If memberships are a big part of your business, consider using Shopify. This guide covers what it takes to sell and manage memberships through a Shopify store.
Key Takeaways
- You can sell memberships on Shopify using Shopify Subscriptions or a third-party membership app.
- Shopify memberships are ideal for gyms, service providers, creators, clubs, and brands that reward repeat customers.
- A Shopify membership app can handle recurring billing, member accounts, and access to perks or gated content.
- Clear pricing, billing dates, and cancellation terms help you keep members longer and cut down on support requests.
Memberships turn one-time buyers into regular customers, which is why gyms, studios, and creator brands rely on them. If your store already runs on Shopify, you probably want the billing and the perks in one place instead of paying for a separate portal and asking members to log in somewhere else.
But can you sell memberships on Shopify? The answer depends on the kind of membership you offer and the tools you add to your store.
Can Shopify Be Used To Sell Memberships?
Shopify can be used to sell memberships, even though it doesn’t have a built-in membership product type. Instead, you pair recurring billing with the benefits customers receive after joining.
Shopify Subscriptions is a free option for stores that mainly need recurring payments. Customers can manage their plan through their account, while Shopify charges their saved payment method on the schedule you set.
For memberships that include tiers, gated content, member-only pricing, or digital perks, a third-party membership app gives you more control.
Both approaches use Shopify’s existing checkout and customer accounts, making memberships a natural fit for service-based businesses selling classes, consultations, or packages. After signup, renewals happen automatically. Customers can manage or cancel their plan, and the connected app controls how long membership benefits remain available.
What Types of Memberships Can You Sell on Shopify?
You can sell service memberships, content memberships, VIP or loyalty plans, community dues, and product memberships on Shopify. The right model depends on what you deliver and how often you deliver it. Here is how each one usually works.
Service Memberships
Service memberships charge a recurring fee for ongoing access to something you provide in person or on a schedule. Monthly plans at gyms and fitness studios are the clearest example, but the same model works for salons, pet grooming, lawn care, and cleaning services.
You can also cap what each plan includes, such as four sessions a month, and sell add-ons for anything beyond that.
Content and Digital Memberships
If you teach, coach, or publish, you can charge for access to courses, video libraries, templates, or private newsletters. A membership app controls who sees the content, and members keep access as long as their payment goes through.
VIP and Loyalty Memberships
A VIP membership gives paying customers better terms than everyone else, such as free shipping, member pricing, early access to new products, or a yearly credit. Retail brands use this model to increase repeat orders without running constant discounts.
Community Memberships
Clubs, nonprofits, and alumni groups can collect dues through Shopify. In return, members might get a digital badge, a directory listing, or entry to gatherings that are closed to the public. Annual billing usually works better when using this model than monthly billing.
Product Memberships
Product memberships ship something on a set schedule, like coffee every two weeks or supplements every month. This is the closest model to a standard subscription box, and Shopify Subscriptions handles it very well.
How Do You Sell Memberships on Shopify?
You sell memberships on Shopify by picking a model, setting your price, adding a subscription or membership tool, and turning on recurring billing. Work through the steps below in order so that your billing and your perks match what you promise.
1. Choose Your Membership Model
When selling memberships on Shopify, first decide what members get and how often they get it. Write down the main benefit of each membership, whether that’s gym access, four coaching calls, or 15% off every order. If you cannot describe the benefit in one sentence, shoppers may have trouble understanding it too.
Think about how many tiers you actually need. One or two clear plans are easier to sell and support than five plans that overlap. Start simple and add another tier later once you know which perks members use most.
If each membership tier will be sold as its own product, create it under Shopify admin > Products > Add product. Use the product title and description to clearly explain what that membership includes.
2. Set Your Pricing and Billing Schedule
Pick a price and billing cycle that match how people use your service. Monthly billing can make it easier for customers to join, while annual billing brings in more money up front and may reduce cancellations. You can also offer both and give customers a discount for paying yearly.
Set the regular price for the membership under Shopify admin > Products > select the membership product > Price.
If you use Shopify Subscriptions, set the recurring schedule under Shopify admin > Apps > Subscriptions > Plans > + Plan. Here, you can choose a weekly, monthly, or yearly frequency and add a subscription discount if you want one.
3. Choose Shopify Subscriptions or a Shopify Membership App
Shopify Subscriptions is a good starting point if you want to sell memberships on Shopify and mainly need recurring billing for a product. You can install it and manage it from Shopify admin > Apps.
Choose a dedicated Shopify membership app when you need features such as membership tiers, gated pages, member-only pricing, class passes, or other perks that go beyond recurring product orders. After installing one, you will usually manage those settings under Shopify admin > Apps > your membership app.
Before installing an app, check that it works with your payment provider and theme. You can review installed app costs and billing details under Shopify admin > Settings > Apps. Compare that cost with the revenue you expect from your first 20 or 30 members so the app can pay for itself early.
It also helps to read recent reviews from businesses similar to yours. An app designed for subscription boxes might not handle gym access, coaching sessions, or member pricing the way a service business needs.
4. Configure Recurring Payments
Next, connect the membership product to its recurring billing plan. If you use Shopify Subscriptions, go to Shopify admin > Apps > Subscriptions > Plans to create or edit the plan.
You can also open Shopify admin > Products > select the membership product > Purchase options > + Subscriptions to add a subscription plan directly to that product.
5. Control Member Access
Member access works differently depending on the app you choose. If your membership app controls private pages, tiers, or special pricing, open Shopify admin > Apps > your membership app and follow its access settings. Shopify doesn’t automatically restrict a page just because a customer has a tag.
Some membership apps use customer tags to keep track of members. You can view those under Shopify admin > Customers > select a customer > Tags. If you want to offer discounts to certain groups of customers, create and manage them under Shopify admin > Discounts and set the customer eligibility rules there.
6. Create Your Membership Page
When you’re ready to sell memberships through Shopify, create a dedicated page. To do so, go to Shopify admin > Online Store > Pages > Add page. Clearly explain the membership pricing, billing schedule, benefits, and cancellation terms.
Then promote the membership on your homepage through Shopify admin > Online Store > Themes > Edit theme. Add a section or button that directs shoppers to the membership page so they can quickly understand what they get and how much they’ll pay.
7. Test and Launch
Test the full signup process before you officially launch the membership. If you use Shopify Payments and your store isn’t currently taking live orders, you can turn on test mode under Shopify admin > Settings > Payments > Shopify Payments > Manage > Test mode. Turn test mode back off when you finish, because customers cannot make normal credit card purchases while it’s active.
Complete a test signup, then check the customer under Shopify admin > Customers > select the test customer. If you use Shopify Subscriptions, you can also review or cancel the test subscription under Shopify admin > Apps > Subscriptions > Contracts.
If you use a membership app, test its member-only pages and perks through Shopify admin > Apps > your membership app.
Sell Memberships on Shopify and Run Member Events in One Place
Memberships often come with in-person perks, whether that’s a monthly class, a members-only workshop, or a launch party for your top tier. We built Evey Events to help you run those experiences inside the same Shopify store where your members already pay.
With Evey, you can create ticket types for different membership levels, build registration forms, send automated attendee emails, and check guests in at the door. Your events stay tied to the customer accounts you already manage.
If events are part of how you sell memberships on Shopify, install Evey and try our Shopify events solution built for merchants like you.
