Subscription webshop

A subscription model provides you with predictable revenue

If you sell a product that’s consumed regularly (coffee, skincare, vitamins, dog food, windows, laundry detergent, etc.), an online store with a subscription model is practically a free way to boost revenue. The customer places a single order and continues to pay for months to come. For you, this means predictable revenue, lower marketing costs per sale, and longer customer retention.

Shoporama has a modern subscription module that covers everything from simple monthly deliveries to complex subscription boxes with variable pricing and commitment periods. Customers have access to self-service, so you avoid support work related to pause requests and address changes.

How Subscriptions Work on Shoporama

A subscription is a product attribute. You mark a product as a subscription, define the interval and price, and the product automatically displays a subscription button at checkout.

1. The customer selects the subscription on the product page or in the cart
2. At checkout, the customer enters their card information, which is securely stored with QuickPay or PensoPay
3. The first order is created immediately
4. The next order is generated automatically on the date specified by the interval (e.g., one month later)
5. The card is automatically charged, the order is created, and the customer is notified via email
6. This cycle continues until the customer cancels or you manually terminate the subscription

You receive your payments on the same schedule as with one-time purchases, and the customer’s self-service portal handles most inquiries.

What do you get as a store owner?

• Predictable revenue. You know how much of next month’s revenue is already secured. This makes it easier to plan inventory and cash flow.
• Higher customer retention. A subscription means you don’t have to market to the same customer over and over again. The marketing budget that would otherwise be spent on reactivation can be used for growth.
• Flexible intervals. Daily, weekly, and monthly with a multiplier. You can have one product delivered weekly and another every three months.
• Variant pricing. If you sell, for example, skincare products in multiple sizes, each variant can have its own subscription price. This is often more transparent for the customer.
• Commitment period. Set a minimum commitment period per product (e.g., 3 months) to ensure a minimum revenue per customer.
• Reminder email before each delivery. The customer receives an email X hours before the next payment is processed (you choose the time, e.g., 48 hours). This reduces surprises and chargebacks.
• Self-service for the customer. The customer can pause, cancel, change the delivery interval, reschedule the next delivery date, and update their card—all from “My Account.” You don’t need to be involved in every inquiry.
• Export to accounting and analytics. Export active subscriptions to CSV and view MRR, churn, and delivery frequency in your own analytics.

How to Get Started

1. Set up either QuickPay or PensoPay as your payment gateway. Both support recurring payments.
2. Go to a product you want to sell as a subscription and enable “Subscription” in the product settings.
3. Select the interval (daily, weekly, monthly) and multiplier (e.g., every 2 weeks).
4. Set the subscription price (preferably with a small discount compared to a one-time purchase to give the customer an incentive to choose the subscription).
5. (Optional) Set a commitment period and a reminder before each delivery.
6. Go live with the product and test it with a test order.

We have a detailed article about subscriptions in Shoporama and a separate guide on how to change the payment card for a subscription. Need help? Email support@shoporama.dk, and we’ll help you every step of the way.

Also read about the subscription feature in Shoporama for a complete overview of the feature and how it fits into the rest of the platform.

What You Need to Know

Subscriptions are a powerful feature, but there are some important things to know:

• Only via QuickPay or PensoPay. Recurring payments on Shoporama require QuickPay or PensoPay. Stripe, Mollie, and Klarna cannot be used for subscriptions. If you already have another payment gateway, you can add QuickPay or PensoPay as an additional gateway specifically for subscriptions.
• MobilePay and Klarna cannot be used as payment methods for subscriptions. The initial purchase itself can be made with MobilePay or Klarna, but recurring payments must be charged to a saved card. This is a restriction imposed by MobilePay and Klarna, not by Shoporama.
• Card expiration is not handled automatically. If the card expires, the next payment will fail, and the customer will receive an email with a link to update their card. It’s a good idea to set up a proactive email X days before the card expires so the customer can update their card in advance.
• Refunds and credit memos per delivery. Each subscription delivery is a separate order. If the customer wants a refund for a specific delivery, you should refund that order, not the entire subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions About Subscriptions in the Online Store

Can I sell subscription boxes with varying contents?

Yes. You can update the contents of a subscription box from month to month (e.g., a monthly wine box). The same subscription agreement remains in effect, and the customer automatically receives the new contents with the next delivery.

What happens if the customer wants to cancel before the commitment period ends?

If a commitment period is set, the customer cannot cancel immediately but can choose to cancel after the period ends. The subscription continues until the commitment period is complete and then automatically closes.

Can I offer a discount on the first delivery?

Yes, for example, through a welcome discount on the first order. You can also set up discount codes that are valid only when creating a subscription to entice customers to try it out.

Is inventory deducted correctly for each delivery?

Yes. Each subscription delivery is deducted from inventory just like a regular order. If you have inventory synchronization with e-conomic, it’s updated there as well.

Can a customer have multiple subscriptions on the same account?

Yes. A customer can have multiple active subscriptions at the same time. Each subscription has its own interval, payment card, and status, and the customer can view them all in My Account.

Can I change the price of an existing subscription?

Existing subscriptions continue at the price they were originally set at. If you set a new price for the product, it applies only to new subscriptions. This is by design to ensure that existing customers don’t encounter any unpleasant surprises.

What percentage of my customers choose a subscription versus a one-time purchase?

It depends on the industry and the price incentive. Online stores offering a small discount (5 to 15 percent) on subscriptions typically see 20 to 40 percent of customers choose a subscription for a product that’s available both ways.

How do I view overall subscription data?

In the Shoporama admin under “Subscriptions,” you can view all active and closed subscriptions, filter by status, export to CSV, and see the next delivery date for each subscription. You can build your own MRR reports based on the export.

Can I ship physical subscription boxes through Shoporama?

Yes. Each delivery creates an order with a shipping address, so you can generate shipping labels through your shipping integrations (GLS, PostNord, Shipmondo) just as you would for one-time purchases.

Ready to sell subscriptions in your online store?

An online store with subscriptions is one of the most valuable business models you can build—if your products are a good fit. Predictable revenue, high customer retention, and minimal support burden thanks to customer self-service.

Start a free Shoporama trial and see for yourself how easy it is to get a subscription-based online store up and running. No commitment, no setup fees, and no credit card required. Need help with setup? Email support@shoporama.dk.