ReCharge is the leading platform to launch and scale your subscription business on BigCommerce. This guide will provide resources as you get started with ReCharge, walking you through your initial set-up from installing the app, to setting up your payment processor, to customizing the customer experience.
Before you start
The first step is to sign up with ReCharge so we can integrate the app onto your BigCommerce store. Visit ReCharge's website and click on the button labeled Start your 60-day trial. A short survey will pop up, and ReCharge will reach out to help get you integrated onto the platform.
Set up your payment processor
All subscription payments are handled by third-party payment processors through the ReCharge checkout. Sign-up with one of our integrated services to begin collecting payments.
Already have an account?
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Connect Stripe, Braintree, or Authorize.net to your ReCharge account.
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Need to offer Paypal? You can set up Paypal with Braintree while also using Stripe or Authorize.net.
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Enable Apple Pay with Stripe or Braintree and Google Pay with Stripe.
Create your first subscription rule
Subscriptions are the heart of ReCharge, and subscription rules direct how your store’s unique offerings will work.
Your subscription products require parameters to determine the length of the subscription, how frequently the product is delivered, reduced pricing, and more.
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Determine what type of subscription you will offer.
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Create your subscription rule by selecting your products, setting subscription type, adding a price incentive, and more.
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Customize your rulesets further by setting a charge day or a cut-off date.
Familiarize yourself with the customer experience
The majority of your relationship with your customers is after they go through their initial checkout and start managing their subscriptions in the Customer Portal.
Your customers manage their subscriptions via their Customer Portal, with permissions you grant them. There’s a list you can take a look at in Customer portal. You can access a customer’s portal via their Customer Account.
Customize the messages you send to subscribers
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, when they modify their future orders, or even cancel their subscriptions.
We highly recommend taking a moment to configure these emails to have the content you prefer with a styling and tone that matches your store.
Adjust your shipping rates with subscriptions
All shipping rates must be set within ReCharge. For more information and steps to set it up, take a look at ReCharge Shipping Zones and Rates with BigCommerce.
Charge taxes
All taxes must be set within ReCharge. At the moment we do not sync with BigCommerce or with Avalara for tax rates.
Optional Steps
Following these five steps will get you up and running on ReCharge, but there’s a lot more you can customize. Here are two optional steps we recommend to further familiarize yourself with the platform.
Add additional staff accounts
Multiple employees working out of ReCharge? No problem, add additional staff accounts to give them individual login details.
Offer discounts for your subscriptions
Discount codes are one of the many ways to offer value to your customers and to increase customer loyalty. With ReCharge, you can offer discount codes for one-time purchases and recurring orders to incentivize purchases on your store. Visit Discounts for more information.
Ready for launch
You’re good to go! If you have any questions or run into any speedbumps, please reach out to ReCharge support and we’ll be happy to help out.