How to create a subscription business using Shopify?

CHAPTER 1

Why Shopify is best for subscription based business?

Shopify website opened in lptop
If you're looking to start a subscription-based business, Shopify is a great platform to use. It's easy to set up and manage your shop, and you can create custom notifications and email campaigns to keep your customers updated on your latest products. Plus, there are a variety of payment methods available, so you can easily collect payments from your customers.
Online retailers can make a lot of money by implementing a subscription-based model.
There are many benefits to using a subscription-based model in your online store.
This means that you charge customers a recurring fee every month or year. The idea behind this is that they get access to your service at a regular time each month.Subscription models are becoming very popular because they allow businesses to offer ongoing services without having to invest in expensive upfront costs. They also give customers flexibility over their payments.
Beyond that fact that it feels good, we are all in business to make money. And recurring buyers are the most profitable kind. We use metrics like customer lifetime value for a reason. The longer we sustain buyer relationships, the more valuable that customer becomes. As a buyer, as a referral source, and as a data point that tells us what we are doing right.
While there are many ways to set up subscriptions on your website, Shopify does not natively support them. However, there are some great apps and plugins that will help you automate your business and provide a seamless experience for your customers.Subscription Apps for Shopify.
CHAPTER 2

Why set up subscriptions for your Shopify store?

Infographic about customer acquisition cost

A subscription service is an online business model that allows people to pay a monthly fee in exchange for receiving a steady stream of goods or services. Subscription services are often used by companies to provide customers with a steady flow of products or services over time.

Subscription boxes have four key benefits. 

  • They increase customer lifetime value by automating repeat purchases.
  • They reduce churn because customers love them. 
  • And they allow you to plan your cash flow.
  • They make it easy to predict future revenues. 

Streamlining shipping–the regularity of shipments helps simplify your fulfillment processes, keeping them simple and consistent. Happy Customers-whether you're introducing new products to the marketplace or replenishing goods in a nick of time, subscription box delight customers.
CHAPTER 3

Here's how to create a subscription business on Shopify :

To benefit from the power of recurrences, you can set up subscription on Shopify. Here's how

 Step 1 : Establish your subscription model

There are three subscription models :
Replenishment Subscription: 
This is an installment model that provides a good deal for your buyers by tending to their routine purchases. These are products that consumers will typically need to be replenished periodically, like on a daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly basis. With the replenishment subscription model, your eCommerce site can facilitate routine, repeated deliveries of consumable products to clients.
Using this model, online merchants sell food or consumer goods, or products such as razors, toiletries, hair care, flowers, as an example.
Curation Subscription: 
Curation subscriptions introduce merchandise such as clothing, cosmetics, or food from brand new or very unique creators to delight and surprise consumers.
Access Subscription:
In this sort of subscription model, a company usually offers customers the possibility to pay a monthly fee to access discounted pricing or require membership to access special pricing or offers. 
This subscription-based model is commonly used by the food and retail industries.

 Step 2 : Download a Shopify Subscription app

Shopify has no payment processing support, so it can't handle recurring orders and payments. To integrate a customer subscription to your Shopify store, you'll need a subscription app available.
An Shopify App adds buying software to your product pages to allow customers to subscribe to your products. The app lets you process payments, create recurring orders, and store your subscriptions.
Shopify has several subscription Apps to choose from, but the ones which have proven most popular and include subscription services are Bold and subscriptions through Recharge. Both apps have basic subscription features such as different subscription types, including mystery, build your own, mixed cart, customer portal, and cancellation flows. Subscriptions are monthly or yearly, and customers can subscribe to purchase once or subscribe monthly. Customers have the option to cancel monthly or annual subscriptions at any time.

Step 3 : Set up subscription fulfillment

Preserving customers is the basic requirement of a thriving subscription service. Delivering on time and maintaining a high standard of service are important to that.
Your Shopify application will regenerate orders but it is up to you or your Shopify fulfillment partner to have these orders shipped out as quickly as possible. Hence, it is crucial to Directly integrations between your Shopify store and your wireless inventory management system or partner to keep your orders being quickly fulfilled.
Let customers know when their subscription arrives, so that they may know when their next order will be delivered. Ship products on 0 to 2 consecutive days to ensure customers don't need to wait long periods of time for them to arrive.

 Step 4 : You ought to promote your subscriptions.

