Subscription product use cases
There are many ways to configure subscription products and optimize the subscription experience for your customers. This guide provides an overview of common subscription product use cases, steps for configuring each use case, and supplemental resources.
Single SKU products
A single SKU product, has no variants, quantities, or frequencies. For example, you may sell multiple products in one size. Each of these products has a unique SKU associated with that single product.
To configure a single SKU product, refer to the following steps and resources:
- Create your product in your ecommerce platform. Do not add product variants.
- Follow the Setting up a product subscription guide to add your product to Recharge. You can configure your subscription rules with a single SKU product as you see fit.
Products with multiple variants
A product with multiple variants requires additional configuration steps. Product variants can represent different sizes, quantities, frequencies, etc. This product configuration is popular for offering replenishments and refills, products with multiple types or quantities, and prepaid subscription boxes.
Common use cases
Use case |
Description |
Example |
| Products with replenishments or refills |
In this use case, the main product is the initial product the customer purchases at checkout. The variant product is the recurring subscription product the customer receives with each subscription renewal cycle. |
You sell a skincare product in a bottle with a reusable dropper. The product variant sent for recurring orders is a bottle with no dropper. |
| Products with multiple types or quantities |
In this use case, the main product is the product the customer orders at checkout, but the customer can choose different types and quantities. |
You sell coffee bags that come in several different types and quantities. The types may be whole bean or grind, and the quantities may be 12 oz. or five lbs. |
| Prepaid subscription box |
In this use case, the customer prepays for a subscription box and receives their box on a recurring schedule. This use case requires a product with multiple variants, each representing the prepaid subscription box contents and shipment length (X amount of months). |
You sell a prepaid book box. The customer purchases the main product - a prepaid book bundle box. Each variant represents a different prepaid cycle (6 months, 12 months, 18 months, etc.) and subscription box contents. Each month the customer receives the corresponding month’s bundle. |
To configure a multiple variant product, refer to the following steps and resources:
- Create your product in your ecommerce platform.
- Add variants for your product. Variants can represent sizes, quantities, frequencies, etc.
- To add variants in Shopify, see Add variants.
- To add variants in BigCommerce, see Product Options v3.
- Follow the Setting up a product subscription guide to add your main product to Recharge. The product variants do not need to be added.
Products with multiple line item properties
Note: The following section only applies to Recharge Checkout on Shopify and Shopify Checkout Integration merchants.
Products with multiple line item properties have a main product, variants, and line items. This product configuration is popular for offering subscription clubs.
Common use cases
Use case |
Description |
Example |
| Subscription clubs |
In this use case, your club members purchase the main product, the subscription club. When purchasing that main product, the customer chooses variants, and the line item associated with the product marks each variant as free. This ensures the customer is charged for the price of the subscription club rather than the individual variants themselves. |
You sell a Wine Club subscription. When purchasing the Wine Club subscription, customers choose the types of wine they wish to receive every month, and the customer is charged the Wine Club price instead of the individual wine bottles. |
To configure a product with multiple line item properties, refer to the following steps and resources:
- Create your product in your ecommerce platform.
- Add variants for your product. Variants can represent sizes, quantities, frequencies, etc.
- To add variants in Shopify, see Add variants.
- Create a line item to ensure the product variant is free and the price of the Subscription club is charged at checkout.
- Follow the Setting up a product subscription guide to add your main product to Recharge. The variants do not need to be added to Recharge because the customer purchases the main product, not individual variants.
Bundles
Note: The following section only applies to Recharge Checkout on Shopify and Shopify Checkout Integration merchants.
Recharge's Bundles solution offers many different types of Bundled subscriptions.
Common use cases
Use case |
Description |
Example |
| Meal box |
In this use case, you can offer a variety of different meal box options to your customers. Whether you provide preset, fixed, or dynamic bundles, your customers receive a box with bundled contents. |
You sell a meal box that allows customers to customize their box with a rotating menu of meal options. |
To configure a Bundle, review the following guides:
