Subscriptions

Running a successful Shopify app means keeping a close eye on your subscribers. The Subscriptions view puts everything you need to know about customer subscriptions right at your fingertips - from detailed customer status to key business metrics.

What makes this view different

Most subscription trackers focus purely on numbers, but subscription management is about more than just counting customers. This view combines detailed status tracking with business-critical metrics, making it easy to spot both individual customer activity and broader business trends.

View components

Subscription index

The main view gives you an instant read on every subscription’s status through clear visual indicators that tell you exactly where each customer stands:

• On trial (blue) - These customers are testing the waters. Keep an eye on their progress to help ensure a smooth transition to paid plans.
• Paying (green) - Your active customer base. These are the subscribers driving your current revenue.
• Churned post-payment (red) - Former paying customers who’ve left. Understanding these patterns can help prevent future churn.
• Churned during trial (yellow) - Customers who left during their trial period. These often signal opportunities to improve your onboarding or trial experience.

For each subscription, you’ll see all the critical details that drive day-to-day decisions:

• Shop name with a direct link to their complete profile
• Current subscription status
• First billing date
• Cancellation date (if applicable)
• Plan details including pricing and billing frequency

Performance metrics

The right panel transforms individual subscription data into clear business insights through three essential metrics:

1. Active subscriptions Your real-time pulse check on business health. The filled area shows your actual subscriber count, while the dotted trend line helps you spot patterns that might otherwise be hidden in the day-to-day fluctuations.
2. Lifetime value (LTV) More than just a number, this metric reveals the true impact of your pricing strategy and customer retention efforts. It’s particularly valuable when you’re running mixed subscription/usage plans, as it captures the full picture of customer value.
3. Average revenue per user (ARPU) This metric goes beyond basic plan prices to show you what customers are actually spending. When you’re using usage-based billing, ARPU becomes your compass for understanding true customer value and spotting opportunities for growth.

Making the most of this view

Smart filtering

Finding exactly what you need shouldn’t be a treasure hunt. Whether you’re preparing a quick update or diving deep into customer patterns, these powerful filters help you focus on what matters:

• Time period selection lets you zoom in on recent activity or analyze longer-term patterns. The default 30-day view gives you a solid baseline for most day-to-day needs.
• Plan-specific views reveal how different pricing tiers are performing. Perfect for measuring the impact of recent pricing changes or understanding which plans resonate with your customer base.
• Segment-based filtering turns broad data into actionable insights by letting you focus on specific customer groups that matter to your current goals.

Common use cases

This view shines differently for every team that uses it. Support teams find themselves constantly referring to it during customer conversations - whether they’re verifying a subscription status or checking trial progress, having these details at their fingertips means faster, more confident responses to customer questions.

Marketing teams turn to this view when planning and measuring their campaigns. Being able to export targeted subscriber lists and track how promotional efforts impact trial conversions gives them real data to back their strategies. Plus, seeing which plans are gaining traction helps inform future campaign focus.

For sales teams, it’s all about spotting opportunities. They keep tabs on high-value customers and watch plan performance trends to guide their conversations. When they notice clusters of customers succeeding with particular plans, it helps them refine their targeting and upgrade strategies.

Business development and leadership often start their day here. The ability to quickly export clean data for investor updates while monitoring key growth metrics makes this view their go-to source for business health indicators. The combination of detailed customer data and trend visualization helps tell their growth story clearly.

Pro tips

Take your subscription monitoring to the next level with these proven strategies:

• Pay attention to both the filled area and trend line in your metrics - they work together to show both your current reality and your trajectory.
• Maintain consistent plan naming when possible. Clean, clear plan names make it much easier to track performance and spot patterns across your customer base.
• Use the export feature strategically. Whether you’re planning a targeted campaign or preparing an investor update, having your subscription data in a flexible format opens up new possibilities.
• Save your commonly used filters. If you find yourself regularly checking specific segments or plans, saved filters can shave valuable time off your daily routine.

Remember: Whether you’re looking up a single customer’s status or tracking your overall growth trajectory, everything you need is right here in one view. Need help getting more from your subscription data? Our team is here to help you turn these insights into action.