How to Create a Subscription Box Service in WooCommerce?

Want to start a subscription box business using WooCommerce but don’t know where to begin? This guide shows you how to create and manage your own WooCommerce subscription box service right from scratch.

With the rise of monthly subscription boxes across every eCommerce niche, from beauty and books to snacks and hobby subscription boxes, more store owners are turning to WordPress as a flexible and affordable subscription box website builder.

Did you know? Food and beauty make up over 80% of the subscription box market – but niche boxes continue to grow, attracting loyal, high-LTV (Lifetime Value) customers with ultra-specific interests.

A WooCommerce subscription box is a recurring product delivery model that allows store owners to offer products on a scheduled basis through a subscription-based service. It’s not just convenient for customers, but it also builds a predictable income for your store.

Ready to kickstart your WooCommerce subscription box business? Let’s jump in!

A subscription box service in WooCommerce is a recurring delivery model where customers receive a curated selection of products on a regular basis, usually monthly or quarterly, in exchange for a recurring payment.

These subscription boxes take in niche interests such as hobbies, health, beauty, food, or fashion, and provide a convenient and often cost-effective experience for subscribers.

For example, successful brands like Dollar Shave Club is well-known for their subscription box service model. They offer customers a monthly subscription box filled with grooming products, such as razors, shaving creams, and skincare items, all supported by a seamless recurring payment system.

Selling subscription boxes in WooCommerce provides a reliable source of recurring revenue, simplifies inventory forecasting, and encourages long-term customer retention. Once a customer subscribes, you can automate PayPal or Stripe recurring payments, renewals, and order generation, which results in less effort.

Be it to create a custom subscription box, manage recurring payments through Stripe or PayPal, or explore popular subscription-based services, WooCommerce, paired with the right subscription and payment plugins, can make it all possible.

Now, if you already own a WooCommerce store and want to start your own subscription box service, WebToffee’s Subscriptions for WooCommerce plugin is a beginner-friendly solution. It lets you set up and manage WooCommerce subscriptions with a simple setup process.

Now that you have a clear idea of what a WooCommerce subscription box is, let’s walk you through the steps to start your subscription-based services using WooCommerce.

Creating a WooCommerce subscription box is easier than you think! With the help of a reliable plugin like Subscriptions for WooCommerce by WebToffee, you can easily set it up.

WebToffee’s WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin is a premium solution that lets you create subscription products and manage recurring payments, whether you’re offering monthly subscription boxes, quarterly shipments, or yearly billing intervals. 

With support for multiple payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal recurring payments, flexible subscription options, and subscription management, it provides everything you need to build a WooCommerce subscription box seamlessly.

1: Install and Activate the Plugin

Once you purchase the WooCommerce Subscription plugin,

• Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin
• Upload the plugin zip folder and click Install Now
• Once installed, activate the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin.

2: Create a WooCommerce Subscription Product

To create a WooCommerce subscription box service, first create the subscription products you want to add to the box. Navigate to the Products on the left side menu and click Add new product to create a subscription product.

Let’s see how to set up a monthly shaving kit subscription box using WooCommerce Subscriptions. This box subscription will include essentials like a razor, shaving cream, and a shaving brush.

Steps to Set Up a Subscription Product

• Next, update the product name and description of the subscription product. 
• In the Product data panel, choose the product type as Simple subscription. 
• Once selected, you’ll be able to configure key subscription product options such as subscription price, billing intervals, optional free trials, or sign-up fees, and more.
• Enter the Subscription price and other information. 
• Upload a product image to make your listing more appealing.
• After reviewing the remaining subscription settings, click Publish to make your subscription product live.

You’ve successfully created a monthly subscription product priced at $15 per renewal. Now, let’s preview the product in your WooCommerce store.

Likewise, you need to create the remaining individual subscription products (in this case, shaving cream and a shaving brush) that will be included in your WooCommerce subscription box.

