Getting started with the subscription module!
With the subscriptions module, you offer customers the opportunity to sign up for one of the services or products you provide.
By allowing each customer to subscribe to one or more subscriptions, you increase customer loyalty and simplify the payment process.
Subscriptions are a powerful tool to strengthen customer loyalty.
When customers can commit to a subscription for a longer period of time, it creates confidence in the service or product delivered for both you and the customer.
This guide walks you through the steps to create subscriptions, link them to customers, and process them further.
To use the module correctly, a few settings must first be configured properly.
Check if the Subscription Module is Activated
Before you can get started, we need to check whether the Subscription Module is active. You can do this by following these steps:
- Log in to the admin dashboard of your environment using the license holder's account.
- Click on your account name in the top right corner. This opens a dropdown menu; click the item related to license management to load the next page.
- On the license management page, under the "Modules" column, check whether "Subscriptions" is listed.
- "Subscriptions" is listed
- The Subscription Module is now installed and active in your environment!
- "Subscriptions" is not listed
- It usually takes 5–10 minutes after activation confirmation for the Subscription Module to appear.
- If the module still isn't active after that time, you can revalidate your license. Click the edit button with the pencil icon on the right; this will open a dialog containing a revalidate button. Click that button to refresh your license.
- Refresh your browser using CTRL/CMD+SHIFT+R to see the changes.
- "Subscriptions" is listed
When creating a subscription, you can configure various settings. These act as a blueprint for how subscriptions are created for each customer. Many of these settings can still be manually adjusted later for individual subscriptions. In this article, we explain how to create a gift card type, which settings are important, and how gift cards are ultimately made available to customers.
Creating a Subscription
- Go to: Configuration > Modules > Subscriptions. Here you will see an overview of the subscriptions that have already been created.
- In the top right corner, click on Add Subscription.
Here, you define the properties of the subscription, such as price, description, period, and so on.
In the next step, we will cover which settings are important when creating a subscription.
Important Settings When Creating a Subscription
When configuring a Subscription, the following settings are important:
Subscription
This is where you enter the name of the subscription.
Make sure this name is unique within the environment.
Description
Here you enter a short description of the subscription.
Detailed Description
Here you enter a more detailed description of the subscription.
Period/Period Type
Using these dropdowns, you can set the minimum duration of the subscription.
Price/Currency
Here you enter the price per period.
Linking a Subscription to a Customer
- Go to the customer's dashboard where you want to add the subscription.
- Go to the subscriptions block and click on the "+" in the top right corner of the block.
Note: If this block is not visible in the customer dashboard, you can find how to add it here.
Here, you configure the details of the specific subscription for this customer, such as: which subscription, price, registration fee, validity period, etc.
Some of the details set during the creation of the subscription can be changed and will then apply only to this specific customer.
Once you click save, you will see the subscription appear in the customer's subscription block.
In the next step, you’ll find a brief overview of each property and its effect on the subscription as it applies to the customer.
Important Settings When Linking a Subscription
The following settings are important when linking a subscription:
Subscription
Indicate which subscription should be linked to the customer.
Valid From/Until
Specify the start and end date of the subscription.
Note: This will be divided into the periods set during the creation of the subscription. Example: a 1-year validity with a period of 2 weeks results in → 26 periods.
Price
This is the price per period. The price of the selected subscription is displayed here. You can override it by entering a different value, which will only apply to this specific customer.
Registration Fee
Enter the registration fee for this subscription here. This is charged on top of the subscription price.
Note
Add internal notes about this subscription here.
Quantity
By entering a value here, you can activate multiple subscriptions with the same details for the customer at once.
By processing the subscription, you can invoice the customer for their currently active subscriptions.
Subscription processing starts from the menu by selecting "Process Subscriptions" from the "Modules" dropdown. A dialog will appear that gathers the subscriptions that need to be processed.
In the first step of the dialog, you specify the subscription period using a Start Date and an End Date. These dates are pre-filled with the current month if today's date is before the 16th. If today's date is the 16th or later, the system assumes the run is for the next month.
This can also be done per customer by clicking "Process Subscriptions" in the action block of the customer dashboard.
