How Subscribfy Works
Understand how subscriptions flow through your store - from customer signup to recurring billing to fulfillment.
The Subscription Lifecycle
Every subscription goes through these stages:
Customer Signs Up - Customer purchases a subscription product
First Order Created - Shopify creates the initial order
Subscription Active - Customer is now a subscriber
Recurring Billing - Automatic charges on schedule
Fulfillment - You ship the products
Renewal or Cancellation - Cycle continues or ends
Two Types of Subscriptions
Membership Subscriptions
Customers pay a recurring fee to access exclusive benefits.
What customers get | Perks like discounts, free shipping, store credits, early access |
How billing works | Charged on a schedule (weekly, monthly, yearly) |
Product delivery | No physical products - just benefits applied to orders |
Example: "VIP Club - $9.99/month for 15% off all orders"
Product Subscriptions
Customers subscribe to receive products automatically.
What customers get | Products delivered on a schedule |
How billing works | Charged before each delivery |
Product delivery | Physical products shipped each cycle |
Example: "Coffee Subscription - Fresh beans every 2 weeks, 10% off"
How Billing Works
First Order
When a customer subscribes, Shopify processes the first payment immediately. This creates a regular Shopify order.
Recurring Orders
On the billing date, Subscribfy automatically:
Charges the customer's saved payment method
Creates a new order in Shopify
The order appears in your Orders list for fulfillment
If Payment Fails
When a charge fails, Subscribfy:
Notifies the customer by email
Retries the payment automatically (based on your settings)
Gives customers a chance to update their payment method
What Customers Experience
Shopping
See subscription options on product pages
Choose between one-time purchase or subscribe
Select delivery frequency
See subscriber discounts
Managing Subscriptions
Customers can manage their subscriptions through the Customer Portal:
View active subscriptions
Skip a delivery
Change delivery frequency
Update payment method
Cancel subscription
Receiving Updates
Email notifications before each charge
Order confirmation after payment
Shipping notifications when fulfilled
How It Integrates with Shopify
Subscribfy uses Shopify's native subscription features:
Selling Plans | Subscription options appear on product pages |
Subscription Contracts | Track each customer's subscription |
Payment Methods | Securely stored by Shopify |
Orders | All orders appear in Shopify Orders |
Customers | Subscriber data synced with Shopify Customers |
This means:
Orders fulfill through your normal Shopify workflow
Inventory is managed by Shopify
Customer data stays in one place
Reports include subscription orders
Key Concepts
Billing Cycle | How often the customer is charged (e.g., every 30 days) |
Next Billing Date | When the next automatic charge will happen |
Subscription Status | Active, Paused, or Cancelled |
Dunning | Process of retrying failed payments |
Churn | When customers cancel their subscriptions |
MRR | Monthly Recurring Revenue - your predictable monthly income |