3: Create a WooCommerce Subscription Box

Setting up a WooCommerce subscription box involves grouping your individual subscription products into one bundled offer. For this,

• Navigate to Products, then select Add new product to create a grouped product.
• Let’s name the subscription box as “Shaving Kit.”
• Add a detailed product description that explains what’s inside the box, billing frequency, and the value proposition.
• In the Product data panel, select Grouped product from the drop-down menu. This product type lets you combine individual subscription products into one subscription box.
• Select the Linked Products tab and under Grouped products, start typing the names of the subscription-based products you created earlier (e.g., razor, shaving cream, shaving brush).
• After reviewing the remaining settings, click Publish to make the WooCommerce subscription box live.

The monthly shaving kit subscription box is now available in the store, ready for subscription.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully launched a subscription box service in WooCommerce. With the right plugin integration for PayPal or Stripe recurring payments and smart subscription management, your store is now equipped to deliver convenient subscription boxes to your customers at different billing intervals.

You can also manually create subscriptions for the WooCommerce subscription box using the plugin. Let’s briefly walk through those settings.

How to Manually Add/Manage Subscriptions?

You can create or manage subscriptions by navigating to WooCommerce > WebToffee Subscriptions > Add Subscription.

• In the subscription setup window, enter customer details such as name, email, and billing address. Next, add subscription products one by one.
• Then, scroll up to the Subscription actions meta box (on the right-hand side) and select “Send order details to customer.”
• Click Update to create the subscription order.

Once the customer completes the payment, you can manually change the Subscription status to “Active.” From this point on, all recurring payments and renewals, whether through PayPal recurring payments or Stripe recurring payments, will be automated by the system.

This is ideal for store admins who need to manage subscriptions manually, make adjustments, or offer monthly subscription boxes only to select customers.

That’s it, folks! That’s how you create a WooCommerce subscription box.

Now that you’ve set up your WooCommerce subscription box service and even explored how to create subscription orders manually, the next crucial step is understanding how to manage subscriptions and handle recurring payments.

Here are some key settings and practices to streamline the subscription experience for both you and your customers.

✅ Enable Mixed Checkout for Flexible Purchases

Mixed checkout settings allow customers to purchase multiple subscription products, or even combine subscription products and regular products in a single order. If disabled, customers will be restricted to purchasing only one subscription product at a time, and any standard product in their cart will be removed. 

• To enable this setting, go to WooCommerce > Settings > WebToffee Subscriptions.
• Next, scroll to Allow Mixed Checkout and enable it.

This setting is essential for store owners managing WooCommerce subscription boxes and looking to offer a more user-friendly checkout process.

🔄 Synchronize Subscription Renewals for Consistency

Another handy feature, especially for monthly subscription boxes, is “Subscription Synchronization”. This setting ensures that all customer renewals occur on the same day, making logistics and subscription box fulfillment much easier.

• To enable this feature, go to WooCommerce > Settings > WebToffee Subscriptions.
• Enable the Subscription Synchronization option.

This feature is most effective when your products follow the same subscription interval. If you offer subscription products with varied renewals, it may not apply as well.

💳 Automate Recurring Payments with Payment Gateways

It’s essential to invest in the right payment gateway that supports an automatic recurring payment system to implement a truly hands-free subscription model. WebToffee’s Subscription plugin is compatible with most payment plugins like WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway, PayPal Express Checkout, and more.

🔁 Manage, Pause, or Cancel WooCommerce Subscriptions

To manage, pause, or cancel WooCommerce subscriptions, store owners can easily take action directly from the dashboard. Navigate to WooCommerce > WebToffee Subscriptions, then select the specific subscription order you wish to modify.

From there, you can change the Subscription status, whether to pause, suspend, reactivate, or cancel, based on the customer’s request or your store’s preferences.

This flexibility ensures the smooth handling of monthly subscription boxes and maintains customer satisfaction throughout the lifecycle of your WooCommerce subscription box service.

Starting a subscription box service with WooCommerce is not just a smart business move — it’s a sustainable way to build recurring revenue and long-term customer relationships. With the right tools like the WebToffee WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin, you can easily set up, manage, and grow your monthly subscription boxes without much hassle.

Whether you’re launching a hobby subscription box, exploring memberships and subscriptions models, or looking to streamline recurring payments through PayPal or Stripe, WooCommerce lets you scale at your own pace.

That’s it, guys! We’ve reached the end of this guide on how to start a WooCommerce subscription box service. What are your thoughts on subscription boxes? Let us know in the comments below.