Article · Research
What should subscribers be able to do themselves in the customer portal?
A good subscription portal lets subscribers do 12 things without writing to you: skip, pause, cancel, swap a product, add a product, change how often, change the next date, get the next order now, change the quantity, update the address, update the card and bring a cancelled subscription back. Each one you leave out is a support email. Of these 12, Supr documents 11 on its public pages, and the table below shows what 7 other subscription apps document.
Who this is for: For subscription store owners choosing or setting up a customer portal who want to know which actions subscribers should be able to do themselves.
The 12 things, in plain words
- Skip next order: Skip the next delivery and keep the subscription.
- Pause: Stop deliveries for a while and come back later.
- Cancel: Cancel without writing to you.
- Swap product / variant: Change what they receive, such as a flavour or a size.
- Add products: Add another product to the next order.
- Change frequency: Move from every 4 weeks to every 8, for example.
- Change next order date: Pick a different day for the next delivery.
- Ship / charge now: Get the next order now instead of waiting.
- Quantity: Change how many they get.
- Address: Update where it is sent.
- Payment update: Change the card on the subscription.
- Reactivate: Bring a cancelled subscription back.
Which apps document each
| Action | Supr Bundle & Subscription App (we make this) | Loop | Skio | Appstle Subscriptions + Appstle Bundles | Beez | Recharge | Subi | Seal Subscriptions + Bundler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip next order | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pause | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Yes | Yes |
| Cancel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swap product / variant | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Add products | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Change frequency | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Change next order date | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ship / charge now | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not documented |
| Quantity | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Not documented | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Address | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment update | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reactivate a cancelled subscription | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Documented of 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Counted the same way as the full comparison: an action counts only when the app's own public pages say subscribers can do it. Not documented means the pages do not say.
Which to switch on first
If you are setting up a portal today, a sensible order is the ones that save you the most messages and keep a subscriber from leaving: skip, pause and swap first, then change the date and how often, then the address and the card. Cancel belongs behind a short flow with an offer for each reason, as in how to build a cancellation flow for a subscription box.
What to look for beyond the list
- You choose which actions are on. A portal you cannot limit can let subscribers do things you would rather handle yourself.
- It works where your customers are. Check that it opens from the customer account, not only from a link in an email.
- Edits show the new price before they confirm. This avoids surprise charges.
- It speaks your customers' language and uses your words and colours.
Check it yourself
- Pick the apps you are weighing.
- Open each app's page in the comparison hub, where every Yes links the page it comes from.
- Open the links for the actions your subscribers ask for most, and confirm the pages say what the table says.
Questions
Does Not documented mean the app cannot do it?
No. It means the app's public pages do not say subscribers can. Ask the vendor, or test it, before you decide.
Why only some apps in the table?
The table shows Supr and the 7 subscription apps that document the most of these actions. Bundle-only apps have no subscription portal.
Is it better to offer every action?
Not always. Some stores keep cancel or address changes behind support. What matters is that you can choose, per action.
Every setting is covered in the help center: Customer portal settings.
Install on ShopifyRelated
- How do I stop subscribers cancelling on Shopify?
- How do I add subscribe and save to my Shopify products?
- Can a subscription box store move from Recharge to Supr without subscribers re-entering their cards?
- Which Shopify subscription and bundle apps document the most features?
- What should a coffee roaster charge on repeat orders of a subscribed bundle?
- How do I run a monthly art supplies club on Shopify?
- How do I stop subscription box members cancelling on Shopify?