Overview

Required plan

This feature or setting is available to all customers on any Recurly subscription plan.

Definition

Recurly Checkout offers a seamless consumer checkout experience that adapts to your customers needs. This experience provides additional flexibility in how merchants can manage the customer and developer experience, providing an additional option between a full API/RJS integration, and a standard Hosted Payment page.

Key benefits

• Quick setup and deployment: Activate and deploy swiftly, saving both time and cost, ensuring an efficient and streamlined start.
• Rich customizable features: Leverage extensive customizable options to maintain brand consistency and enhance customer engagement.
• Flexible payment options: Provide flexible payment solutions that adapt to customer needs, delivering a personalized and dynamic purchasing experience.
• Highly secure, PCI-compliant: Uphold the highest security standards with a robust, PCI-compliant system that protects sensitive customer data.

Key details

How Checkout works

Recurly's Checkouts are crafted to simplify the buying process for your customers while providing your business with robust, customizable capabilities. These functionalities are designed to efficiently cater to your customers' demands.

Checkout sessions

Upon accessing your Checkout, customers are presented with a Checkout session that encompasses everything from the visual design to the cart's parameters and contents. This session dynamically adapts based on user actions, such as modifying item counts or choosing a different currency.

You can control these session configurations. For additional information, consult the “Engaging your customers” section.

A Checkout Session's framework is composed of three core components: Checkout Styles, Hostnames, and Configurations.

Checkout styles

Checkout Styles define your Checkout's visual theme. You have the flexibility to craft various styles that resonate with your brand identity, including incorporating your logo and brand colors.
A standard default style is available for immediate use.

Checkout hostnames

Hostnames allow your Checkouts to be hosted on your chosen domains, ensuring customers remain within your online ecosystem.

An initial default hostname is ready for use at <site-subdomain>.recurlycheckout.com.or you can establish a custom hostname.

Checkout configurations

Checkout Configurations act as blueprints for determining the structure of your Checkout Session, detailing aspects like the cart's contents and available currencies. Initially, you are equipped with one standard configuration.

Engaging your customers

• Direct to Default Hostname: Guide customers to your site's default Recurly checkout domain (https://<site-subdomain>.recurlycheckout.com). This automatically aligns their session with the Checkout Configuration associated with this URL, offering a straightforward path to purchase without requiring additional customization.
• Use Custom Hostname: For a more branded experience, direct customers to your custom hostname (https://<your-checkout-hostname>). This method initiates a checkout session that matches the Checkout Configuration for your custom domain, enhancing brand consistency and customer trust.
• Specific Checkout Configuration: When aiming for a targeted shopping experience, such as for specific promotions or customer segments, use a direct link (https://<your-checkout-hostname>/c/<checkout-configuration-id>) that specifies a particular checkout configuration. This approach ensures that the session is precisely tailored to the intended promotion or segment.

Targeted Personalization

• Localization Checkout determines the customer location and updates the language automatically.

With Recurly Checkout, businesses can cater to a diverse global audience. Checkout supports a plethora of languages, ensuring that subscribers have a native and intuitive experience. The languages offered are:

1. English
2. Danish
3. German
4. Spanish
5. French
6. Hindi
7. Japanese
8. Dutch
9. Portuguese
10. Russian
11. Turkish
12. Chinese
13. Swedish
14. Polish

• Payment method & Currency Checkout provides the recommended payment method and currency based on the user location.

Payment methods supported include:

• Cards: credit & debit
• Direct Debits: ACH, SEPA, BECS, BACS
• Wallets: Apple Pay & Amazon Pay

Device responsive: Checkout detects the device type and resizes to the optimized layout.

Configuration landing page

To begin, navigate to Configuration → Checkout.

The configuration page offers flexibility with 3 main areas to modify the Checkout configurations. Here you can create different sets of hostnames, modify configurations and styles to create different experiences for customers based on where they are coming from, different promotions, different products or brands.

Hostname

Use the Hostname to specify the locations where your customers will complete their purchases.

Hostnames come in two forms:

Recurly-hosted domain

The default hostname which is set up for you out of the box. Your checkout will be available at .recurlycheckout.com.

Please note: if your subdomain is changed, the Checkout URLs will still be set to the original subdomain that was configured and will not be updated. To update your Checkout pages, please contact Support.

Custom Checkout domain(s)

A custom Checkout domain allow you to operate a Checkout on your own domain. Setting up a custom Checkout domain involves some domain configuration on your part, outside of Recurly.

To create a new hostname, select Create new Hostname.

Location details - URL is where you specify the hostname location (domain and optional subdomain) where your customers will access your Checkouts..In order to use a custom domain:

• You must own the domain.
• You must be able to set the Domain Name System (DNS) settings for the domain.

Prior to saving a custom checkout domain in Recurly, you will need to configure the DNS settings for your domain to set up a CNAME record for the hostname you wish to use for Checkout. How this step is performed will vary based on your DNS provider, which may be your domain registrar or hosting provider. Here are a few links to DNS providers which explain how you can go about setting a CNAME record on your domain: CloudFlare, Namecheap, GoDaddy.

Depending on which Data Center you use, you will set the CNAME record for your custom domain accordingly:

Once you have input the correct information in the hostname field and exited the hostname field, Recurly will automatically validate the hostname. If we detect a valid CNAME entry, you will see a message indicating that your hostname is ready for Checkout. If it is not correct, you will receive an error message. You will still be able to save a hostname that does not pass this validation.

Recurly will provision an SSL certificate for your custom domain. The provisioning process usually takes 30 minutes or less, but may take several hours in some cases.

• You will receive an email when certificate provisioning is complete.
• While your SSL certificate is pending, the hostname will display a yellow status dot label. Once provisioned, the status dot will turn green.

