Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Subscriptions in WooCommerce

WooCommerce subscriptions can generate consistent revenue and enhance customer loyalty. Instead of relying on single sales, offer recurring products like digital content, regular services, memberships, or regular deliveries of physical goods. Customers appreciate the convenience, and you’ll benefit from predictable income. This tutorial explains how to set up subscriptions in WooCommerce using three methods.

How to set up a subscription in WooCommerce with the YITH Subscription plugin

For a quick and affordable subscription setup without complexity, consider YITH WooCommerce Subscription. It allows configuration of billing intervals, payment gateways, and renewal settings for automatic customer charges at set times. After installing the plugin, follow these steps to create a subscription product. If you’re new to plugins, see our guide on installing WordPress plugins.

1. Go to Products → Add new product.
2. Fill in the product’s basic fields, such as title and description, and add a featured image.
3. In the Product data section, add a regular price.
4. Check the box next to Subscription.
5. Open the Subscription settings tab.
6. Configure subscription settings to suit your needs, including payment frequency, subscription duration, and limits.
7. Click Publish to make the product live on your site.

Customers can use any enabled payment method in WooCommerce → Settings for the first subscription payment. Renewals are processed in two ways:

– Automatic charges: Customers are charged automatically for renewals. The free plugin version only allows automatic renewals via PayPal Payments for WooCommerce. For other gateways, purchase the premium YITH Subscriptions version.
– Manual charges: Without PayPal Payments or if a different payment method was used, customers must manually renew. YITH Subscriptions creates a new order one day before renewal, visible in My account → Subscriptions. Customers click Pay to complete payment at checkout.

Customers can view or cancel subscriptions anytime from My account → Subscriptions. To reactivate, they must purchase again. The free version doesn’t allow pausing, upgrading, or downgrading subscriptions.

Other methods of enabling subscriptions in WordPress

Besides YITH, you can use the official WooCommerce subscription plugin or create a membership site.

Using the WooCommerce Subscriptions extension

For advanced features and official WooCommerce support, consider the WooCommerce Subscriptions extension. It’s a premium plugin that offers flexible subscription management. After installation, follow these steps to create a subscription product.

1. Go to Products → Add new product.
2. Fill in the product’s basic fields, such as title and description, and add a featured image.
3. In the Product data section, select Simple subscription or Variable subscription from the Product Type dropdown.

A simple subscription is a single product with a fixed plan. A variable subscription offers multiple variations with different pricing, billing periods, or features. Customers choose the best fit.

4. For a simple subscription, enter details like price and interval, renewal terms, sign-up fee, and trial period. Skip to step eight.
5. For a variable subscription, define an attribute in the Attributes tab, name it, and enter values separated by pipes. Check Used for variations and save.
6. In the Variations tab, click Generate variations.
7. Edit each variation’s subscription details: price, interval, renewal terms, sign-up fee, and trial period.
8. Click Publish to make the product live.

Subscribers can review subscriptions under My account → Subscriptions.

Creating a membership website

Offer subscription products via a membership site, controlling access to content, resources, or features based on user roles. Ideal for private forums, online courses, premium content libraries, etc. Membership sites create stable revenue and customer loyalty. For a detailed guide, see our tutorial on creating a membership website with WordPress.

Best practices for WooCommerce subscriptions

Ensure your WooCommerce subscription setup is reliable and appealing by following these tips:

– Provide clear pricing and subscription terms: Clearly state billing intervals, renewal dates, cancellation policies, and fees.
– Send timely email notifications: Inform subscribers of upcoming payments, expirations, or renewals to reduce complaints and cancellations.
– Offer flexible subscription management: Allow customers to manage subscriptions via a user-friendly dashboard.
– Monitor subscriber feedback: Collect feedback to improve and meet expectations.
– Offer incentives for longer subscriptions: Encourage longer commitments with discounts, bonuses, or perks.
– Highlight subscription benefits clearly: Communicate ongoing value compared to one-time purchases.
– Provide exceptional customer support: Offer personalized support to build lasting relationships.
– Analyze your subscription metrics: Track churn rate, renewal rate, subscription length, and customer lifetime value to optimize strategy.
– Test the full subscription flow before