment channel is set to "Others", you can verify whether the customer’s payment method can be quickly activated. If it cannot be activated, it is suggested to set the new contract status to Paused. This helps avoid issues where the system automatically cancels the contract if payment attempts fail (the system cancels after five failed attempts).
Use the payment method detection tool to help customers bind their payment method. There are two ways: via a special link or an email template.
If you import contracts as Active, the system will try to charge the customer immediately. Without valid payment info, this will fail and cannot be undone, so make sure customer and product data are fully set up first.

Customer Management

In the Customers tab, you can see each customer’s name, email, number of active subscriptions, and the next order date.

Click on a customer to view all their subscription contracts, contract statuses, and upcoming order dates, helping you better manage your customer relationships.

Subscription Display

From your app, go to Subscription display > Subscription widget, then choose your preferred widget style. Four styles are available to match different product types:
In the Show benefits and information section, you can use a tooltip to show subscription benefits. When enabled, a tooltip will appear in the subscription section on your store’s frontend to display the content you set up.

Configurable options:
- Benefits tooltip title
- Benefits tooltip description
- Supports three dynamic sources:
  - Initial Discount: For subscription plans with fixed or tiered discounts.
  - Recurring Discount: For subscription plans with tiered discounts.
  - Initial Discount Length: For subscription plans with tiered discounts.
In Customer portal, configure the feature visibility settings by choosing whether customers can do the following from the storefront:
- Allow customers to skip the next subscription order.
  - You can set how many times skipping is allowed.
- Allow customers to change the next delivery date.
- Allow customers to update the delivery frequency.
- Allow customers to add new products to their subscription.
- Allow customers to swap subscribed products.
- Allow customers to edit the shipping address.
- Allow customers to update the payment method.
- Allow customers to pause the subscription.
  - You can add reasons for pausing.
- Allow customers to cancel the subscription.
  - You can set cancellation conditions, such as allowing cancellation only after 3 billing cycles.
  - You can offer a "pause instead" option during cancellation.
  - You can add reasons for cancellation

Settings & Notifications

1. Set up emails and automated messages

In Email settings, set up Email notification. The system offers default email templates that you can customize.

2. Third-party integrations

You can integrate with SmartPush to automatically send messages based on subscription status changes, such as:

- - Renewal reminders
  - Win-back campaigns for cancellations
  - New product promotions

You can connect with the Klaviyo email marketing tool. When a subscription status changes, the related events will be sent to Klaviyo. The table below shows the events currently supported.

Event Name	Trigger Timing	Flow Example
Subscription Created	Triggered each time a customer successfully creates a new subscription	Welcome email: "Thanks for subscribing—here’s what to expect."
Subscription Paused	Triggered when a customer pauses their contract	Pause confirmation: "Your subscription is on hold."
Subscription Cancelled	Triggered when a customer cancels their subscription	Winback campaign: "We’re sad to see you go—come back anytime."
Subscription Reactivated	Triggered when a customer reactivates their subscription contract after pausing or canceling	Welcome back email: "Your subscription is active again."
Subscription Frequency Changed	Triggered when a customer changes the subscription frequency of their contract.	Confirmation: "Your delivery frequency was updated."
Subscription Product Swapped	Triggered when a customer switches to a different product	Confirmation: "Your product selection has been updated."
Upcoming Payment Reminder	Triggered when a contract is about to be charged	Reminder: "Your next payment of $XX will process on [date]."
Subscription Order Fulfillment Failed	Triggered when a subscription order fulfillment fails	Dunning sequence: "Your payment didn’t go through—update your details."
Subscription Skipped	Triggered when a customer skips their next subscription order	Confirmation: "Your next order has been skipped."
Subscription Next Billing Date Changed	Triggered when a customer modifies the next delivery date	Confirmation: "Your next billing date is now [date]."

3. Set Up Subscription Shipping Strategy

In SHOPLINE, subscription and non-subscription products share the same shipping settings by default. You can configure a dedicated shipping strategy for subscription orders to ensure that their shipping fees are calculated correctly during both checkout and recurring billing.

After a subscription shipping strategy is created, all products newly added to subscription plans will be automatically synced with the strategy.

Steps to configure the subscription shipping strategy:

Go to Settings > Shipping, then click Create now.
Click Configure strategy, then set up the shipping plan for this strategy. For detailed steps, please refer to the "Configuring Shipping Strategies for Subscription Orders" article.
After setup, go to SHOPLINE Admin > Settings > Shipping and delivery > Subscribe to shipping strategy to view the configured subscription shipping strategy and make sure its status is Enabled.
Go back to the Subscription app and check Done.
Click Assign products, all subscription products will automatically apply the configured subscription shipping strategy. Please confirm the status is Enabled.

