We have implemented real subscriptions for a V3 client of ours and were curious as to the needs of the larger community. We are thinking about creating this as a supported addon but want to ensure we meet the needs of clients who really want true subscriptions. The addon we did for the client has these features:[list=1]
[]True recurrence. I.e. no sending of an order to the client for them to come back to the site and reorder. Utilizes captured info from the subscription starting order and uses it throughout the subscription process (ship/bill addresses, shipping method, payment info, etc.).
[]Start with a teaser offer. I.e. a 14 day trial offer at one price and have the subscription begin at (e.g. 14 days after original order) if the subscription is not cancelled before it is processed. Even supports a teaser with quantity 1 that will be replaced by XYZ with quantity 3 for orders after the first.
[]A one-page admin order page (designed to be used by a call center). Can specify what products are to be presented to calll center operator for purchase. This is the area that will probably need to most work for a general addon product. But there is no need to use this component if it won't work for you. We also implemented it so that if the admin login being used matches what's specified for the call center, then they are taken directly (and only) to the call center order page. They should have ZERO admin permissions for the site. We suggest creating a special group that has no permissions.
[]Ability to edit a subscription from an order detail page to cancel or change billing info, etc. If shipping info changes a new order must be created.
[]New subscriptions will utilize the currently active cc payment provider (or first if there is more than one). My current client has several and they switch them around so had to make this dynamic as to what's active at this time.
[]Email sent to customer with your lawyer's verbiage letting them know that the next subscription has been processed and should contain a link for cancellation. This can be separate from the normal invoice (default) they will still receive when the subscription is processed. However it can be setup to not use a separate email (a sample is provided).
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We think the advantages of this approach are:[list]
[]Subscriptions are automatically processed and only a notification (with cancellation link) is sent to customer. This should retain many more customers than the current Recurring Orders addon which requires the customer to come back to the site to submit a new order every month (or rate of occurrence).
[]Separate notifications so no adjustments to normal invoice is required. However, if you don't want separate notification then you can just include the link in your order status text and uncheck the “send separate notification” checkbox in the addon settings…
[]An abbreviated call center order page.
[]Utilizes normal order processes so that if a CC transaction is Declined, the subscription order simply ends up in the Declind status.and can be handled by your normal processing and then simply update the subscription info associated with the order.
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We did extend the order listing page (orders.manage) to incorporate a new column containing a link for subscription orders. However this can't be done without modifying the core code (V3 anyway). But, the order details page does contain a button/link to the “edit subscription” page and shows the current subscription status.
Also note that CC info is stored (encrypted) on your site so if you've told your processor that you do not store CC info, then you will need to adjust that statement and adjust your PCI scanning accordingly.
So we'd be very interested in hearing from you.[list]
[]What version of cart do you use?
[]What feature/functions (outside of above) do you require?
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A V3 version would be priced at probably $50usd and a V4 version (since it will have to be completely rewritten) will probably be about $70usd (note this pricing is based on current features). Pricing is per-domain and Ultimate environments would probably be $25/store for each store beyond the first.
Wow, really surprised there is zero interest (other than one PM).
I will not worry that there is limited interest at the moment. Cs-Cart is doing away with that feature, so this addon will be it. It seems well thought out and I am still hoping that it will come down to the $75 range. At the PM'd quote, it is way out of range for me. Even $100 is still not a bad for what the feature and re-write states. So, hang in there as I think sooner than later, people will come to their senses. Remember, I am in the wings for when the price becomes reachable.
I'm currently considering switching a client from OpenCart to CS-Cart. One of the core requirements will be real subscription as outlined above, but my client also has a slightly unusual subscription service.
He sells subscriptions to hand-made consumables.
Users subscribe to a product and are automatically billed each month and sent a selection of his products each month.
But because he's shipping to each customer each month, the total of the cart needs to form the recurring profile payment amount:
i.e. Product + Shipping + Charges = Profile Amount.
Additionally, to ensure that he's able to effectively manage ongoing subscriptions, each automatic payment needs to generate a new order in the system so that he can see that it's time to prepare a new order and have status updates for each recurring order each month (shipped, et all).
This is the final hurdle that would get me across the line to moving my client to CS Cart.
Regards,
Kelsey
The subscription feature is very important to several of my clients. The existing installation on 4.0.3 is difficult to train the end user on. I would be interested for 2+ domains. Thank you.
Drop me an email and we can exchange phone numbers or just call to discuss. There are limitations because it's intended to be automatic.
Looking for exactly what you said above. I have version 4.03 at the moment. 70 bucks . Thats It ? Get a hold of me please
The $70 was if there was enough interest (which there isn't) for me to invest in creating and supporting the addon.
So it will not be made available as a production addon. If you are interested in doing it as a custom development project, I can probably use the code as a base to reduce the cost versus starting and developing from scratch. I won't discuss pricing on the open forum though so you should click the link in my signature and I'll be happy to provide you a quote.
Interested in this feature…just now needing to implement a recurring product option (similar to kbrookes description) and found that CS-Cart is not going to support this add-on so looking for alternative solutions that can be used in my multi-vendor version of CS-Cart!
I'm sorry, but there's just not enough interest (commitment) to invest in developing this into a commercial addon. If you would like to discuss the cost of porting what I did in V3 to V4 and to have it be a custom addon for you, please give us your requirements via the quote link in our signature line below.
I'm also interested in this add-on. Probably out of my price range until it's made commercially available.