Gift subscriptions and prepaid bundles on Shopify
Not every customer wants to pay monthly. With a prepaid bundle they pay for 3, 6 or 12 deliveries at once. And with the gift option they give that same bundle to someone else, with a personal message and a start date.
Why prepaying pays off
With a prepaid bundle you receive the revenue of several deliveries right away, while the deliveries go out spread over the term. That means fewer collection moments, and so fewer failed payments and reminder emails. For the customer it feels like one purchase with a clear end, and you can offer a higher discount in return.
Giving a subscription works the same way. An ongoing subscription is hard to give away, because who pays next month? A bundle of three or six deliveries is not: the buyer pays once, the recipient gets something at home every month.
2 to 12 deliveries
You decide which terms you offer, for example 3, 6 or 12 deliveries, and which discount goes with them.
One payment, several deliveries
The customer pays once. The deliveries are then planned automatically on the rhythm of the plan.
A gift with a start date
The buyer chooses from when the first delivery may come, so a Christmas or birthday gift arrives at the right moment.
A personal message
The buyer enters the recipient's name and email address and a message. The recipient gets an email on the start date.
How your customer gives a subscription
Everything happens on the product page, in the widget you see at the top of this page. The buyer chooses a bundle and ticks that it is a gift. Four fields appear: the recipient's name, their email address, a message and the date from which the first delivery may come. The buyer enters the recipient's address at checkout.
- The buyer chooses a bundleFor example 3 months prepaid. The widget shows the total amount and the number of deliveries.
- They enter the recipientName, email address, a message and the start date. The message and the start date are optional.
- They pay onceIn the regular Shopify checkout, or with the iDEAL button. The recipient does not enter any payment details.
- The recipient hears about itOn the start date the recipient gets an email with the buyer's message. After that the deliveries come on the rhythm of the plan.
How to set it up
- Choose your termsSwitch on prepayment for a frequency in your subscription plan, and choose the number of deliveries per payment and the discount.
- Link it to your productsThe bundle shows in the widget on the product page, next to your regular subscription options.
- Switch on giftingSwitch on the gift option under Widget. You adjust the text next to the tick box and the note below it yourself.
- Follow the deliveriesUnder Subscriptions > Deliveries you see which deliveries are coming and how many items that is per product.
Regular subscription, prepaid or gift
| Regular subscription | Prepaid bundle | Gift | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment | With every delivery | Once up front, for 2 to 12 deliveries | Once up front, by the buyer |
| After the last delivery | Continues until the customer cancels | Stops or renews, whichever you choose | Stops or renews, like the bundle |
| Who manages it | The customer | The customer | The buyer |
| Pausing or skipping themselves | Yes | No, the deliveries are paid already | No, the deliveries are paid already |
| With iDEAL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
You choose per bundle whether the subscription stops, or renews automatically with the same number of deliveries. For a gift, stopping is the obvious choice; for a customer who gives themselves a year bundle, renewing is convenient.
Moments when a gift subscription works
- The December holidays: the buyer orders in November and has the first delivery arrive in December
- Father's Day and Mother's Day: a three-month bundle is a gift that lasts longer than one day
- Birthdays: with the start date the first delivery comes on the day itself
- Business gifts: one payment, and the recipient hears from you every month
With Klaviyo you bring the gift to the attention of customers who already have a subscription. They know your product and are the first to give it away.
In the dashboard
Prepaid and gift subscriptions are in the same list as your other subscriptions. For a gift you see the recipient, the message and the start date. The recurring revenue of a bundle counts in your MRR, converted to a month.
What it costs
Prepaid bundles and gifts are in every Loyalo plan, from € 99 per month. You pay nothing per order and try everything free for 14 days.
Frequently asked questions
Who manages a gift subscription?
The subscription is in the buyer's name; they manage it and pay for it. The recipient gets an email with the message on the start date and receives the deliveries at their own address.
How many deliveries can a bundle have?
From 2 to 12 deliveries per payment. You can offer several bundles side by side, each with its own discount.
Does prepaying work with iDEAL too?
Yes. The customer pays the bundle with the iDEAL button. For a bundle that does not renew, there is no next collection.
Can a customer pause a prepaid subscription?
Not themselves. With a prepaid subscription the customer cannot pause, skip or reschedule. The deliveries are paid already, after all. The customer can only cancel a bundle that renews automatically.
Can I combine a gift subscription with loyalty points?
Yes. The buyer earns points on the purchase, just like any other order.
What if the recipient wants another product?
The buyer can swap variant or product in the portal, as long as the product is in the same subscription plan. You can do that for the customer in the dashboard too.
Want to offer gift subscriptions?
See in a demo how a bundle, the gift option and the deliveries work for your shop.
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