Setting Up a Subscription Price Test (Other subscription apps)

This guide walks you through setting up a subscription price test using Elevate.

This guide covers setting up subscription price tests with apps other than Recharge — such as Seal Subscriptions, Loop, Appstle, Bold, PayWhirl, and others. It applies to the duplicate products method.

Note: Native price testing (Shopify Plus) does not support subscription apps other than Recharge. If you use a non-Recharge subscription app, you'll need to use the duplicate products method for subscription price tests.


Prerequisites

Before starting, complete Steps 1–3 of the How to Create a Price Experiment (Duplicate Products) guide. Come back here once you've created your duplicate products and set the test prices.


Step 1: Prepare Your Duplicate Products in Shopify

For each duplicate product:

  1. Open the product in Shopify by clicking Edit in Shopify

  2. Make sure the product is set to Active

  3. Ensure the product is hidden from all collections — it should only be reachable through the experiment, not browseable

  4. Confirm the test price is set correctly

Step 2: Add Duplicates to Your Subscription App

The exact steps vary by app, but the general process is:

  1. Open your subscription app dashboard

  2. Navigate to the Products or Catalog section

  3. Find your duplicate products and add them to the subscription system

Some apps auto-sync with your Shopify catalog, so the duplicates may already appear. Others require you to manually add them.

Step 3: Configure Subscription Settings

For each duplicate product, configure the subscription settings to match the original:

  • Subscription type — same as the original (e.g., Subscribe & Save, Prepaid, Build-a-Box)

  • Frequency options — same intervals (e.g., monthly, every 2 weeks, quarterly)

  • Subscription discount — same percentage or fixed amount discount as the original

  • Customer-facing display — verify the subscription widget looks correct on the duplicate product page

Important: The subscription settings on the duplicate should be identical to the original product. The only difference should be the base price. If the discount, frequency, or subscription type don't match, you're testing more than just the price — which will skew your results.

Step 4: Verify Connected Apps and Automations

Your subscription app likely integrates with other tools. Check that these work correctly with the duplicate products:

Automations and workflows:

  • Customer communication sequences (welcome emails, renewal reminders, dunning)

  • Post-purchase upsell or cross-sell flows

  • Loyalty program integrations

Configuration updates:

  • Update any rules that reference specific product IDs or SKUs to include the duplicates

  • Adjust email templates that mention specific product names or prices

  • Update any SKU-based automations to recognize the test variants

Step 5: Test the Full Flow

Before launching, walk through the complete subscription journey on the duplicate product:

  1. Visit the duplicate product page

  2. Select the subscription option

  3. Verify the correct price and discount are displayed

  4. Add to cart and confirm the subscription details in the cart

  5. Proceed through checkout and verify the subscription is created correctly in your subscription app

Also complete the general Price Test QA Checklist for the non-subscription aspects of the experiment.


After Launching

Once the experiment is live, monitor your subscription app to ensure subscriptions are being created correctly for both the control and variation products. If you notice any issues with subscription creation or pricing, pause the experiment and investigate before continuing.


Need Help?

If you're unsure how to configure your specific subscription app, reach out to our support team. We've worked with most major subscription apps and can help guide you through the setup. Message us on live chat or contact us at [email protected].

Last updated