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How To: Create a Membership Subscription

  • Updated

This article will outline the steps required to create a new membership subscription offering in your BigCommerce store. Membership subscriptions are subscriptions that will move your subscribing customers into the BigCommerce Customer Group of your choosing while the given subscription is active.

To begin, navigate to the Chargify Commerce App in your BigCommerce store by clicking "Apps" → "Chargify Commerce" from your BigCommerce Dashboard.

 

Step 1: Fallback Customer Group

Chargify Commerce will attempt to move your customers back to the BigCommerce Customer Group that they were in when subscribing, however if that Customer Group no longer exists we will use the configured fallback Customer Group instead.
  1. Once you have navigated to the Chargify Commerce App from your BigCommerce Dashboard, click on "Subscriptions" under "Configuration" in the in-app navigation.
  2. Navigate to the "Fallback Customer Group" tab from this view and choose your fallback customer group.

Step 2: Autoship Options

Autoship Options are the different frequencies, or intervals, at which customers can subscribe to your products. The most common Autoship Option will be a Monthly option, where customers would like to automatically place the same order every month.
  1. Once you have navigated to the Chargify Commerce App from your BigCommerce Dashboard, click on "BigCommerce" under "Configuration" in the in-app navigation. 
  2. Begin by clicking the "Add Option Set" button. This will allow you to create your first Autoship Option. This option will be available on Products to which you assign this Option Set (step 2 below), and designates the frequency or frequencies at which your customers can subscribe to those Products.
  3. Enter an Autoship Option Set Label. This label will display as the title of your Autoship Option to your customers. (ie, Choose a Subscription, Choose Autoship Frequency, Order on Subscription, etc.)
  4. If this Autoship Option will be applied to Products that you ONLY want to sell on Subscription, be sure to check the box for "make this option set required." Customers will be forced to make a selection from your Options.
  5. Click the green "Submit" button to save this Autoship Option.

    Screen_Shot_2021-07-08_at_2.26.09_PM.png
    (This popup will appear when you click "Add Option Set." Enter the required information and submit.)

  6. Once you have submitted your Autoship Option Set, you should now see a second panel specific to your Option Set called "{Your Autoship Option Set} Option Values". Click the "Add Option Value" button to continue.

    Screen_Shot_2021-07-08_at_2.28.30_PM.png
    (This view will appear once you have submitted your Autoship Option Set in the previous step.)

  7. In this step you will create the Option Values, or selections available to your customer, under the Option Set that you created in the previous step.
    membership-subscription.png
    (This form will appear when you click "Add Option Value.")

  8. Under "Option Value," enter an Option Value Name (ie, Every Month, Every 14 Days, etc.), and the corresponding interval at which your customers can place their subscription.
  9. Next, you can optionally adjust the price of your product based on the chosen Option Value. For instance, you may want to offer customers 10% off if they choose a monthly subscription. Choose the Adjustment Type, and enter an Adjustment Value (numerical), and Adjustment Value Type (choose % Percentage or $ Price).
  10. Under "Shipping Cost," you may choose to "Use the Shipping Cost from the Order" or assign an "Override Shipping Cost." You may want to charge a different shipping rate for your products on subscription, depending on a number of factors. If you wish to override the cost, assign a new fixed price value for shipping.
  11. Under "Memberships" you may choose which BigCommerce Customer Group to move active subscribers of this Autoship Option to. Upon subscription cancellation your customers will be moved back to the BigCommerce Customer Group they were in previously or if that doesn't exist, the configured "Fallback Customer Group".
  12. Click the green "Submit" button to save this Option Value, and repeat steps 7-10 to create any additional Option Values for your Autoship Option Set.
  13. Now you're ready to create Product Groups, in Step 2 below!

 

Step 3: Product Groups

Product Groups will be used to bulk-assign Autoship Options to groups of Products that you define. Product groups can consist of individually assigned products, or categories of products based on your BigCommerce product categories. 
  1. Under "BigCommerce Configuration," click the "Product Groups" label in the top navigation
  2. Click "Add Product Group" to create your first Product Group.
  3. Name the Product Group, and click the green "Submit" button. This name will only be visible to you in the app, and will not be viewable by your customers.

    Screen_Shot_2021-07-08_at_3.01.11_PM.png
    (Once you've created and named a new Product Group, you will see this form)

  4. Next, if you want to add a full Category or Categories of Products, click the "Add Category" button, and search for your desired Categories. You can also choose to include, or exclude, Subcategories of the Categories you choose. Be sure to click the green "Submit" button to save your choices. 
  5. Alternatively, or in addition, you can choose to add individual Products by clicking the "Add Product" button. Search for Products that you would like to add to the Group, and be sure to click the green "Submit" button to save your choices.
  6. Add Categories and Products to your Product Group until you have selected everything that you would like to include in your Subscription offering for your new Autoship Option, then proceed to Step 3 to configure your Subscriptions

Step 4: Configure Subscriptions

In this step, we will apply your newly created Autoship Options to your new Product Groups, assigning your Subscription Options to the defined group of Products.

  1. In the Chargify Commerce App, navigate to "Configuration" → "Subscriptions" to begin.
  2. Click the "Add Autoship Rule" button.
  3. Choose your Autoship Option Set, and the Product Group to which you want to assign these options. 
  4. Enter a description (optional), and then click the green "Submit" button.

    Screen_Shot_2021-07-08_at_3.11.21_PM.png
    (Form for steps 3 and 4 above)

  5. Now your Autoship Options are applied to your Product Group. But these options will not go live on your website for your customers until you click the green "GO LIVE!" button in the blue banner at the top of the app. 
NOTE: There is a temporary limitation in place for handling coupon codes in BigCommerce. We do not apply coupons from the originating order to the Subscription order on renewal.

 

Step 5: Go Live

Simply click the green "GO LIVE!" button at the top of the app to turn on your subscriptions. That's it! You are now selling your assigned Products on Subscriptions. Follow the above instructions to create multiple Autoship Options and Product Groups, and tailor your offering to your customers' needs. 

Screen_Shot_2021-07-08_at_3.16.44_PM.png

(To go live, simply click the green button in the top banner)

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