1. Ordergroove Knowledge Center
  2. Managing Customers and Orders
  3. Managing Customer Subscriptions

Creating Subscriptions with Shopify Draft Orders

Updated

You can create a subscription for a customer from a draft order in your Shopify admin. Your customer service team can set it up during a phone or email conversation, and the customer checks out from a link you send them, without going through your storefront.

In this guide, we'll go through what you need before you start, how to create the draft order, and how to make sure the subscription discount applies to the first order.

ℹ️ Standard Subscriptions Only

Subscription draft orders currently work for standard subscribe and save subscriptions only. Prepaid subscriptions and bundles aren't supported at this time.

How it works

There's nothing to set up in Ordergroove. When the customer completes checkout from the draft order, Ordergroove creates the subscription the same way it does for a storefront checkout. After that, Ordergroove places each recurring order on the customer's schedule, using the payment method from checkout.

The one thing that depends on your store is how the subscription discount gets onto the first order:

How your subscription discount is applied Stores with this setup Extra step on the draft order
Shopify discount function (an automatic discount) Promotions you built in Incentives Builder Turn on Apply all eligible automatic discounts. Draft orders don't apply automatic discounts unless you do.
Price adjustment on the selling plan Promotions configured for you by Ordergroove Solutions or through the legacy RC3 incentives configurator None. The discount is applied when you choose the subscription.

If you're not sure which setup your store uses, take a look at How your subscription discounts are applied or reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM).

For more about draft orders themselves, take a look at Shopify's draft orders documentation.

Before you start

  • Ordergroove on Shopify. Your store is integrated with Ordergroove on Shopify, and the products you want to sell have a subscription purchase option.
  • Draft order permission. The team member creating the order has permission to create draft orders in your Shopify admin.
  • Your discount setup. You know which of the two discount setups above your store uses.

Creating a subscription draft order

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Orders > Drafts and click Create order.
  2. Search for the product the customer wants to subscribe to, and add it to the order.
  3. On the product's line in the draft order, click the ⋯ menu and select Edit purchase options. Choose the subscription and the delivery frequency the customer wants.
  4. Add or select the customer, and confirm their shipping address.
  5. Apply the subscription discount for your setup:
    • Shopify discount function — in the Payment section, click Add discount. In the pop-up, check Apply all eligible automatic discounts.
    • Price adjustment on the selling plan — no action needed. The discounted subscription price already shows on the product's line.
  6. Check the order total to confirm the subscription discount appears.
  7. Click Send invoice to email the customer a secure checkout link.

⚠️ Check the Order Total

If your store uses a Shopify discount function and you don't turn on Apply all eligible automatic discounts, the customer pays full price for their first subscription order. Always check the order total before you send the invoice.

When the customer checks out from the link, Ordergroove creates the subscription and schedules the next recurring order.

Checking the subscription

After the customer checks out, look them up in Ordergroove and confirm the subscription has the right product and frequency, and that its next order places on the date you expect.

Adding other discounts

You can add a manual discount to a subscription draft order as well. If you run other automatic discounts in your store, check that the order total includes only the discounts you mean to give before you send the invoice.

If something doesn't look right, reach out to Ordergroove Support or your CSM.

FAQ

Do I need to turn anything on in Ordergroove? No. Ordergroove picks up subscriptions created from draft orders the same way it picks up storefront subscriptions.

Will recurring orders place as usual? Yes. After the first order, Ordergroove places each recurring order on the customer's schedule, using the payment method from checkout.

Can I create the subscription in Ordergroove instead? Not at this time. Subscription draft orders are created in your Shopify admin.

Can I add other discounts to a subscription draft order? Yes. You can add a manual discount to the draft order. Check the order total before you send the invoice so the customer doesn't get more discount than you intend.

Who do I contact with questions? Reach out to Ordergroove Support or your CSM.

Additional Reading