When you’re working towards making subscribing to or renting products more attractive than buying products, a fragmented customer journey can sabotage your business in the short and long run.

Endless forms, confusing flows, hidden costs, or weeks of back-and-forth before they even receive the product: these are deal breakers. In subscription commerce, checkout isn’t just a transaction — it’s the moment that decides whether your model thrives or fails.

Bugaboo, a manufacturer of high-end kid's stroller, for example, launched a subscription pilot twice.

"We stopped the first rental pilot because we tried to incorporate the rental business into our existing process of sales, finance and logistic which was a huge mess and didn't work out. Due to all the complexities, we had an onboarding time of more than 6 weeks for the new customers which is not typical for eCommerce." - Rolf Smeding | Director of Business development @ Bugaboo

In their second pilot, they stayed clear of incorporating the rental business into their existing ERP system. Rental is completely different and requires its own set of tools.

Resource: Download Bugaboo's case study.

What makes subscription-based eCommerce different from sales-based eCommerce 

The checkout experience for sales-based eCommerce has been perfected to a science. 

• One-click ordering on Amazon, 
• Saved payment details on Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Frictionless checkout flows that feel almost invisible

These innovations didn’t just happen; they were deliberate, billion-dollar decisions that transformed how we shop online.

Subscription-based eCommerce, on the other hand, is still playing catch-up. 

While customers expect the same smooth experience they get when buying, subscribing, or renting, the process often feels clunky, fragmented, and messy.

‍

Essential elements of a subscription checkout

A sales-based checkout is designed to do one thing: collect payment and shipping info to complete a purchase. A subscription checkout, on the other hand, has to do all of that and much more. Here are the core elements that make subscription checkout: 

• One journey for all product types
• Credit assessment
• Localisation
• Avoid account creation
• Vouchers & discounts
• Custom fields
• Both one-time & recurring payments
• Speed enhancements

1. One journey for all product types

Customers don’t think in terms of “purchase flow” vs. “subscription flow.” They want a single, unified journey — whether they’re subscribing to a stroller, buying accessories, adding consumables (like coffee pods), or even taking out a digital membership. Splitting these into different checkouts creates friction and confusion.

2. Credit assessment for physical products

Unlike digital subscriptions, physical product subscriptions involve high-value assets. Because revenue is collected over time, businesses need to ensure the customer is creditworthy and not fraudulent. A credit check at checkout protects cash flow without slowing down the process.

3. Localisation at every level

A subscription checkout has to adapt to the customer’s context. That means:

• Language — localise the entire flow to the locations you serve or operate it.
• Taxation — VAT, sales tax, and country-specific compliance.
• Shipping — restrictions by region or postal code.
• Currency — local pricing for trust and transparency.
• Payment methods — offer the options customers expect in each market (e.g., SEPA in Germany, Klarna in Scandinavia, iDEAL in the Netherlands).
  

4. Avoid account creation (the right way)

Account creation is one of the top reasons for cart abandonment next to price surprises on checkout. Businesses typically enforce it for reasons like:

• Saving customer data for recurring billing.
• Allowing subscription management in a portal.
• Linking orders to a customer profile for support.
  

But forcing sign-up upfront kills conversions. Modern systems (like circuly) solve this by auto-creating accounts in the background and giving customers access via one-time passwords sent to their email. This way, you get the infrastructure benefits without the friction.

5. Vouchers & discounts

Subscriptions need flexible pricing logic. Customers should be able to apply voucher codes or discounts during checkout, just as they would in a normal eCommerce purchase. Without this, businesses lose one of the strongest tools for customer acquisition.

6. Custom fields

Every subscription business has unique requirements. For B2B subscriptions, it could be VAT IDs. For mobility subscriptions, it might be a driver’s license upload. The checkout needs to support custom fields that can be configured per business use case — ideally in a way that still feels seamless to the customer.

7. Handling one-time & recurring payments together

Subscription checkouts often involve mixed carts. Example: a customer subscribes to an e-bike but buys a helmet outright. The checkout must support both:

• One-time payments (charge in full at checkout).
• Recurring payments (charge over time).

Both flows need to be triggered seamlessly in a single transaction.

8. Speed enhancements & smart features

Customers expect fast, modern checkouts. Features like auto address completion, saved payment methods, and mobile optimisation can shave precious seconds off the process — often making the difference between a completed subscription and an abandoned cart.

How subscription checkout fits into your eCommerce stack

Most eCommerce businesses today run on a fairly standard infrastructure:

• Shop system → manages product catalog, categories, SKUs, and storefront presentation. This could be a theme-based system (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento) or a headless setup where the frontend and backend are decoupled.
• Checkout → the flow that takes customers from cart to payment.
• Payment Service Provider (PSP) → the tool that collects payments, supports different payment methods, and enables recurring billing.
• Additional tools → ERP for resource planning, fulfillment tools for logistics, CRM for customer management, and marketing automation systems.

The shop system is still essential, even for subscription-based businesses. It’s what gives structure to your products, allows you to merchandise, and provides a familiar shopping experience. But here’s the catch:

The limitation of shop systems is that they weren’t built for subscription journeys. That’s why many subscription businesses resort to workarounds like forcing account creation, using “sign up” forms, or even pushing customers to send inquiries instead of placing an order directly online. These workarounds create friction, not growth.

This is where subscription management software with white-label checkout comes in. By plugging into your existing shop system and PSP, these tools bypass the limitations and let you design a subscription-first customer journey.

White-label checkout solutions for subscription businesses

There are several solutions on the market that offer white-label checkout for subscriptions, each with a different focus and strength.

circuly (subscription-first for consumer durables)

circuly is built specifically for long-term subscriptions (typically more than one month) and for physical, consumer durable products — categories where checkout friction and risk management are critical.

• Focus: B2C and B2B2C subscription models.
• Industries: bikes, strollers, furniture, electronics, appliances, and more.
• Strengths:
  • Unified journey for rental, subscription, and purchases.
  • Built-in credit checks and fraud prevention for high-value goods.
  • White-label checkout that integrates with existing shop systems.
  • Deep expertise in physical goods subscriptions — not just SaaS-style billing.

Learn more about circuly' White-Label Checkout & Cart Solution.

Recharge Payments

• Recharge is originally built for consumables (e.g., coffee, supplements).
• Excellent at recurring orders and replenishment.
• Less suited for high-ticket physical products that require credit assessment or compliance.

Booqable

• Booqble is a rental software with online booking and customer-facing checkout.
• Strengths: Great for short-term rentals (days/weeks), real-time availability, calendar-based bookings.

Firmhouse

• Firmhouse focuses on both subscriptions and rentals, particularly for Shopify-based businesses.
• Strengths: Flexible subscription checkout, white-label flows, customer portals, and strong Shopify integration.

Wrapping up

A seamless checkout isn’t just “nice to have” in subscription-based eCommerce — it’s the foundation that makes the entire business model viable. From handling credit assessments and fraud prevention to supporting mixed carts, localisation, and recurring payments, every detail of the checkout and customer journey has a direct impact on conversion, retention, and trust.

Most shop systems weren’t built for subscriptions, which is why businesses often struggle with fragmented journeys and unnecessary friction. With a subscription-first checkout, you can remove these barriers and give customers the smooth, transparent experience they already expect from traditional eCommerce.

And if you’re looking to go one step further in optimising conversions, don’t miss our guide on how to prevent cart abandonment in subscription products.