Offers

What is an Offer?

An Offer is the complete business configuration that defines how you sell your items. Think of it as the "business rules blueprint" that controls everything about a customer's purchase experience - from what they pay and when they're charged, to how often products ship and what happens during renewals.

The key insight: An offer isn't just about pricing. It's the central control system that manages the entire customer relationship for that product or service. While items define what you're selling, offers define how you sell it - and you need both to make any sale in Vrio.

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Remember: You cannot sell anything in Vrio without both an Item and an Offer

• Item = What you're selling (the product or service itself)
• Offer = How you're selling it (pricing, billing, shipping, automation)

Key Concepts

Before creating your first offer, understand these fundamental concepts that determine how offers behave:

Offer Types: One-Time vs. Recurring

Choose whether your offer is for a single purchase or an ongoing subscription. This fundamental decision affects how billing cycles, renewals, and customer management work.

• One-Time Sales: Single transaction, no renewals
• Recurring Subscriptions: Automatic renewals until cancelled

→ Learn more about offer types

Offer Configurations: Custom vs. Shared

Decide how to structure your offer based on what you're selling. Custom offers provide maximum flexibility for single items, while shared offers streamline selling multiple items with the same rules.

• Custom Offers: One item, complex configurations possible
• Shared Offers: Multiple items, consistent billing rules

→ Learn more about offer configurations

Understanding Offer Cycles

Every offer uses cycles to control the customer journey. Learn how cycles determine pricing changes, billing frequency adjustments, and subscription progression.

• Cycle Progression: How customers move through stages
• Cycle Configuration: Different settings per cycle

→ Learn more about offer cycles

Core Offer Capabilities

Every offer in Vrio manages the entire customer relationship across these core areas:

Billing Timing & Scheduling

Control when customers are charged through flexible billing schedules. Configure everything from simple monthly subscriptions to complex billing cycles with custom timeframes and payment recovery logic.

Configured at the offer level:

• Dunning schedule for automated payment retry and recovery

Configured at the offer cycle level:

• Billing frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, custom intervals)
• Charge trigger types (time of scheduled, time of completed, delivered package)
• Custom timeframes for specific billing dates
• Billing authorization and consent requirements

Example: A subscription that bills on the 1st of every month, with automated payment retry for failed charges.

→ Learn more: Billing Timing & Scheduling

Pricing Logic & Strategy

Determine how much customers pay based on offer type, item selections, and billing cycles. Each cycle can have completely different pricing, allowing for trials, introductory rates, and loyalty discounts.

Configured at the offer cycle level:

• Base pricing amounts per cycle
• Item and variation-specific pricing
• Shipping costs and handling fees
• Price minimums and maximum discount rules
• Quantity-based discounts

Example: A supplement subscription that charges $9.99 for the first month trial, then $29.99 monthly thereafter, with different pricing for bottle sizes.

→ Learn more: Pricing Logic

Shipping & Fulfillment Strategy

Control how and when products are delivered to customers, independent of billing schedules. Offers can handle complex fulfillment scenarios like prepaid shipping where customers pay once but receive multiple shipments, or situations where shipping frequency differs from billing frequency.

Configured at the offer cycle level:

• Shipping frequency and timing
• Shipping price per cycle
• Multiple shipments per billing cycle configuration
• Fulfillment delays and timing controls

Example: A prepaid coffee subscription where customers pay $89.99 once but receive 3 monthly shipments.

→ Learn more: Shipping & Fulfillment Guide

Customer Management

Set purchase restrictions and subscription controls that protect your business while giving customers flexibility. Configure limits on who can purchase, how customers can manage their subscriptions, and what changes they can make without contacting support.

Configured at the offer level:

• Purchase limits (one per customer, one per card)
• Pause and reactivation permissions
• Offer swapping capabilities
• Subscription management controls
• Customer self-service permissions

Configured at the offer cycle level:

• Skippable cycles and shipments
• Cycle-specific authorization requirements

Example: A trial offer limited to one per customer that allows pausing but not frequency changes.

→ Learn more: Customer Controls & Restrictions

Customer Communication & Automation

Configure automated email responses triggered by customer actions and lifecycle events. The responder system handles everything from welcome sequences to cancellation flows, keeping customers informed and engaged throughout their entire journey without manual intervention.

Configured at the offer level:

• Responder activation and overall email automation settings
• Customer communication preferences and opt-out controls
• Email template associations and branding consistency
• Automation triggers and business logic rules
• Postback URLs for external system notifications

Configured through responder system:

• Welcome emails and onboarding sequences
• Cancellation and decline notifications
• Shipping and delivery confirmations
• Refund and return processing alerts
• Pause, reactivation, and renewal reminders
• Gift claim notifications and fulfillment updates

Example: A subscription service that automatically sends a personalized email when customers pause, offering incentives to reactivate within 30 days.

→ Learn more: Responder System & Email Automation
→ Learn more: Postback URLs & Custom Workflows

Business Growth Tools

Advanced features for revenue optimization, including upsell configuration, quantity discounts, and return/refund automation. These tools help increase customer lifetime value and protect your business from fraud and abuse.

Configured at the offer level:

• Upsell flagging and configuration
• Return and refund processing rules
• Gift-ability settings

Configured at the offer cycle level:

• Quantity discounts and bulk pricing
• Volume-based incentives

Example: A skincare offer configured as an upsell with quantity discounts (buy 2, get 10% off) and automated return processing based on RMA status.

→ Learn more: Upsells, Quantity Discounts & Returns

Why Offers Matter

Offers are where your business model comes to life in Vrio. They transform your product ideas into actionable customer experiences, handling all the complex logic of modern e-commerce:

• Subscription flexibility without operational complexity
• Pricing strategies that adapt to different customer segments
• Shipping automation that scales with your business
• Customer self-service that reduces support load
• Automated communication that keeps customers engaged throughout their lifecycle
• Business optimization through upsells, trials, and retention features
• Revenue automation with smart responders and triggered actions

Remember: Everything your customers experience - from their first purchase to their final renewal, including every email they receive - is controlled by how you configure your offers. Take time to plan them carefully, as they form the foundation of your entire customer relationship and communication strategy.