How do I run a welcome offer (discounted first boxes)?

A welcome offer gives new subscribers a run of discounted boxes — for example 20% off box 2, 20% off box 3, and box 6 free. Each discount comes off the subscription price, on top of any subscribe & save. You can require the boxes to be consecutive, so skipping a delivery ends the offer.

Steps

1. Open Meal Plans and find the Welcome offer card.
2. Turn on Run a welcome offer. This is a Growth feature — on the Starter plan you'll see an upgrade prompt here, and the offer unlocks as soon as you approve the charge.
3. Choose Percentage off or Amount off — the whole offer uses one or the other.
4. Set a discount for each box. Row 1 is the customer's first box, row 2 their second, and so on. Use 100% for a free box, and 0 for a box you want charged at the normal price.
5. Use Add box / Remove last box to change how many boxes the offer covers. After the last box, the customer goes back to the normal subscription price.
6. Check the 'What the customer pays' preview — it shows the actual price of each box, including your subscribe & save. If your plan has several sizes, pick the one you want to see from the menu next to the preview.
7. Choose whether skipping a delivery, a failed payment, or a cancellation ends the offer.
8. Click Save welcome offer.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a fixed amount instead of a percentage?

Yes. Choose Amount off and enter an amount per box — for example $40 off the first box. The whole offer uses one type: either every box is a percentage, or every box is an amount. An amount larger than the box price simply makes that box free.

Is the discount on top of my subscribe & save discount?

Yes. The welcome offer applies to the subscription price, not the list price. If your plan is $100 with 20% subscribe & save, a box is normally $80, and a 20% welcome offer makes that box $64 — 28% off the list price. The preview in Meal Plans always shows the resulting amount so there is no guesswork.

Does the box 1 discount work?

Not yet. Box 1 is paid at checkout rather than by the app, so a discount on box 1 is saved but not applied. Boxes 2 and up work today. Set your offer to start at box 2 until box 1 support ships.

What counts as breaking the streak?

By default: the customer skips a delivery, a payment fails permanently, or the subscription is cancelled. Each of these is a separate setting you can turn off — for example you can let customers skip without losing the offer. Once an offer has ended it does not restart on its own.

Can a customer get the welcome offer twice?

No. Each customer can use it once. Cancelling and re-subscribing does not start a new offer, and if a customer has more than one subscription the offer follows the first one they started.

Can the first box discount stack with my other discounts?

You choose, under 'Combine the first box discount with…' in the Welcome offer card. By default it does not combine with product or order discounts, so a customer running a sale price cannot also take the welcome offer on the same box — that would discount the box twice. Shipping discounts are allowed by default. This applies to the first box only: later boxes are priced on the subscription itself, where Shopify's discount combination rules do not apply.

Does a free box include shipping?

No. A 100% discount applies to the meal plan only. If you charge shipping, the customer still pays shipping on that box, and the order is created and fulfilled exactly like any other box.

Are paid add-ons discounted too?

No. The welcome offer only discounts the meal plan. Any paid add-ons the customer selects for that delivery are charged at their normal product price.

What does the customer see?

In the customer portal they see a progress bar for the offer — which box they are on, what their next box costs, and, if you require consecutive boxes, a note that skipping ends it. If they try to skip a delivery they get a confirmation telling them exactly what they would give up. Without this the offer would not change their behaviour, so it is on by default and needs no setup.

Can I change one customer's offer?

Yes. Open that subscription in Subscriptions. If the customer is on a welcome offer, the Welcome offer card shows their progress and lets you end it, restore it, or resume it at a specific box — useful when you want to make an exception after a support conversation.

What happens when I turn the offer off?

New subscribers stop being enrolled immediately, and customers already on the offer stop receiving further discounts. Boxes already charged are not affected.