If you sell products customers buy again and again, you have two main ways to capture those repeat orders:
- Subscriptions, where the customer is charged and shipped automatically on a schedule
- Reorder reminders, where the customer is prompted to buy again when they’re likely to run out
Both work. They suit different products, customers and stores. This guide compares the two honestly, explains where each one fits, and shows how many stores use both.
Key takeaways
- Subscriptions give predictable revenue but need commitment, discounts and billing work.
- Reorder reminders need no commitment, so they reach every buyer, including guests.
- Steady usage points toward subscriptions; variable usage points toward reminders.
- Many stores use both: subscriptions for those who want them, reminders for everyone else.
- When in doubt, start with reminders on your top consumables.
In this article
- What is a subscription?
- What is a reorder reminder?
- Side-by-side comparison
- When subscriptions are the better choice
- When reorder reminders are the better choice
- What it costs you to run each
- Examples by product type
- Making reorder reminders work well
- Why many stores use both
- How to decide: three questions
- How Easy Reorder fits in
- FAQ
- Try reorder reminders on your store
What is a subscription?
With a subscription, the customer signs up once and gets the product every set number of weeks, with their card charged automatically.
Shopify supports this through subscription apps that handle the schedule, recurring billing and customer portal.
Strengths:
- Predictable, recurring revenue you can forecast
- No need to win each order again
- Works well for products used at a fixed, steady rate
Weaknesses:
- Many customers hesitate to commit to automatic charges
- Deliveries that come too often pile up and lead to cancellations
- Failed payments and skip, pause and cancel requests add operational and support work
- Customers often need a discount to sign up, which lowers your margin on every order
What is a reorder reminder?
A reorder reminder is an email (or other message) sent when a customer is likely running low, with a fast way to buy the same product again.
Nothing is charged automatically. The customer decides each time.
Strengths:
- No commitment, so it reaches every buyer, not just those willing to subscribe
- No stored-card billing, failed payments or cancellation flows to manage
- Customers who use products unevenly can snooze or reorder when ready
- No need to discount every order to get people to sign up
Weaknesses:
- Revenue is less predictable, since each reorder is a fresh decision
- It depends on good timing and an easy reorder flow
- Some customers will still buy elsewhere
Side-by-side comparison
| Subscriptions | Reorder reminders | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer commitment | Ongoing, auto-charged | None, each order is a choice |
| Revenue predictability | High | Moderate |
| Who it reaches | Customers willing to subscribe | Any customer who bought the product |
| Fit for irregular usage | Weak, products pile up | Strong, customers reorder when ready |
| Operational work | Billing, failed payments, skips, cancellations | Setting intervals and email content |
| Typical incentive | Ongoing subscribe-and-save discount | Optional, often none |
| Guest customers | Need an account to manage the subscription | Can work without an account, depending on the app |
When subscriptions are the better choice
- The product is used at a very steady rate, like a daily supplement or a monthly razor refill
- Your customers are loyal and repeat often enough that automatic delivery is a convenience
- You need predictable volume for inventory or manufacturing planning
- Your margins can carry an ongoing subscribe-and-save discount
When reorder reminders are the better choice
- Usage varies from customer to customer, like coffee, pet treats, skincare or cleaning supplies
- Most of your buyers are one-time or occasional customers who wouldn’t subscribe
- Many customers check out as guests
- You’ve seen subscription churn or support load you’d like to avoid
- You want repeat orders without discounting every one of them
What it costs you to run each
Look past the app’s monthly fee. The bigger costs are elsewhere.
- Subscriptions: the ongoing discount on every order, time spent on failed payments, skip and cancel requests, and inventory surprises when many customers pause at once.
- Reminders: the effort to set sensible intervals, the email content, and the orders you lose to customers who simply don’t reorder.
💡 Pro tip: A fair way to compare is margin per repeat order. A subscription order at a permanent discount may earn less than a full-price reorder from a reminder, but it’s more certain to happen. Run the numbers for your own products.
Examples by product type
- Daily vitamins: steady usage, so a subscription option makes sense, with reminders for customers who don’t subscribe.
- Specialty coffee: usage swings with season and routine, so reminders with snooze usually fit better than fixed deliveries.
- Pet food: fairly steady for each pet, but pack sizes and number of pets vary, so either can work. Start with reminders and offer a subscription to frequent reorderers.
- Skincare: customers often switch products or rotate between several, which makes rigid subscriptions prone to cancellations. Reminders keep you in the routine without the commitment.
- Cleaning supplies and refills: usage varies by household, so reminders are usually the lower-friction option.
Making reorder reminders work well
- Set intervals per product, based on usage and real repeat-order timing
- Link straight to the customer’s previous order, not your homepage
- Let guests reorder without creating an account
- Offer a snooze option so early reminders don’t become unsubscribes
- Group items due at the same time into one email
- Measure revenue from reorders, not just opens
Why many stores use both
It doesn’t have to be one or the other. A common setup is to offer subscriptions to customers who want them, and send reorder reminders to everyone else.
Reminders can also act as a stepping stone: a customer who has reordered a few times may be happy to switch to a subscription.
💡 Pro tip: If you run both, make sure reminders skip products a customer already receives on subscription. Nothing annoys a subscriber more than an email telling them to buy something already on its way.
How to decide: three questions
- How steady is usage? Very steady points toward subscriptions. Variable points toward reminders.
- What share of buyers would commit? If only a small share would subscribe, reminders reach the rest.
- How much operational work can you take on? Subscriptions mean managing billing and cancellations. Reminders are mostly set-and-forget once intervals are right.
When in doubt, start with reorder reminders on your top consumables. They’re low-risk and need no commitment from customers.
Your reorder data will then show you which products and customers are ready for a subscription.
How Easy Reorder fits in
Easy Reorder is a Shopify reorder reminder app, not a subscription app. It emails each customer a branded reminder before they’re likely to run out.
One click takes them to a personalized reorder page with their last order ready, even if they checked out as a guest.
- Subscription-aware: smart bundling groups items due at the same time and skips products the customer already has on subscription, so it works alongside your subscription app.
- Built-in analytics: see the revenue each reminder brings back.
FAQ
Are reorder reminders a subscription alternative?
Yes. They capture repeat orders without automatic charges, which suits customers who won’t commit to a subscription.
Can I use reorder reminders and subscriptions together on Shopify?
Yes. Offer subscriptions to customers who want them and remind everyone else. Use a reminder app that skips products already on subscription.
Do reorder reminders need a customer account?
Not necessarily. Easy Reorder, for example, lets guests reorder without logging in.
Which platforms make it easy to reorder recurring items?
On Shopify, subscription apps handle automatic deliveries and reorder reminder apps handle prompted, one-click reorders. See our roundup of the best Shopify reorder reminder apps.
Should I offer a discount on reorders?
It’s optional. Unlike subscribe-and-save, reminders often work without one, so test before discounting.
Try reorder reminders on your store
Easy Reorder is free to install and works alongside your subscription app.