Article · Coffee

How does a coffee roaster set a subscribe and save discount that still leaves a margin?

By Super Simple Co · Updated 2026-10-30

A coffee roaster keeps its margin by giving the big discount only while it buys loyalty: set the subscription option to 10% off, then click Add discount change to drop it to 5% after 3 orders. On a $24 bag delivered every 4 weeks, that is $21.60 for the first 3 orders and $22.80 from the 4th on. The discount is a Subscription option discount (what shoppers know as subscribe and save), it comes off the product's current price, and it only changes for new subscribers when you edit it.

Who this is for: For shops offering a subscribe and save discount who want to be sure the discount still leaves a profit.

The example used here

A roaster sells a 340 g bag of coffee for $24. Subscribers get a bag every 4 weeks. The offer is 10% off the first 3 orders, then 5% off every order after that. The numbers are only an illustration: use your own price and discounts, and work out your margin from what a bag really costs you to roast, pack and ship.

Order	Discount	Subscriber pays	Left after a $11 cost (illustration)
1 to 3	10%	$21.60	$10.60
4 and on	5%	$22.80	$11.80

Set it up

In Shopify, open Supr Bundle & Subscription App > Offers, open your coffee offer, then open a subscription option (or click Add subscription option).
Set Repeat order every to 4 and Order intervals to Week.
Turn on Discount, choose Percentage and enter 10 in Value.
Click Add discount change under the discount. Set After to 3, the New discount type to Percentage and its Value to 5.
Click Save, then place a test subscription order and check the price at checkout.

After counts orders, the first one included. The first 3 orders get 10%, and the change applies from the 4th. The change runs as a journey for this option, which you can find under Grow > Journeys. Checkout shows the first price and what later orders will cost.

Why percentage is the safe choice for margins

Percentage scales with whatever is in the order. If a subscriber adds a second bag, the saving stays the same share of the price.
Amount off and Fixed price are worked out per product, so a $3 amount off on three bags is $9 gone, whatever the bag costs.
The discount is taken from the product's current price in Shopify, not the compare-at price. If you want a subscription priced from the compare-at price, use a Fixed price option for that product.
Shopify rounds each product's price to the cent, so on a multi-bag order the saving can differ from the exact percentage by a cent or so.

Stacking, and when it does not

The subscription option's discount applies to every order. A Shopify discount code or automatic discount, if you create one for subscriptions, comes off the price after the subscription discount, and two percentages multiply instead of adding up. A 10% subscription discount plus a 25% welcome code is 32.5% off the first order, not 35%.

A discount change in the offer is different: it replaces the discount from the order you choose, it does not stack. That is why it is the right tool for "10%, then 5%". If you sell coffee in bundles as well, see coffee subscription bundle pricing on repeat orders.

What happens when you change the discount later

Editing the option only affects new subscribers. Existing subscribers keep the terms they signed up with.
To change one subscriber, open the subscription in Subscriptions, click Edit and use Edit discount.
To change what everyone pays after a price rise, read the help article on changing prices for existing subscribers first, because the discount setting alone does not do that.

Tell shoppers about the step down. The widget shows the option's own discount, so say "10% off your first 3 bags, then 5%" in the option's name or description.

Check the numbers before you launch

Place a test subscription order and look at the first price. Then open the subscription in Subscriptions and use Renew immediately until it passes order 3, to confirm the 4th order costs $22.80. Do the sum on the whole order too: add shipping and any packaging, because a subscriber's margin is what is left after the bag, the box and the label.

Questions

Does the 5% apply only after 3 orders?

Yes. The option's discount (10%) prices the first 3 orders and the discount change takes over from the 4th. The change is set with Add discount change, using After 3 and a New discount of 5%.

Can I give 10% off every order instead?

Yes. Turn on Discount, choose Percentage, enter 10 and do not add a discount change. It applies to every order of the subscription.

Do my existing subscribers move to the new discount if I edit it?

No. Changing an option's discount only affects new subscriptions. Existing ones keep their terms until you edit them one by one on the subscription.

Can I use a Shopify discount code as well?

Yes, set to subscriptions. It stacks: it comes off the price that already has the subscription discount taken off, so two percentages multiply.

Every setting is covered in the help center: How subscription discounts work.

Choosing an app for a coffee or tea store? See the best Shopify subscription app for a coffee or tea store.

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