Getting started with the Recharge Checkout on BigCommerce

Recharge is the leading subscription payments solution to help launch and scale your subscription business on BigCommerce. This guide is part one of a three-part series and provides resources to help you get started with installing the app, connecting your payment processor, and more.

Install Recharge

To install Recharge, visit the app listing in the BigCommerce Apps Marketplace. Click Get this app and proceed with the installation steps. Once installed, Recharge opens within your store. You can also access Recharge by clicking on Apps and selecting Recharge Subscriptions.

After installation, you will automatically be on Recharge’s Standard Plan with the Advantage support plan. You can visit our Pricing page to see what’s included in your plan, and to learn more about the Recharge Pro Plan or the Enhanced support plan.

You'll be met with our tailored Launch list to help you get started: 

After installing Recharge, take a few moments to watch the following video to learn how you can launch your subscription offering in under five minutes:

Add a subscription product

The Launch list begins with adding an existing product to Recharge.

Subscriptions are the heart of Recharge, and subscription rules direct how your store’s subscriptions will work. Subscription products require parameters to determine the length of the subscription, how frequently the product is delivered, reduced pricing, and more.

• Determine the type of subscription you will offer.
• Create your subscription rule by selecting your products, setting the subscription type, adding an incentive discount, and more.
• Customize your rules by setting a charge day or a cut-off date.

Set up your payment processor

You must connect a payment processor to use Recharge. All subscription payments are handled by eligible third-party payment processors through the Recharge Checkout. Click Connect and choose Stripe, Braintree, or Authorize.net to connect your account.

You can also access your payment settings by clicking Settings in the Recharge admin and choosing Payment.

If you do not have an account with an eligible payment provider, sign-up with one of our integrated services to begin collecting payments: 

• Stripe
• Braintree with Paypal
• Authorize.net

Other payment options

• Want to offer Paypal? You can set up Paypal with Braintree while also using Stripe or Authorize.net.

• Enable Apple Pay with Stripe or Braintree and Google Pay with Stripe.  

Configure your store's settings

Before launching your subscription business, configure your store’s shipping, taxes, legal settings, and notifications.

Shipping

Click Configure next to Shipping within the Launch list, or select Settings in the merchant portal and choose Shipping. All shipping rates must be set up within Recharge. For more information and instructions, see Recharge Shipping Zones and Rates.

Taxes

Click Configure next to Taxes within the Launch list, or select Settings in the merchant portal and choose Taxes. All taxes must be set up within Recharge. For more information and instructions, see Setting up taxes in Recharge.

Legal Settings

Click Configure next to Legal within the Launch list, or select Settings in the merchant portal and choose Legal.

In the Legal Settings section, you can update the subscription terms that are displayed in both your Recharge checkout and in the footer of the subscription activation email. Refer to Updating the legal settings to learn more.

Notifications

Click Configure next to Notifications within the Launch list, or click Settings in the merchant portal and choose Notifications.

Notification emails are the primary means of communication between your store and your customer base. These emails go to your customers when they order subscription products, modify future orders, or cancel subscriptions.

We highly recommend taking some time to configure these notifications to include your preferred content and the tone and style that matches your store.

Take a look at Notifications to learn more about enabling, disabling, and modifying notifications in your Recharge admin. Refer to Customer accounts with the Recharge Checkout on BigCommerce for a holistic overview of your customer’s journey, including the notifications they receive after purchasing a subscription.

Set your store theme

Ensure you are using a supported store theme. For a list of compatible themes, see Supported BigCommerce themes.

Preview the customer experience

Now that you have added a subscription product, connected a payment processor, and configured your store settings, you can preview your subscription experience. The Launch list will take you through the following steps:

Preview your product display

Click Preview in the Launch list to preview your subscription product(s) on your storefront. 

If you want to modify the look and feel of your subscription widget, refer to Modifying the subscription widget. 

Run a test order

It is recommended to run a test transaction to experience the full shopping flow. If you would like to make any changes to the checkout, click Storefront in the merchant portal and select Checkout. See Customizing the Recharge Checkout to learn more.

Customize your customer portal

Now that you have completed a test order, you can preview where your customers will manage their subscriptions in their customer portal. 

If you would like to make any changes, click Storefront in the merchant portal and select Customer portal. You can access a customer’s portal via their Customer account.

Tailor the customer experience

Providing a customized experience for your customers makes it easier to build a relationship with them. Check out the video below from an industry expert on how you can customize the customer experience and raise brand awareness with Recharge's tools and features:

Publish the subscription widget

Before previewing your subscription experience, you will need to publish the Recharge subscription widget.

1. Click Storefront in your merchant portal and select Subscription widget.
2. Under Visibility, in the Widget status click Publish the subscription widget.
3. In the pop-up, click Save.
4. Once it shows as Published, click the Launch list button to continue with your set up.

You can refer to Understanding the Recharge subscription widget for more information.

Ready to launch

You can also refer to BigCommerce feature compatibility with the Recharge Checkout to learn more about which BigCommerce features are compatible with Recharge out-of-the-box.