Subscriptions Can Now Be Added to Shopify Draft Orders

Draft orders are the tool many brands use when a sale does not start on the storefront: a customer service request, a team order, a one-to-one sale. Until now, repeat purchases were awkward to set up that way. Shopify has now made subscriptions supported in draft orders.

What it is

Merchants can now add subscription products from subscription apps to draft orders. Shopify describes the purpose as setting up repeat purchases for customers. In other words, you can create the order on the customer's behalf rather than asking them to find the right product and go through the storefront themselves.

How it works

The flow is straightforward:

1. Create a draft order and add a subscription product from one of your subscription apps.
2. Send an invoice to collect payment.
3. The customer receives a checkout link where they can review the order and pay.

Shopify has a help document on adding subscriptions to draft orders with the detail.

Limits and caveats

The changelog entry is short. It does not state availability, plans, regions or limits. It also refers to subscription products from subscription apps, so this relies on you already having a subscription app installed and products set up in it. We would not assume every subscription app behaves identically, so test with your own setup. Note too that payment is collected through the invoice and checkout link, so the customer has to complete that step for the order to go through.

What it means for merchants

If you sell anything on a repeat basis, whether that is replenishable basics, care products or a membership style offer, this gives your team a way to sign a customer up without sending them through the storefront. It could suit customer service teams who want to resolve a request in one step, or anyone running a more personal sales process.

The customer still reviews the order and pays through a checkout link, which keeps the customer in control and gives them a clear record of what they have agreed to.

What it means for agencies and partners

For agencies, this is worth checking against each client's subscription app and any customisation around it. It is also a useful point to review the process around draft orders: who is allowed to create them, how invoices are worded, and how the resulting subscriptions are tracked and reported.

How we would approach it

1. Confirm which subscription app you use and that its products can be added to a draft order.
2. Run a test draft order end to end, including the invoice and the customer checkout link.
3. Check that the resulting subscription appears correctly in the app and in your reporting.
4. Write a short internal process for the team, including who can create these orders.
5. Review the invoice and checkout wording so the repeat terms are clear to the customer.

The short version

You can now add subscription products to draft orders, send an invoice, and let the customer review and pay through a checkout link. It is a useful option for assisted sales and service, but test it with your own subscription app before relying on it.

ETTA provides fractional ecommerce leadership for fashion, streetwear and sportswear brands. If you want a senior view on how this affects your store, get in touch.