Checkout links are URLs that take customers directly to a checkout page with pre-selected subscription options, eliminating the need to navigate product pages or manually choose a delivery frequency or purchase type.
This article covers what checkout links are, how to create them, how customers experience them, and how to track their performance.
What are checkout links?
Checkout links are single-click URLs that take customers directly to a checkout page with the intended selling plan, product quantity, and discounts already applied. Customers don't need to browse, search, or add items manually.
This feature is part of Loop's acquisition suite, designed to help brands convert one-time buyers and repeat purchasers into subscribers.
Use cases:
Brands primarily use checkout links in two ways:
Email marketing: Embed checkout links in email campaigns targeting repeat customers who haven't subscribed yet.
Offline stores: Generate a QR code and display it on product shelves to convert walk-in customers into subscribers. This works well for businesses like bakeries or wine shops.
Key highlights
Centralized link management: All active checkout links are available in one place, so you don't need to maintain them across separate sheets.
Performance tracking: Track clicks, conversions, and revenue for each link individually and at an overall level.
UTM/campaign parameters: Configure UTM parameters to track checkout sessions in third-party pixel trackers based on traffic source, campaign name, and other parameters.
Reliable checkout experience: Checkout links are built for a consistent and stable checkout experience.
Creating checkout links
You can easily create Checkout links and start leveraging them to simplify your subscription purchase journey, making it faster and more convenient for your customers to subscribe with just a single click.
Follow these steps to complete the process:
Navigate to Loop admin > Acquire > Checkout links, then click Create checkout link.
Fill in the required fields:
Link name: Enter a name to help distinguish this link in the list view.
Order items: Select the products in the required quantities along with the relevant purchase option (one-time or subscription), including a specific selling plan if applicable.
Discount code (optional): Enter a Shopify discount code. Make sure the discount code is applicable for the subscription purchase option.
Configure UTM/campaign parameters (optional): Set up UTM parameters to track checkout behavior from different traffic sources and campaigns. Click Generate to create and save your checkout link.
Share the generated link with customers for them to experience the quick checkout.
All newly created checkout links appear in the list view.
Customer experience
When a customer clicks a checkout link or scans a QR code, they go through the following steps:
The customer clicks the link or scans the QR code.
A loader appears briefly while Loop adds the required product variants and discount code (if applicable).
The checkout screen loads with the configured products, pre-applied discount (if eligible), and UTM parameters attached to the checkout URL.
Performance tracking
Once your checkout links are live, you can track performance at both the individual link level and overall level. The metrics tracked at each level are:
Link performance: Clicks, Conversion, and Checkout revenue.
Overall performance: Click, Conversion, Checkout revenue, MRR added.
Checkout analytics: Use third-party pixel trackers to analyze checkout behavior based on UTM parameters attached to links. Loop does not provide checkout behavioral analytics.
Metrics glossary
Metrics | Definition |
Total clicks | Total number of times Loop checkout links were clicked or accessed, including failures. |
Overall conversion | Percentage of clicks that resulted in a successful checkout order. |
Checkout revenue | Revenue generated by checkout orders from customers who came via Loop checkout links. |
MRR added | Monthly recurring revenue added by subscriptions created via Loop checkout links. |
Considerations
Keep the following in mind when using checkout links:
Products unavailable: If any order item is unavailable for sale on the online store, customers see an error screen and are redirected to the home page.
Ineligible or inactive discounts: Products are added to checkout, but the discount is not applied if the configured discount code is inactive or ineligible when the link is clicked.
Prepaid selling plans: As of January 6, 2025, checkout links cannot be generated for prepaid selling plans.
Bundle: As of January 6, 2025, checkout links cannot be generated for BYOB bundles.
FAQs
Can I add a checkout link with Klaviyo to buy products or create a new subscription?
Can I add a checkout link with Klaviyo to buy products or create a new subscription?
You can create a checkout link and use that url on Klaviyo. Once the customer clicks the url, it will redirect them to the checkout page with the products added to the checkout url.
The same method can be used to achieve a subscription purchase.
The checkout link is taking me to the website instead of the subscription checkout. How can I resolve this?
The checkout link is taking me to the website instead of the subscription checkout. How can I resolve this?
If the checkout link is taking me to the website instead of subscription checkout, there could be an issue with the quantity not being a positive number for that product. Kindly verify the quality and get in touch with us if the issue still persists.
I created a checkout link, but it’s missing some frequency options I added later- why is this happening, and how do I fix it?
I created a checkout link, but it’s missing some frequency options I added later- why is this happening, and how do I fix it?
When you generate a checkout link in Shopify, it locks in only the frequency options (selling plans) that exist at that moment. For example, if you create a checkout link when you only have a “Monthly” option, but later add “Weekly” and “Bi-Weekly” frequencies, the old link won’t automatically show these new options.
Scenario:
You created the checkout link when only 1 frequency was active.
Later, you add 2 more frequencies to your selling plan.
Customers using the original link will still see only the old frequency - the new ones won’t appear.
How to fix it: You’ll need to create a new checkout link after adding any new frequency options. The new link will include all the updated frequencies you’ve configured, so your customers can choose from the full list.
Tip: Always review your selling plans before creating new checkout links to make sure everything is up to date.
Why am I not able to create a subscription for a customer?
Why am I not able to create a subscription for a customer?
If a customer doesn’t have a saved payment method, you won’t be able to create the subscription manually through the Admin portal.
In such cases, the recommended approach is to generate a checkout link and share it with the customer. This link will take them directly to a pre-filled checkout page, allowing them to complete the purchase and automatically create a subscription in Loop.
Need help?
No worries - we're here for you!
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to email us at [email protected] or chat with us using the support beacon at the bottom right of your screen.
Regards,
Loop subscriptions team 🙂