PLEASE NOTE THIS FEATURE IS CURRENTLY IN BETA. PLEASE CONTACT OUR SUPPORT TEAM IF YOU'D LIKE THESE FEATURES ENABLED FOR YOUR ACCOUNT.
With PayWhirl's BigCommerce integration, you can create plan groups and subscription plans that are available during checkout through BigCommerce's native system. This allows your customers to easily subscribe and save on products, boosting recurring revenue for your store.
Requirements:
The BigCommerce Store using a Stencil theme (more info)
The BigCommerce payment gateway must be able to vault a payment method (Stripe and Braintree support this). For Stripe navigate to BigCommerce Settings → Payment Methods → Stripe Settings and ensure ‘Enable stored credit cards with Stripe’ is checked.
The latest BigCommerce app permissions must be accepted by opening the PayWhirl app from inside your BigCommerce store
Step 1: Access the BigCommerce Plans Page
From your PayWhirl dashboard, navigate to Selling Plans on the left-hand menu.
Scroll to the BigCommerce Plan Groups section. Here, you'll be able to view, create, and manage your subscription plan groups.
Step 2: Creating a Plan Group
Click the green Create button on the right side of the screen.
Enter a Plan Group Name that represents the set of subscription plans you will be creating (e.g., "Subscribe and Save 10%").
Step 3: Adding Plans to a Group
After creating a group, click Create Plan within the group.
Define the key attributes of your subscription plan:
Name: Give your plan a clear, descriptive name.
Discount: Set the percentage discount (if any) customers will receive for subscribing.
Billing Frequency: Choose how often customers will be charged (e.g., monthly, yearly).
Additional settings include:
Billing Cycle Start Day: Set whether the subscription renews on the date of purchase or a specific day. The cutoff window option is coming in a future update
Installments: Limit the number of billing cycles if needed (e.g., "3 installments" for a fixed-term subscription).
Cancellation Behavior: Define what happens when a customer cancels their subscription. This is mainly for services where you want the customer to remain subscribed until the end of the billing cycle.
Step 4: Managing Products
Once you've created a plan, you can associate products with it by clicking Edit Products.
Select the products that will be available for subscription under that plan. You can do this one at a time or via product categories.
Make sure to apply the changes after selecting the products. This is what enables the purchase options on your site.
Step 5: Configure One-Time Purchase Option
In the Settings section of your plan group, you can enable a One-Time Purchase option for your customers.
Toggle the Enable one-time purchase switch to Yes.
Customize the following settings:
One-time option name: Define the label that will appear for customers (e.g., "One Time Buy").
Position of one-time purchase: Choose whether the one-time purchase option appears as the first or last option on the product page.
Default plan: Select which option (One-Time Buy or Subscription) should be the default selection when the customer views the product.
When it is all complete, you will see the new subscription options directly on the product pages:
Helpful Tips:
Flexible Billing Options: Adjust billing cycles, start dates, and installment limits to suit your business model.
Customer Experience: Ensure your customers are well-informed about the savings and convenience of subscribing to your products!
Test the checkout experience: Ensure everything is working as expected.
Thats it! Please let us know if you have any questions.