Configuration - access: set to enabled by default, and can be set to disabled if you wish to discontinue access to that specific hostname.

Configuration - default checkout configuration: initially, this will be set to the default checkout configuration, but can be configured to include any checkout configuration.

Configurations

Configuration is where you set up the products to sell and configure additional Checkout capabilities.

About this configuration

• The starter configuration is enabled by default, You can add additional configurations for any mix of subscriptions and add-ons you wish.
• The name and description are for internal use only and will help you identify the products the configuration is targeting.

Appearance and behavior

For the selected configuration, you are able to choose the style you wish to apply to this configuration To modify styles, see Styles section below.

1. Add a Confirmation URL
   1. Upon purchase, the user will be taken to this URL.
   2. Without a URL, the customer will receive the standard confirmation page upon purchase.
2. Configure a Cancellation URL
   1. A Back button will become visible and the user will be sent to the specified URL when a customer uses that Back button.
3. Utilize a Finish URL
   1. The URL will appear at the bottom of the standard confirmation page with the words "Return to [site name]."
4. Privacy Policy URL
   1. A checkbox to accept the Privacy Policy and/or Terms of Service will appear on the Checkout page with a link to the URL provided.
5. Terms of Service URL
   1. A checkbox to accept the Privacy Policy and/or Terms of Service will appear on the Checkout page with a link to the URL provided.
6. Additional address fields
   1. Company name
   2. Phone Number
   3. Vat Number: Value-added tax identification number
7. Phone number
8. More behaviors
   1. Accept Coupons - Check this box to enable a coupon field where a customer can enter a valid coupon code to apply a discount. Any specific coupon used for checkout will need to be set up in Recurly’s coupon configurations.
   2. Require shipping address - Check this box to enable a field where a customer will need to provide their shipping address to complete the purchase based on the plan configuration.
   3. Use tax-inclusive pricing - Check this box to apply a tax-inclusive pricing model to all subscription and items in the cart configuration.
      
      

Payment Methods

This section allows additional configuration regarding the products, currencies, taxation and payment methods enabled for each configuration.

Display subscriptions as options

• When enabled, customers will be able to select one among any subscriptions in the cart. This option is ideal for allowing your customers to select a plan period during Checkout.

Disable currency selection

• When enabled, customers will be unable to change their currency on the Checkout page. Currency will be determined by the browser locale.

Use tax-inclusive pricing

• When enabled, all item prices in the cart will be tax-inclusive.

Accept Payment Methods

• When enabled, the payment methods will be available for customers to select during checkout

Cart

Currencies

Add the currencies (enabled on your site) to add to the cart configuration.

• Selecting specific currencies will only allow plans that are configured with that currency to be added.
• Only products that match selected currencies will be displayed.
• By default, your default site currency is added. Or, if all currencies are removed, it will default to the default site currency.
• Create a configuration with only one currency to lock that currency as what is displayed to the user. This prevents users from searching for the best price across currencies.

Products

The products your customer can purchase using this Checkout Configuration.

• Specify the subscription(s) you would like to apply to the configuration.
• Adding multiple subscriptions to the cart configuration allows you to bundle multiple subscriptions together in the same purchase.
• Specify the quantity of the plan that a customer can purchase, and optionally enable the customer to edit the quantity they wish to purchase.
• Any plans with add-ons can have the add-ons configured to be able to be sold along with the subscription sign up, and define if they are able to be added, specify the quantity, or allow the customer to edit the quantity.
  • Add-ons may be plan based or item based.
• Specify the one time purchases you would like to add to the checkout configuration.
  • One time purchases must be in the item catalog.
• One time purchases can be sold as a standalone product without a subscription.
  • One time purchases must be in the item catalog.

Styles

Customize the appearance of your checkout pages to match your brand identity. To begin, click edit on the starter style or click new style to create your own.

• The default style is called starter style.
• Brand color: Select different color formats (Hex, RGB, or HSL), or by using the browsers default color picker. This will update the styling of interactive elements (including links and buttons) on the checkout experience.
• Add Logo, which will display in the header. Logo file size cannot exceed 256 KB. The logo will be autoscaled based on the viewport size of the device.
• Add Icon, which will display as the browser favicon.
• Styles can be added to a configuration (one style per configuration).
• Enable as many styles as needed to match each configuration.

Checkout pages - view checkout (preview)

Checkout Pages configuration allows you to mix and match different host names and configurations on the fly.

• Select a host name and a configuration.
• View Checkout allows you to preview the Checkout page in real time.
• Copy link to embed into your checkout workflow.

Analytics

Checkout includes a robust analytics dashboard where you can dive deep into Recurly Checkout data to analyze performance at driving cart conversion to acquire subscribers and sell products. Learn more abut the Checkout analytics dashboard.

Checkout Capabilities compared to Hosted Payment Page

This chart outlines the new capabilities that Checkout offers, that were not available on HPP.

FAQs

Enablement and access

Q: How can I access this feature?
A:All sites created after May of 2024 will have Checkout automatically. Please contact support to enable it on your site if not already enabled. If you have Checkout, this feature is under Configuration > Checkout in the Recurly App navigation.

Requirements for use

Q: What are the minimum requirements for using this feature?
A: At least one plan must be set up, with required or optional add-ons, a default currency, and coupons configured if you plan to accept coupons.

Minimum checkout configuration

Q: What is the minimum Checkout configuration needed?
A:

• At least one Hostname - can use the default.
• One Configuration.
• One Style - can use the default Starter Style.

Testing

Q: How do I test checkout using payment methods?
A: Refer to the Recurly test gateway documentation for testing your checkout experience in Sandbox. Use gateway test cards for Dev Mode or Production.

Limitations

Recurly's out of the box tax previews are supported on Checkout. Tax previews are not available for Avalara or Vertex.