In this Shopify Subscriptions app review, I’ll take an in-depth look at Shopify’s new native solution selling “subscriptions” to online customers.
Before 2024, if you wanted to update your business model to sell subscriptions (and earn recurring revenue), you should have installed a third-party app from the Shopify app storelike Top Up Subscriptions or Subify.
NOW, you can access the Shopify Subscriptions app natively in your Shopify store.
This means it’s easier than ever to take advantage of the growing interest in subscription-based services and products.
So, what is the Shopify Subscriptions app and how does it work?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Quick verdict
The Shopify Subscriptions app is a convenient way to take your business to the next level by offering subscription pricing models.
Its use is completely free if you already have a Shopify account, and is extremely simple. I highly recommend trying this app before considering using a third-party integration for selling subscriptions.
What is the Shopify subscription app?
Shopify Subscriptions is a simple and convenient solution that allows businesses on Shopify to sell subscriptions to products and services.
It was introduced by Shopify (alongside a series of other e-commerce platform updates) in the “Winter 2024 editions“.
Before the introduction of this application, you can still sell subscriptions through Shopify, using third-party apps. However, the native solution (integrated into your Shopify admin dashboard) is a free option, available to anyone who:
- Has a Shopify subscription plan
- Uses either Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.Net or Stripe
- Has a Shopify Online Store 2.0 configuration.
With Shopify subscriptions, you can create and manage flexible subscriptions without leaving your administration environment.
You can even offer several different subscription plans to your customers and choose different delivery frequencies, as well as discount options to increase sales.
Shopify Subscription App Review: The Features
Shopify designed its native subscriptions app to be as simple and convenient as possible for business owners.
After all, research shows that the subscription e-commerce market is expected to reach a value of more than 450 billion dollars by 2025, and Shopify knows many business owners want to take advantage of the growing landscape.
The app is a bit basic compared to some of the other full-featured third-party subscription apps I’ve tried, but the solution allows you to:
- Create automatically billed subscriptions that renew weekly, monthly, or yearly.
- Incentivize customers to sign up for subscriptions with personalized discounts.
- Edit, pause, skip, resume and cancel subscription plans.
- Allow customers to manage their own subscriptions through customer accounts.
- Display a simple “subscription” widget on your product pages.
- Showcase subscription details in the shopping cart and thank you pages.
- Send emails to customers about their subscription orders, with customizable templates.
- Access reporting tools to view statistics on active, suspended, and canceled subscriptions.
You can also easily transfer existing subscription contracts you have set up with third-party tools to Shopify subscriptions, so there is not much work to do if you migrate.
Ease of use: How simple is the app
One of the first things I noticed about the Shopify Subscriptions app is how easy it is to use. If you meet Shopify’s eligibility requirements (mentioned above), all you have to do is install the app from the Shopify app storeand you can start creating subscription plans in seconds.
![Shopify subscriptions app](https://ecommerce-platforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/shopify-subscriptions-app-1024x614.jpg)
From your Shopify admin, you will see the “Subscriptions” option in your menu.
Clicking on it, followed by “Plans,” will take you to a page where you can design as many subscription plans as you want.
You’ll be able to add a dollar or percentage discount to subscriptionsand select all the products you want to include in your subscription in your Shopify inventory.
Additionally, you can offer customers a range of “delivery frequency” options to choose from.
Users can also create subscription plans from the “Products” page on Shopifyby by clicking “Add a purchase option” under “Purchase options”.
So, updating your existing pages is extremely simple.
However, it should be noted you will need to update your theme with the Shopify Theme Editor to add the Subscriptions widget to your product pages.
Fortunately, Shopify offers step-by-step instructions on how to do this here.
From your Shopify admin, you can also:
- Configure settings for how often to “retry” a default payment method if a payment fails.
- Access a subscription management URL to share with your customers, so they can customize and manage their subscriptions themselves.
- Set up custom notifications with email templates to keep customers informed of their subscriptions.
- Allow customers to temporarily ignore a subscription order or pause their subscription.
The Shopify subscription customer experience
One thing I really like about the Shopify Subscriptions app is that it allows you to give your customers complete control over their subscription experience.
All you have to do is create an account with your storethen log in via the “new customer accounts” solution.
Users can also click on the “Manage your subscription” link in your store’s email notifications, or click the URL of a “customer account” you share with them.
From their account, customers can click on the “Subscriptions” tab to:
- View past orders and order information.
- Edit their payment information or add new payment methods.
- Change or update their shipping address.
- Ignoring an upcoming delivery.
- Pause or resume subscription services.
- Cancel their subscription.
The experience is very simple, and everything feels “native” to your Shopify store, so you can make sure you’re offering a consistent “branded” experience.
Shopify Subscription Analysis
Although Shopify’s analytics and reporting tools are some of the best in the e-commerce market, the analytics dedicated to the Subscriptions app are a bit basic.
Currently, you can’t dig deeper into your data. All you can do is view the average performance of your subscriptions over time.
When you click “Performance” on the Shopify Subscriptions app home page, you will be able to see your number of active, canceled and suspended subscriptions over the last 7, 30 or 90 days.
You can also check your total subscription revenue to gain insight into the effectiveness of your subscription strategy.
How much does the Shopify subscription app cost?
As mentioned above, the Shopify Subscriptions app is completely free. However, you need a Shopify account, and a Shopify Starter plan won’t be enough because you won’t have access to all Shopify store building tools.
This means you will need at least one “Basic Shopify” planwhich starts at $39 per monthOr $29 per month when you pay your subscription annually.
You must also be using Shopify Paymentsor a payment processor authorized by your store (so there will be payment processing fees).
Still, Shopify subscriptions are a cheaper option than installing most third-party subscription apps on the Shopify app store.
For example, top rated The Recharge Subscription app will cost you $99 per month in addition to your Shopify plan for the Standard service, or $499 per month for the Pro plan.
Shopify Subscription App Review: The Verdict
If you’re looking for a way to increase customer value and access more predictable revenue for your online store, the Shopify Subscriptions app is a great solution.
Its use is free if you already have a Shopify planand it’s extremely simple.
However, it should be noted that this solution remains relatively basic compared to most third-party subscription apps you can use with Shopify.
You may still want to consider exploring your options if you need more advanced features and functionality.
However, it is always possible that Shopify will update the solution and add more features at a later date. At this point, the Subscriptions app is still pretty new.
FAQs
Yes, the Shopify Subscriptions app, launching in 2024, allows businesses to create and manage subscription options for customers from their Shopify interface. The app is free to use, provided you already have a Shopify ecommerce plan.
All you need to do to create a subscription plan on Shopify is install the Subscriptions app, then click on the “Subscriptions” option in your Shopify admin. From here you can create and edit subscription options. You can also create a subscription option from a Shopify product page.
Once you have installed the Shopify subscription app, click “Subscriptions” in the Shopify admin and then click “Plans”. You will be able to view all your available plans here, create a new subscription plan, and edit the details of your existing subscription offers.