If subscribers keep ordering the same product, they never try the rest of your range. A product rotation changes that: after each order, Appstle replaces the subscriber's product with the next one in your list, and after the last product the rotation starts again. You build it in Journeys with one swap rule for each step.
Product swaps are included in the Business Premium plan and higher. If Product swaps doesn't appear on your Journeys page, see Set up product swap automation with Journeys.
How a rotation works
An ice cream shop sells six flavors and wants each subscriber to get a different one with every order. It adds six swap rules, each set to Every recurring order:
Products to replace | Replacement products |
Vanilla | Chocolate |
Chocolate | Chocolate Chip |
Chocolate Chip | Butter Pecan |
Butter Pecan | Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough |
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough | Eggnog |
Eggnog | Vanilla |
A subscriber who signs up for Vanilla gets Chocolate in their second order, Chocolate Chip in their third, and so on. After Eggnog, they get Vanilla again. A subscriber who signs up for another flavor starts the rotation from that flavor.
Each order moves a subscription one step only. A product that a rule has just swapped in isn't swapped again until after the next order.
Set up the rotation
In your Shopify admin, go to Appstle Subscription → Journeys. If Journeys isn't in the sidebar, click View more.
In the Product swaps card, click Add swap rule. If the page shows Build your first journey instead, add your first rule as described in Set up product swap automation with Journeys.
Under When to run, choose Every recurring order.
Under Products to replace, click Select products, tick the first product in your rotation, and click Done.
Under Replacement products, click Select products, tick the next product, and click Done.
Under Discounts, choose Keep customer's current subscription discount, so subscribers keep the discount they signed up with.
Under Notification, leave Email customers about the swap ticked to tell subscribers about each new product, or untick it to make each order a surprise.
Click Save and activate.
Repeat steps 2 to 8 for each step in your rotation. In the last rule, choose your first product as the replacement, so the rotation starts again.
Things to know
Every rule in the rotation must be Active and set to Every recurring order. A rule set to A specific order runs only once for each subscription, so the rotation would stop there.
If a subscriber skips an order or a payment fails, they keep the same product until their next successful order.
Current subscribers start rotating after their next order: that order still has their current product, and the one after it has the next product.
Automatic swaps skip prepaid subscriptions where the customer pays for several deliveries at once.
If a subscription didn't change, see the FAQs in Set up product swap automation with Journeys.
Don't use Apply now on rotation rules. Applying one rule and then the next would move some subscribers two steps at once, and Appstle can't undo it automatically.
Need help?
If you have questions about product swaps, email [email protected] or chat with us from the app.