A Subscription is basically a template to generate future orders according to an agreement between your store and the customer. In this article, you will learn about the following aspects of managing subscriptions.
- Editing the subscription conditions
- Editing the price or quantity
- Adding a discount
- Changing the shipping method
- Editing the shipping address
- Editing the payment method
- Canceling or activating a subscription
- Viewing the recent orders
- Viewing the subscription timeline
To see the details of a particular subscription, navigate to the Subscriptions list and then click on the Subscription Number link as shown below.
Editing the subscription conditions
To edit the conditions of a subscription, click on the Edit link in the top right corner of the Summary section.
You will then see a modal window where you can edit the conditions of the subscription, including the Interval, Period, Duration, or Next Run Date. For example, if the customer for the subscription below requested that you ship this product to him every 2 months, you would simply change the Interval field from 3 to 2. If a customer asks you to skip an installment or to change the billing date to a particular day of the month, you can edit the Next Run Date to accomplish this.
After making any changes to the subscription conditions, just click the Apply button. Then on the subscription detail page click the Save button at the top right of the screen to save the changes.
Editing the price or quantity
In the Overview section, you will notice that the price and quantity of the product are editable fields. It is important to note that changing the price of a product on the Edit Product page will not affect the price of existing subscriptions with that product. You must edit the price directly in each subscription. This is because the subscription is an explicit agreement between your store and the customer to sell that product/service on a recurring basis at a particular price. If implementing a price increase on subscriptions, it is important to provide advance notice to your customers to avoid disputes.
After editing the price or quantity, just click the Save button at the top right of the screen to save the changes. If applicable, sales tax will be recalculated when you save the change.
Adding a discount
You can add a discount to a subscription by clicking on the Add Discount link in the Overview section just below the subtotal.
You will then see the following modal window where you can add either a percentage or fixed dollar amount discount. This feature can be useful for reducing the churn in your subscription portfolio. You can easily offer and apply a discount when customers are requesting cancellation to try to retain them.
After entering the discount amount, just click the Apply button. Then on the subscription detail page click the Save button at the top right of the screen to save the changes.
Changing the shipping method
If the product on the subscription is a shippable product, you can change the shipping method by clicking on the Shipping link in the Overview section.
You will then see a modal window where you can select from applicable shipping methods. The particular carriers and service levels that you see will vary based upon the shipping zone of the customer and the weight and dimensions of the product. You can also create a custom rate if you want to offer free shipping or a flat rate.
Editing the shipping address
To edit the shipping address of a subscription, just click the Edit link in the Customer section next to the current shipping address.
You will then see a modal window that shows all of the existing addresses for that particular customer account. You can select an existing address by selecting the radio button next to the address. If you want to add a new address, you can click the +Add New Shipping Address link at the top of the modal window.
If adding a new address, you will then see a form to enter the new address.
When you are done changing the address, just click the Save button at the top of the subscription detail page to save your changes.
Editing the payment method
To edit the payment method of a subscription, just click the Edit link in the Customer section next to the current payment method.
You will then see a modal window that shows all of the existing payment methods for that particular customer account. You can select an existing payment method by selecting the radio button next to the payment method.
Canceling or activating a subscription
At the top of the subscription detail page, you can click on the other options menu (...) as shown below to cancel or activate a subscription. If the subscription is currently active, you will see the option to cancel. If it is currently canceled, you will see the option to activate it.
Viewing the recent orders
Near the bottom of the subscription detail page, you will see the Recent Orders section that shows the three most recent orders for that subscription.
To see all orders associated with the subscription, click the View All X Orders link in the bottom right corner of the recent orders section. You will then see a scrollable modal window with all of the related orders. You can navigate to the order detail page of any of the orders in the list by clicking on the order number link.
View the subscription timeline
At the very bottom of the subscription detail page, you will see the timeline that details all actions that have been taken on the subscription from the time it was created until the present.
