If you're looking to rent out your products to customers for a set period, Subi makes it easy to create a recurring rental plan with automatic expiration. Here's how to set up a rental plan step by step.
Let’s walk through the steps using a 4-Month Camera Rental as an example.
Step 1: Create Your Rental Product on Shopify
Before configuring your rental plan in Subi, you need to create the product you're renting out in Shopify.
Go to your Shopify dashboard.
Create a new product for the item you're renting. For this example, we’ll call the product "Camera Rental".
Set the pricing, description, and any other necessary details for the product.
Once your rental product is live in Shopify, you’re ready to head over to Subi to configure the rental plan.
Step 2: Create a New Plan and Add Your Product
To begin, navigate to the Subscription Plans section within your dashboard. This is where you’ll create and manage all your subscription and rental plans.
Before creating the rental plan, you need to link the product you created in Shopify to your Subi subscription plan.
Click Create Plan.
Choose the product you created in Shopify (e.g., Camera Rental) to add it to the plan.
Make sure to change the purchase option from "Subscription and One-Time Purchase" to "Subscription". This will ensure that customers can only rent the product, not buy it.
Step 3: Create Your Selling Plan
Under the selling plan options, select how often you want customers to be charged for the rental. In our example, we’ll set it to Monthly, as customers will be charged once a month for the rental.
Step 4: Configure Automatic Expiration
In the Selling Plan settings, scroll down to the Automatic Expiration option. This is the key to setting up your rental program.
Enable Automatic Expiration: This feature ensures that the rental period ends automatically after a specific time.
Set the Expiration: Define how long the rental will last. For example, if you're renting out a product for 4 months, set the expiration to 4 months. After this period, the subscription will automatically expire, signaling the end of the rental.
Step 5: Configure Cancellation Policy
To ensure that renters cannot cancel, skip, or pause the rental, you need to adjust the customer permissions in the Subi portal:
Go to the Customer Portal in your Subi dashboard.
Navigate to Customer Permissions.
Un-tick all options related to skipping, canceling, or pausing the subscription.
By doing this, you disable the renter’s ability to alter the rental terms until the product is returned, ensuring a seamless rental process.
Step 6: Finalize and Launch
After setting the expiration and reviewing your widget, it’s time to finalize the rental plan:
Review all the plan details, including billing frequency, expiration settings, and and cancellation policies.
Once everything looks correct, click Save to make the rental plan live on your store.
Step 7: View the Result on Your Shop
Once you’ve finalized and activated your rental plan, head to the product page of the item you’re renting:
Customization
You can fully customize the widget to match your store’s branding. From color schemes to layout, ensure the widget blends seamlessly into your product page.
By default, Subi places a "Subscription" box next to the price. To update this for rentals:
Go to the Widgets section in your Subi dashboard.
Select Customize for the widget you’re using.
In the customization options, find the price badge (subscription).
Change the label from Subscription to Rental.
This will help customers clearly understand they are engaging in a rental agreement rather than subscribing to a service and the final view would look like this:
Troubleshooting
If the widget doesn’t display correctly or if you run into any issues, Subify has built-in resources to help:
Visit the Widget Troubleshooting Guide in the Subify dashboard for solutions to common issues.
If you need further assistance, you can reach out to our 24/7 customer care team using the chat icon located at the bottom right of your page.