Start a subscription box
Key points
To start a subscription box with Ciklik, you create a box store hosted by Ciklik: there is nothing to install, and the site, recurring payments and shipping slips are all managed from the same back office. You first build your offer in Subscriptions > Plans (price, interval, number of shipments, billing period), then customize the site, pages and automated emails. Your subscribers pay by card via Stripe or PayPlug, by PayPal or by SEPA direct debit via GoCardless, the last three on request to support. Each paid order generates its shipping slips, scheduled according to the plan’s cycle, which you export to ship with your carriers or to a pickup point. Coupons, referral, gift cards, the cancellation flow and the KPI dashboards then help you recruit, retain and track your subscribers.
This page follows the order of a launch, from the offer to tracking your numbers. Each step links to the detailed page. For the site activation checklist, see also First steps.
1. Build your offer
Section titled “1. Build your offer”Your offer is based on subscription plans, created in Subscriptions > Plans. See Create a plan.
- Price and frequency: the Price tab holds the price excluding VAT and the VAT rate; the Settings tab sets the Interval (month, week or day), the Cycle Count and the Shipment Count. A monthly subscription is one shipment over a one-month cycle; a 3-month prepaid plan is three shipments over a 3-month cycle.
- Billing period: the Start Billing Day and Close Billing Day fields set the charge dates and which box is shipped depending on the order date. In most cases, from the 1st to the 10th of the month.
- Permanent settings: the interval, cycle count, shipment count, billing period and several checkboxes can no longer be changed once the plan is created. Check them before saving.
- Monthly or bi-monthly: Ciklik generally advises against bi-monthly plans, as subscribers tend to forget their subscription. If you choose them, tell support your shipping months. See Configure your bi-monthly subscription plans.
- Commitment: the Commitment and Commitment Cycle fields are used for very few models; a box usually runs on automatic renewal, with the Mass Shipping box checked.
- Custom box: check Is Content Customizable? so the subscriber builds their box from your products, in one or more steps. See Create a custom box.
- Addons: a special box for the first month, a complementary product offered in the checkout flow, or an extra product on top of a custom box. See Addons.
- Price ranges and profile: plan groups are for when a criterion changes the price; profile questions collect the subscriber’s preferences, and they are set up by the Ciklik team.
You can also sell individual products on your site’s /shop page, or offer them by subscription from their product page. See Sell individual products and Offer products with subscription.
2. Build the site
Section titled “2. Build the site”Your box site is hosted by Ciklik: you customize it from the back office, with no development.
- Design: logo, banner, colors and fonts, set in Settings > Sites, Appearance for tab.
- Pages: the homepage and content pages are built with the visual editor. Active plans appear on the Subscribe page (
/formules), which you can customize. Add your terms and conditions and legal notices and organize your menus. - Emails: Ciklik automatically sends emails to your customers (subscription, shipping, payment failure, etc.). Customize them in Content > Email Templates. See Automated emails and their variables.
3. Collect payments
Section titled “3. Collect payments”Your subscribers are charged automatically at each renewal, with the payment method saved at sign-up.
- Payment methods: card via Stripe (account managed by Ciklik or your own Stripe account), card via PayPlug, PayPal, SEPA direct debit via GoCardless. PayPlug, PayPal and GoCardless are activated on request to support. See Subscribers’ payment methods.
- Declined payments: Ciklik retries the charge, 4 attempts by default 3 days apart, and sends an email after each failure. See Payment retry: Rebill.
- Activation: in Settings > Sites, run the Activate My Site action. The Ciklik team checks your plans and activates payments for your subscribers. See First steps.
4. Organize shipping
Section titled “4. Organize shipping”Each paid order generates its shipping slips, scheduled according to the plan’s cycle (several for a prepaid plan). Ciklik is not connected to carrier accounts and does not create labels: you ship from the shipping slip export.
- Shipping slips: filter them, change their status and export them from Sales > Shipments > Shipping Slips. Every evening, administrators receive by email the file of slips scheduled for the next day. See Shipping slips management and Export shipping slips.
- Carriers: price per delivery, free shipping threshold, countries served, excluded plans, in Sales > Shipments > Carriers. See Carriers.
- Pickup points: Mondial Relay, Colissimo or DPD, with a setting on the site and a checkbox on the carrier. See Pickup points.
- Tracking: enter the carrier’s tracking URL. See Delivery tracking links.
5. Launch and recruit your first subscribers
Section titled “5. Launch and recruit your first subscribers”- Coupons: a fixed or percentage discount, limited to some plans, reserved for new accounts or applied over several charges, in Marketing > Conversion > Coupons. See Create a discount coupon.
- Referral: enable the program in Settings > Sites, Marketing Parameters tab, and set the Referee Reward and the Referrer Reward. See Referral.
- Gift cards: a gift card is a product linked to a plan; activating it creates a subscription with an end date. See Gift card.
- Abandoned carts: up to 3 reminders by email or webhook. See Abandoned carts.
6. Retain your subscribers
Section titled “6. Retain your subscribers”- Cancellation flow: when a subscriber wants to cancel from their account, they answer your questions, are offered a pause of 1 to 3 periods, then a discount, before confirming. See Cancellation flow.
- Win-back: export the customers to resubscribe and send them a reactivation offer by email or SMS. See Reactivate expired subscriptions.
- Case by case: from Sales > Subscriptions, you can reschedule a payment, apply a coupon to the next charge or change the carrier. See Manage a subscription from the back office.
7. Track your numbers
Section titled “7. Track your numbers”The KPI section has five dashboards: Revenue, Subscriptions, Acquisition, Revenue Recovery and Cohort. You track new subscriptions, paused subscriptions, plan breakdown and referral conversions, among others. See Dashboard and KPI and Reports and analytics.
Summary
Section titled “Summary”| Step | Where in Ciklik | Detailed page |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Subscriptions > Plans | Create a plan |
| Custom box | Subscriptions > Advanced > Customization Categories | Create a custom box |
| Addons | Subscriptions > Addons / Upsell | Addons |
| Site design | Settings > Sites, Appearance for tab | Colors and fonts |
| Pages | Visual editor | Create your homepage and content pages |
| Emails | Content > Email Templates | Automated emails and their variables |
| Payments | Settings > Sites | Subscribers’ payment methods |
| Shipping slips | Sales > Shipments > Shipping Slips | Shipping slips management |
| Carriers and pickup points | Sales > Shipments > Carriers | Carriers, Pickup points |
| Coupons | Marketing > Conversion > Coupons | Create a discount coupon |
| Referral | Settings > Sites, Marketing Parameters tab | Referral |
| Gift cards | Products > Products | Gift card |
| Cancellation flow | Marketing > Unsubscription | Cancellation flow |
| KPI | KPI | Dashboard and KPI |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an existing website to start a subscription box with Ciklik?
No. The box store is a subscription e-commerce site hosted by Ciklik: you customize it from the back office, with nothing to install.
How do I set my box frequency?
In the plan, with the Interval (month, week or day), Cycle Count and Shipment Count fields. These settings can no longer be changed once the plan is created.
Can my subscribers pay by SEPA direct debit?
Yes. SEPA direct debit via GoCardless is available for box stores, on request to Ciklik support, in addition to card and PayPal.
Does Ciklik print shipping labels?
No. Ciklik is not connected to carrier accounts: you ship from the shipping slip export, which includes the chosen pickup point among other data.
How can I reduce cancellations?
Set up the cancellation flow: a subscriber who wants to cancel answers your questions, then is offered a pause of 1 to 3 periods and a discount on their next charge.