When it comes to high-quality collectibles and representations of renowned franchise characters, two names stand out in the industry: Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant Ltd. These sister companies are revered for their dedication to detail, quality, and fan satisfaction, making them top suppliers to the specialty comic market.
Our team had the privilege of providing custom solutions for their BigCommerce stores, giving them more control over membership subscriptions, pre-order processes, shipping transparency, and more.
BigCommerce Customizations Enhancing Merchant Control and User Experience
Dedicated to bringing a diverse array of licenced products and collectibles to a global market, Diamond Select Toys (DST) and Gentle Giant are always looking to enhance their customers’ shopping experience while maintaining operational flexibility for their business.
Their team worked with our BigCommerce experts to implement the following:
- Custom membership renewal options
- Tailored pre-order experience
- Ability to apply coupons for pre-orders
- BigCommerce checkout customizations
- Greater transparency in estimated shipping costs
Subscription Billing Software for BigCommerce: Beyond Out of the Box
Ecommerce subscription models are on the rise, and requests for custom features are naturally more in demand than ever. Merchants require a greater level of control over membership options, subscription intervals, payment methods, etc.
The Chargify Commerce App is a flexible subscription app for BigCommerce that enables merchants to create and maintain subscription products in their catalog—and, with custom-developed enhancements, can do much more than standard subscription billing.
After encountering challenges with their prior recurring billing platform, Diamond Select Toys and Gentle Giant sought a more reliable solution with IntuitSolutions. Our experts tailored the Chargify Commerce app to provide unique features that surpass the capabilities of typical subscription management software.
Greater Flexibility in Membership Subscription Intervals
Traditional membership systems typically follow a linear model—a member subscribes on a particular date, and exactly one year later, the system triggers a renewal. But oftentimes, online merchants need more adaptive solutions.
In addition to preserving standard functionality for subscriptions to renew at a fixed period (e.g. one month or one year), Gentle Giant requested a custom application to generate renewals on a date independent of the initial product purchase date. This enables their customers to maintain their membership level without manually updating it themselves.
How it works:
- Custom application works with Chargify Commerce to handle a fixed renewal date for membership tiers (e.g. March 1)
- Customers join a tiered membership level at the time of product purchase
- Customers within this membership tier automatically renew on the established fixed date, not the date they signed up with their original purchase
- If subscription renewal fails, application will reset/revert customers to a defined customer group
Optimizing the Pre-Order Experience on BigCommerce
In an industry where enthusiasts eagerly anticipate product releases and high-demand items sell out quickly, having a robust and efficient pre-order management system was imperative for DST and Gentle Giant.
To meet this need, our BigCommerce developers implemented a custom application of Chargify Commerce. This solution was designed to facilitate pre-order creation based on real-time product availability and then utilize the system to effectively manage the customer’s pre-orders.
How it works:
- A specialized application allows for mass updates within Chargify Commerce, facilitating real-time adjustments to specific SKUs’ prices and fulfillment dates
- Customer credit card is used to authorize and hold a $0.01 transaction (per item) to create the Pre-Order
- Once the product becomes available, the credit card used to create the Pre-Order will be charged the Order total, including shipping and applicable taxes
- Once Pre-Orders are successfully processed, the orders are pushed to BigCommerce
- Prior to order dispatch, customers receive an email with precise shipping costs, informing them of any changes since the shipping estimate was provided at the time of Pre-Order
Custom Functionality for Applying Coupons to Pre-Orders
Coupons and discounts are serious business for ecommerce stores and their customers. While BigCommerce and other platforms support the standard application of immediate-use coupons, Gentle Giant needed to extend this functionality to allow customers to apply coupons on future transactions—when pre-orders are fulfilled.
For Gentle Giant, IntuitSolutions created a custom expansion for Chargify Commerce, allowing customers to utilize coupons on pre-order items and one-time purchases.
How it works:
- At the time a pre-order is placed, customers input their coupon
- The system logs the coupon details
- Once the order reaches its fulfillment stage, the coupon is applies
- Process is compatible with coupons available in the BigCommerce system
Customized BigCommerce Checkout with Real-Time Shipping Estimates for Pre-Orders
Transparent pricing—including shipping costs—is a cornerstone of a positive user experience.
While the companies’ existing systems did provide flat-rate shipping estimates for pre-orders, based on broad categories like ‘Ground’ or ‘Two-day’ at standardized rates, real-world factors like fluctuating fuel prices meant these estimates could be off the mark come fulfillment time.
Using a custom implementation of Ebizio Checkout, customers can now receive a real-time cost estimate for different shipping options as if the pre-ordered item were in-stock and shipped that day.
How it works:
- Customer adds the pre-ordered item to their cart
- Customer enters their address at checkout
- Real-time shipping options and estimates pull from Shipper HQ
- Instead of a flat estimate rate, customers see an accurate shipping estimate based on the item being shipped that day
Need a Custom Solution for BigCommerce? We’re Here to Help.
Whether you have a specific feature in mind to improve shopper engagement or need custom functionality to streamline your online store’s operations, our team is here to help.
From minor theme tweaks to complex, custom ecommerce development, we pride ourselves on providing BigCommerce solutions that cater to your business needs.
Send us a message or call us at 866-901-4650 to discuss how we can assist with your project.