Notes:

The shipping strategy created by the Subscription app is named "Subscription Shipping" by default. To ensure it is created correctly, please make sure you haven’t already set up another shipping strategy with the same name.
Currently, you cannot manually select which products to include in the subscription shipping strategy. All products added to a subscription plan will be automatically linked to the created shipping strategy.

FAQs

1. Can subscription orders be combined with other store discounts and promotions?

Subscription discounts can be used together with discount codes, but they cannot be used at the same time with automatic discounts, flash sales, VIP prices, pre-order prices, or affiliate prices. You can go to SHOPLINE Admin > Discounts > Subscription usage restrictions to set when subscriptions are allowed to enjoy discounts, including:

Only for the first subscription
For multiple subscriptions (including the first one)
For all subscription orders

2. Is it compatible with other apps?

Currently, it is compatible with Print on Demand & Dropshipping, Contact Lens Bundle Purchase, and B2B & Wholesale Solution. For compatibility with other apps, please contact customer support or sales to address the corresponding requirements.

3. How are subscription contracts handled in the event of store freezes or closures?

During store freezes or closures, subscription contracts will be canceled and won’t fulfill orders. Additionally, if the store status returns to normal after the freeze or closure, the contract status won’t be restored. Merchants should take note of any unfulfilled subscription contracts.

4. Why can’t customers place subscription orders in the store after completing subscription settings?

If merchants are using a subscription-based e-commerce application, the store needs to enable three payment channels that support subscription payments: PayPal, SHOPLINE Payment, and Stripe. Also, the subscription-based e-commerce application needs to be embedded in the theme editor.

Note: For the PayPal payment channel, merchants need to apply for subscription payment authorization through PayPal, as referenced in the subsequent content.

5. What causes the variation in subscription product prices between the product detail page and the checkout page?

The pricing disparity is due to the product detail page factoring in the subscription discount based on the current selling price. Meanwhile, the checkout page conducts cumulative calculations considering all purchased items, inclusive of discounts, shipping fees, taxes, and additional fees.

6. Why do the actual amounts of subscription orders differ from the displayed subscription amounts in the contract?

This disparity arises because the actual order amount is calculated in real-time based on the current address, shipping rules, and tax calculations.

7. If a product is out of stock or has been taken down, it will result in the automatic failure of creating an order for the subscription contract.

After a failed order creation, both the merchant and the customer will receive email notifications. You can adjust the product inventory or status based on the error message, and the system will automatically retry the order (a total of five attempts, with an interval of five hours between each attempt; the subscription contract starts creating orders at midnight).

The Deduction Permission Request Guide of the PayPal Subscription (RT Permission Request)

1. Information Needed (Merchant Information):

Business name (name registered with PayPal)
Store URL (Front-end website URL of the store)
Estimated monthly GMV through PayPal channel
Number of customers for the merchant (Number of customers at the store)

2. Integration Issues that PayPal Needs to Understand:

How can merchants use PayPal’s subscription deduction capability?

Suggested Response: You can provide details about the products sold in the store and clarify that the sales model facilitates customer subscriptions without recurrent payments. You can also offer further pertinent business information and the advantages of using subscription deduction capability based on the store’s specific circumstances.

Do customers need to confirm payment each time they make a purchase at the store, or is it handled automatically without customer involvement?

Suggested Response: It is handled automatically without customer involvement.

Is this service used on the website, integrated into a mobile application (app), or both?

Suggested Response: Typically, SHOPLINE merchants solely use it on their websites, and merchants can answer based on their actual situation.

Is integration done through other payment service providers (e.g., Worldpay or Ingenious)?

Suggested Response: No, SHOPLINE merchants don’t integrate through other payment service providers.

3. Specific Application Process

Log in to the official PayPal website (https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/contact-us) using the PayPal account, find the message entry, and leave a message. Merchants can also contact agents who can assist in submitting the request.
After receiving the request, PayPal will respond via email or push messages in the merchant’s PayPal account Message Center. Upon receiving the message, merchants can respond to the message (the above merchant and integration information).
Upon receiving merchant information, PayPal may take 7-10 days for evaluation and review. Specific details can be communicated with PayPal via email.
Refer to the official response from PayPal.

To enable Reference Transactions in Live, Merchants can contact PayPal via their PayPal account and speak to an agent who will submit a request on their behalf.

Instructions for Merchants are mentioned below:

Just log in to your PayPal account on the PayPal app or a web browser, go to your Message Center, and select New Message.

PayPal will ask for the info below:

Business information:
Business name
Business URL
Current/anticipated monthly sales via PayPal only
Number of repeat customers
Integration information:
Describe what you intend to use the product for?
Do your buyers need to initiate each subsequent payment themselves or are they processed automatically without any customer involvement?
Will this service be enabled within your website, mobile app integration, or both?
Are you integrating through another payment service provider, such as Worldpay or Ingenico?

Once PayPal confirms receipt of the above information, your application may take 7 to 10 days to be assessed. Bear in mind that PayPal may require more information once your application is being processed.