Quick start: launch your first subscription

This guide takes you from a fresh install to a working subscription: a plan on a product, the widget on the product page, and a subscription order in RecurX. It takes about 10 minutes. Each step links to the detailed guide if you want more options.

Before you start: install RecurX from the Shopify App Store and open it from Apps → RecurX Subscriptions — see Connect your Shopify store. Your store also needs a payment gateway that Shopify supports for subscriptions: Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen or Stripe.

Tip: The Set up RecurX guide that opens on first launch covers Steps 1 and 2 on its own pages. See Welcome tour.

1Step 1: Create a subscription plan

1. Go to Subscriptions → Plans and click Create plan.
2. Pick a Quick start template (for example Save 10% monthly) or fill in the title yourself.
3. Under Products, click Select products and add the products to sell by subscription.
4. Check the delivery frequency and discount under Delivery options, then click Save.

RecurX publishes the plan to Shopify as a selling plan on those products. Full walkthrough: Create a subscription plan.

2Step 2: Turn on the widget

The widget is the subscription picker on your product pages. It's a theme app embed, so you switch it on once in your theme.

1. Go to Subscriptions → Widget.
2. If Widget on your store says Not active, click Open theme editor. Your theme editor opens on the app embeds; make sure RecurX is switched on and click Save.
3. Come back to RecurX. The badge shows Active (click Check again to refresh it).

Note: On most themes the widget places itself next to your Add to cart button. If your theme doesn't leave room for it, Add it to my product page opens the theme editor with the RecurX block already added to your product page — just click Save.

Designs, colors and text: Install and customize the subscription widget. The checklist on Home shows every other block (thank-you page, customer account) — see Onboarding checklist.

3Step 3: Check the product page

Open one of the plan's products on your storefront. The widget (1) shows Subscribe & save and One-time, the delivery option with its discounted price, and the savings. The Add to cart button (2) shows the subscription price.

If the widget doesn't appear, see Widget not showing on my product page.

4Step 4: Add it to the cart and open checkout

1. With Subscribe & save selected, click Add to cart.
2. The cart shows the subscription on the line, for example Deliver every 1 months and Subscribe & save.

3. Click Check out. Shopify's checkout shows the delivery frequency, that the order renews automatically until the customer cancels, and a Recurring subtotal (for example $31.49 every month).

4. To test the whole path, place a test order the way Shopify supports for your payment provider (for Shopify Payments, turn on test mode first). Use an email address you own.

Warning: A real card on a live gateway creates a real subscription that renews. Cancel test subscriptions from Subscriptions → Subscribers when you're done.

5Step 5: Find the subscriber in RecurX

Go to Subscriptions → Subscribers. The new subscription appears under Active with its delivery frequency and next billing date. Click it to see the subscriber's page.

What happens next

• Shopify bills each renewal on the schedule of the plan, and RecurX records it as a subscription order.
• Subscribers manage their subscription (pause, skip, swap, cancel) from the customer portal. See Set up the customer portal.
• Failed renewals are retried by payment recovery. See Payment recovery.

Troubleshooting

• The subscription didn't show up in RecurX after checkout — see Subscription not created at checkout.
• Checkout shows no subscription option — make sure the product is in an active plan and you chose Subscribe & save before adding it to the cart.