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Subscription services offer an easy method for creators to make money from their creations and earn regular, passive income. The service is perfect for subscription services, online course collections, coaching, consulting firms, and many other services. The e-commerce platform of's makes it easy to build and personalize a subscription service with just four steps.
How Does Subscription-Based Pricing Work?
So how does the subscription model function? Rather than making a single payment to purchase a product or service the customer will pay recurring payments--often to access a higher amount of content, but at a lower rate that the initial purchase cost. There are several forms of subscriptions offered:
- Unlimited Subscription: Perhaps the most common type of subscription, unlimited subscriptions let customers sign up for an ongoing service that will continue to renew until the customer decides to cancel.
- Limited Subscriptions: Most often utilized to establish payment plans, limited subscriptions charge recurring payments for a limited amount of time.
- Free Trials: You may provide a trial for free to increase confidence in buying by letting interested customers try the service for free. Why offer a free trial? Researchers from University of Washington University of Washington tested the efficacy of these offers. Their study found that 7-day free trials increase customer retention by 6.4% and increase a subscription's revenue return up to 7.91 %.
- Paid Trials: Maybe you'd like to provide your clients the chance to experience your service at a discounted rate? A paid trial is an answer you've been searching for! It is also a reverse option, letting you choose a greater upfront cost before unlocking a lower subscription price. Higher upfront trial fees are frequently used by business to offset set-up costs and onboarding labor.
supports all of these subscription models to help online sellers create their ideal subscription model. Check out our step-by-step procedure for creating a recurring subscription service--with or without trial. Or, watch below as Co-Founder, Scott Moran, builds a mock membership subscription for an online course business in the guitar training industry.
Subscription Step 1: Create a New Product
The Products tab of your Account, click on the + New product button. You can follow the on-screen directions to fill out the form with your product name and description.
Subscription Step 2: Recurring Pricing
In the Pricing Type drop-down menu, click "Recurring." Then define the conditions for your subscription.
- Subscription Price: Enter the default price of your subscription or membership service.
- A Recurring Time: You may decide to make the subscription renewal every week, month-to-month, quarterly, or annually. This time period is a reflection of how often customers are paid.
Subscription Step 3 Free Trial Time
If you decide not to include a subscription trial you can simply turn the Trial Period switch off. However, if you choose to offer a trial you will have two options:
- Free Trial: Switch the Trial Period to on and then choose Free Trial to give your customers access for free to your subscription. Then, you can choose how long customers can access the trial before making their first payment is made.
- Paid Trial Paid Trial: Turn the Trial Period toggle on and select Paid Trial to include an upfront trial subscription charge. After that, you can enter the initial cost and indicate the length you'd like this trial period to run for.
Subscribe Step 4: Design the Product
Once you finalize your subscription details, click Create Product. Clicking this button will direct you to the dashboard for your product which is where you'll be able to create your sales page, refine your product details, select the payment method you prefer, and start selling your subscription.
How do I manage my Subscribers to My Customers?
It automatically creates a portal on which customers are able to manage their membership. However, still gives you the control seat of your business by allowing you to customize what subscription options you provide to your customers.
- Self-Cancellation feature: You are able to enable the self-cancellation feature in order to permit clients to terminate their subscription anytime. This feature can save you the hassle of preparing for customers who want to change or cancel the subscriptions they have.
- Subscription Saver: What can happen if customers don't update their payment information? 's Subscription Saver can help! It is included in Scale and Enterprise memberships, the feature automatically goes involved in contacting and regaining customers whose subscription charges are declined by their payment source. The Subscription Saver will help to avoid losing subscribers (and revenues) while sparing you the hassle of sending frantic emails to customers.
- Subscriber Charge Reminder Users can select whether or no to remind subscribers of future renewal dates for their memberships by using's Subscription Charge Reminder.