Subscription programs require an exceptional level of customer confidence and trust, helping to lower loss from risks, improve conversion rates of reluctant customers, and make your marketing and advertising efforts more enjoyable.
We've assembled a list of the top marketing strategies for promoting your subscription business quickly to begin earning revenues.
Social Media
Social media marketing is the most convenient and practical approach to reaching a larger audience. Regardless of your target audience, having a social media presence is a good way to expand your message. Through paid advertisements or merely regular posting, your customers growth will allow you to show your products being used. The fantastic thing about Instagram is that you can use it to show off your products. You can also use the site to reach out to influencers and request them to try your money-making subscription.
Email Marketing
A number of people claim that email marketing is on the way out, but we exist to tell you that it is among the best methods to reach out to your customers. The marketing newsletters we receive from various stores got back to us and made us want to email them and learn more about their products. Sometimes, we buy, and sometimes we don't, but it's still the case that it got our attention. We'll remember a shop when we're ready to make that purchase.tMaybe you can send an email once per week or twice a week letting them know what you've got and what they will need to purchase it. Many content management systems (CMS) allow us to schedule regular mailings for our needs. You've got to be patient and consistent to gain loyal customers from your efforts.
Freebies
Collect e-mails through promotional items that you offer your customers as an incentive. People considering your products may like the opportunity to gain something useful in exchange for their e-mail address. Providing something of value to customers is a nice avenue for collecting emails that you could then market to.
Risk reversal
Coupon codes and referral programs are a great way to promote your products to new customers. Coupon codes and special discounts can help you increase brand recognition, while reducing the perceived cost of your product or service.
CHAPTER 4

Examples of successful subscription box businesses.

A subscription box company should be looking to create an experience for customers. This could be done by creating a unique product or service that people want to buy.
The subscription box industry has exploded since its inception. There are now hundreds of different brands offering thousands of different types of subscription boxes. Some of these include:
Boxycharm Boxycharm is a beauty subscription box that sends subscribers three full-sized makeup samples every month. The company was founded in 2013 and has raised $4 million from investors including Shasta Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, and Glynn Capital Management.
Glamourbox is a fashion subscription box that sends out five pieces of clothing per month. It launched in 2014 and has raised $1.5 million from investors including First Round Capital, True Ventures, and Y Combinator.
Baggu Bags are bags sent directly to customers' doors every month. Founded in 2015, the company has raised $2.5 million from investors such as Khosla Ventures, SV.
CHAPTER 5

Shopify subscription apps comparison
Which one is the best?

Delight Chat has written an awesome article regarding this topic, We're mentioning the original link to the article here -  https://www.delightchat.io/best-shopify-apps/for-subscriptions
Are you looking for a subscription app for your shopify store? If so, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll compare 4 of the most popular subscription apps and help you decide which is the best for your business.

  • Bold Subscriptions-

    Starts at $39.99/month

    Key features of the app :

    Seamless Shopify Integration: Recurring purchases are easily incorporated with the Shopify app, items, cart, checkout, customer accounts and order flow.

    Recurrent Payments That Scale: Recurrent billing built with respect to Shopify Plus & business. Limitless opportunity for subscriptions That scale with your company.

    Keep Customers Subscribed: Minimize turnover by delivering versatility and access to users that they would enjoy, including the ability to edit, pause, skip, and handle orders.
  • Subscriptions by ReCharge

    Starts at $60/month

    Key features of the app:

    Customize: Own the consumer path and create an interface personalized to it. Use strong apis, flexible templates, and support to enterprise level.

    Connect: Streamline and simplify every solution's subscription business with the most robust set of integrations.

    Control: Minimize turnover by delivering versatility and access to users that they would enjoy, including the ability to edit, pause, skip, and handle orders.
  • Recurring Order & Subscription

    Free

    Key features of the app:

    Flexible delivery app:  Irregular or monthly payment options for users and discounts for a subscription to a product.

    Subscription boxes: Aspects of Build-a-box and storage package. Payments replicated for all sorts of business.

    Reduce returns & chargebacks:  Regular invoices are submitted via The app. Recurring billing is handled through The billing system shopify.
  • AAA Membership + Subscription

    Starts at $9.99/month

    Key features of the app:

    Boundless Membership Level: Easily make participation plans with one time and repeating installments. Give time for testing and limits to individuals on their participation plans.

    Show/Hide Members Content: Restrict your client access by chosen pages, assortment, blog or add to truck button. Show substance to individuals just dependent on their plans.

    Recurring Order and Subscription: Create programmed repeating orders for part when they select enrollment plan. Items reorder naturally on each membership reestablish.
  • Seal Subscriptions

    Free

    Key features of the app:

    Deeply integrated with Shopify: The app sends automated invoices, and does not bill The customers directly. Checkout shopify is used for any order!

    Improve your revenue: Use vouchers to get your customers' recurring income, and raise your profits!

    No registration required: You don't have to register Your customers to access Your subscriptions. They will use mystical ties to get to them.