Set up subscriptions so customers can buy the same product on a recurring basis.

Create subscription products to sell goods or services on a recurring basis. Subscriptions are great when selling products like:

• Ongoing services, recurring fees, and maintenance packages
• Packaged food and beverages customers order regularly
• Subscription boxes, like cosmetics or other health and beauty items

Access

• You need to be on the Basic, Core, Plus, Advanced or Commerce Advanced plan. You can sell Digital Product subscriptions on these plans, plus the Business and Commerce Basic plans. Learn how to choose the right Squarespace plan.
• You must sell physical or service products. You can’t create subscription download products.
• You need to be connected to Squarespace Payments or Stripe. You can’t sell subscription products using PayPal, Apple Pay, or ACH payments.
• You must enable customer accounts.

Tip: If you’re new to Squarespace Commerce, learn more about setting up your store.

Also try:

• Edit a subscription product
• Discontinue a subscription product
• Manage a customer’s product subscription

Create a subscription product

You can make any physical or service product a subscription. You can’t create a free subscription product because subscription products require automated billing.

The steps to create a subscription product depends on your site's version.

Note:

• You can only create subscription products on a computer, not the Squarespace App.
• You can't place test orders for subscription products until you upgrade to a paid service
• The option to turn a product into a subscription will appear on ineligible sites, but the option to save changes by clicking Apply only appears on eligible sites.

Turn an existing product into a subscription product

Changing an existing product on your site into a subscription product automatically changes the inventory to unlimited because subscription products don’t have set stock limits. The inventory number of the original product is lost.

To turn an existing product into a subscription product:

1. Edit the product.
2. Click Subscriptions.
3. Edit the subscription details.
4. Click Apply.

How do subscription products renew?

Monthly subscriptions renew at the same time on the same day each month.

If a monthly subscription starts on the 29th, 30th, or 31st, the renewal date will change when the renewal month doesn't have a corresponding date. For example, a monthly subscription started on August 31 will renew on September 30, and it will continue to renew on the 30th of each month until February. In February, it will renew on the 28th, and will continue to renew on the 28th indefinitely.

Weekly subscriptions renew at the same time on the same day each week. Depending on the customer's bank and when the renewal happens, the charge may appear a day or two after the renewal date that displays on their order confirmation.

Tip: Register for our Design tips to increase your store’s sales webinar to learn how to make your products stand out and drive sales.

How do customers buy subscriptions?

Note: Customers can only purchase one subscription product at a time and can't include other types of products in the transaction.

The way a subscription product displays in your store depends on your site's version.

Fulfill a subscription renewal

When a customer’s subscription renews, you’ll receive a new order notification email with details about the order and the customer’s subscription. The order will display as Pending in the Products & services orders panel. You can then fulfill the order, add tracking information, and send the customer an order fulfilled notification.

Send subscription renewal notifications

You can send customers a renewal notification email 15 days before their renewal date. The email includes the name of the product, price, renewal date, renewal cadence, and a link to log into their account and manage their subscription.

To enable renewal notifications:

1. Open the Customer Notifications panel.
2. Click Products & services.
3. Click Subscription orders, then click Subscription renewal.
4. Turn the Send to subscribers toggle on.

Note: Subscription terms of 11 or fewer weeks (if renewing weekly) or two or fewer months (if renewing monthly) aren’t eligible for renewal notification emails.

What happens when a customer’s payment fails?

When a customer’s payment fails, you both get an email notification. The customer's email includes a link to update their billing information.

The charge is attempted again after five days, and then for a final time five days after that. If the payment fails for a third time, the order and subscription are canceled, and the customer receives an email.

Customers can update their payment information in the Subscription panel in their customer account. You can customize these emails in the Customer notifications panel.

A customer's payment may fail because of an issue with their payment method or your payment processor account.

Tip: If a customer's bank is located in India, their subscription renewal may fail if they haven't authorized recurring payments through their bank. To resolve the issue, they'll need to update their billing credit card from their customer account.

Next steps

• Promote your new subscription products with Squarespace Email Campaigns. Build mailing lists or create automated email campaigns to send marketing emails to customers after they make a purchase.
• If you only sell subscriptions, hide the shopping cart icon on your site.
• To drive more traffic to your site by adding SEO descriptions to your products. This helps search engines properly index your site, making it easier for people to find your content online.
• Share your products with followers and attract new customers by selling your products on Facebook and Instagram.

What happens if I connect to a different payment processor account to my store?

If you connect to a different payment processor account, customers will have to resubscribe to your subscription products.

Can I change how often a subscription renews?

Yes. To change a subscription renewal frequency only for future subscribers, edit the product.

To change the frequency for all current and future subscribers, discontinue the subscription product and add a new product to your store with the new renewal frequency.

Can a customer skip a renewal?

No. If a customer wants to skip a renewal, you can cancel their pending order after it’s placed. You can also delay their next subscription renewal to push all scheduled renewals to a later date.

Can a customer pause their subscription?

If a customer wants to pause their subscription, you can delay their next subscription renewal for them.

Can I view the total number of active subscriptions?

No. You can’t view the number of active subscriptions. You can only view individual subscription order details.

What happens to my subscriptions if my site is canceled or expires?

If your site is canceled or expires, active subscriptions will be canceled immediately and customers will get a subscription canceled email. If you reactivate your site, customers need to resubscribe to continue their subscriptions.

Can I offer different renewal frequencies for the same product?

Yes. To offer different renewal frequencies, select one-time purchase or subscription as the purchase option, then click Add frequency under Frequency.

Can a customer apply a discount to a subscription product?

Yes. The discount can apply to the first payment, or to all subscription renewal payments.

How do I create a free trial for my subscription product?

To create a free trial, add a 100% discount that applies to the first subscription payment. When your customers use the discount, they subscribe to your product and get the first installment for free.

Can a customer buy a subscription with a gift card?

No. Your customers can't use gift cards to purchase subscription products.

Do Commerce API integrations work with subscription products?

Yes, commerce integrations still work with subscription products.

Does ShipStation work with subscription products?

Yes. Because each subscription renewal creates a new order, you can use ShipStation to manage shipping for these products.

I use a third-party service to manage subscriptions. How can I switch to Squarespace?

Yes. You can switch from a third-party service, like Moonclerk or PayWhirl, to managing subscriptions on Squarespace