WooCommerce Setup - Integrating WooCommerce / Subscription inside your Dollie Hub
Never used WooCommerce before? Our docs do not cover the basics of WooCommerce so please refer to the WooCommerce Docs and this excellent video to help you get started
When developing Dollie we wanted to avoid re-inventing the wheel and give you as much flexibility as possible to sell your (Cloud) services. That's why we decided to tightly integrate Dollie with WooCommerce so you have the best eCommerce solution available with an rich ecosystem of extensions, payment gateways and excellent documentation.
In this document we'll cover how to create a WooCommerce (Subscription) product that can be configured to give your customers/clients access to your Cloud Services. It also gives some ideas on how to sell anything through your Hub (development, maintenance, consulting etc).
Creating the product to charge for your services works the same way as creating any product in WooCommerce.
Go to WooCommerce > Products > Add New Product
Give the product a name i.e "Starter Package"
Give it a description and featured image (optional).
Choose a product type (ie Simple Subscription) and configure pricing.
On the product page you'll see a unique metabox that allows you to configure the Dollie settings for this product. See the screenshot below.
Hopefully the settings speak for themselves but in essence they:
Allow you to control how many sites a customer/client can have under their control when subscribed to this product.
Set a maximum disk space for all their sites combined
You can also configure additional settings based on which Dollie modules you're using.
For example control the number of staging sites a customer/client can have if you're using our Staging add-on.
When you've created Blueprints you can assign them to a product and they will be available for use when the customer/client subscribes to this product. So you could make specific blueprint exclusive to a specific plan. i.e "VIP Package" gives access to VIP blueprints.
If you have a lot of Blueprint you can also do the reverse where you exclude Blueprints for a specific subscription. ie. "Starter Package" get access to all Blueprints except "VIP Blueprints".
Once you've configured the product you can publish it and it will be listed on the WooCommerce Products page(s). Now the next step is to let your customers sign-up for your services to start launching their sites. How you'd like to handle this is up to you but here are some common examples from our community that help you.
Perfect if you manage sites on behalf of your client. With this model you (or your team) take care of everything behind the scenes so that when everything is set up for your client, they simply login to your Hub where they can start their subscription, manage/view their sites and manage their account details..
Create a Product for this client i.e "Agency Services for CLIENTNAME" and set a (recurring) price/subscription.
Create a user account on behalf of your client in your Dollie Hub.
Launch their site(s) via your Hub and assign it to the clients user account.
Once everything is ready you send them an email with their login details
In the same email provide them with a one-click checkout link to start their subscription for your product "Agency Services for CLIENTNAME"
If you're using Dollie to create a SaaS where your customer has one (WordPress) site (i.e your SaaS product/App) you can use the following workflow. In this example we're assuming you've build your SaaS app using our Blueprint feature.
Create a WooCommerce product with a subscription (ie "SaaS App Subscription" for $29 per month) and link it to your "SaaS App" Blueprint.
Put the one-click checkout link for your "SaaS App" blueprint on your landing pages/email/social media.
When someone clicks this link they'll be guided through creating their account and subscribing to your product.
Once done the "SaaS App" blueprint will be launched and the customer will be able to access it via your Hub. They continue to have access to your SaaS App until they cancel their subscription.
Once they have signed up for your SaaS you can then upsell additional services/upgrade inside your Hub. For example premium support, 1 on 1 coaching, development service or anything else!
This model assumes you're building a WaaS where you have multiple Blueprints created that all have a unique design. i.e "Wedding Website, "Photography Website, "Business Website" etc.
Create a WooCommerce product with a subscription (ie "Starter" for $29 per month).
In the Blueprint Manager assign these Blueprints to your product. (ie assign "Wedding Website" to your "Starter" product).
On your landing pages use the shortcode (or Dollie Blueprints Elementor widget) to show all your pre-made sites to your visitors. Your customer can preview/demo all your designs and then choose which one they want to purchase by clicking the "Buy Now" button.
Finally they'll be guided through creating their account, setting up their subscription and launching their site inside your Hub. They continue to have access to their site until they cancel their subscription.
Hopefully the above examples give you a good idea on what's possible. You can create your own custom workflow/checkout flow to suit your use case. Once you understand how WooCommerce Products, Blueprints and the Dollie Hub work together you can easily create something unique for your business! If you need some guidance or recommendations for your specific use case please contact us and we'll be more than happy to help!
When developing Dollie we wanted to avoid re-inventing the wheel and give you as much flexibility as possible to sell your (Cloud) services. That's why we decided to tightly integrate Dollie with WooCommerce so you have the best eCommerce solution available with an rich ecosystem of extensions, payment gateways and excellent documentation.
In this document we'll cover how to create a WooCommerce (Subscription) product that can be configured to give your customers/clients access to your Cloud Services. It also gives some ideas on how to sell anything through your Hub (development, maintenance, consulting etc).
Creating a Product to sell your Cloud Services
Creating the product to charge for your services works the same way as creating any product in WooCommerce.
Go to WooCommerce > Products > Add New Product
Give the product a name i.e "Starter Package"
Give it a description and featured image (optional).
Choose a product type (ie Simple Subscription) and configure pricing.
Configure Dollie Product Setup
On the product page you'll see a unique metabox that allows you to configure the Dollie settings for this product. See the screenshot below.
Basic Settings
Hopefully the settings speak for themselves but in essence they:
Allow you to control how many sites a customer/client can have under their control when subscribed to this product.
Set a maximum disk space for all their sites combined
Add-on Settings
You can also configure additional settings based on which Dollie modules you're using.
For example control the number of staging sites a customer/client can have if you're using our Staging add-on.
Blueprint Settings
When you've created Blueprints you can assign them to a product and they will be available for use when the customer/client subscribes to this product. So you could make specific blueprint exclusive to a specific plan. i.e "VIP Package" gives access to VIP blueprints.
If you have a lot of Blueprint you can also do the reverse where you exclude Blueprints for a specific subscription. ie. "Starter Package" get access to all Blueprints except "VIP Blueprints".
Building the Checkout Flow for Customers
Once you've configured the product you can publish it and it will be listed on the WooCommerce Products page(s). Now the next step is to let your customers sign-up for your services to start launching their sites. How you'd like to handle this is up to you but here are some common examples from our community that help you.
Agency: White-Glove Example - Doing everything for the client.
Perfect if you manage sites on behalf of your client. With this model you (or your team) take care of everything behind the scenes so that when everything is set up for your client, they simply login to your Hub where they can start their subscription, manage/view their sites and manage their account details..
Example Workflow
Create a Product for this client i.e "Agency Services for CLIENTNAME" and set a (recurring) price/subscription.
Create a user account on behalf of your client in your Dollie Hub.
Launch their site(s) via your Hub and assign it to the clients user account.
Once everything is ready you send them an email with their login details
In the same email provide them with a one-click checkout link to start their subscription for your product "Agency Services for CLIENTNAME"
SaaS: One Site/App Per Subscription
If you're using Dollie to create a SaaS where your customer has one (WordPress) site (i.e your SaaS product/App) you can use the following workflow. In this example we're assuming you've build your SaaS app using our Blueprint feature.
Example Workflow
Create a WooCommerce product with a subscription (ie "SaaS App Subscription" for $29 per month) and link it to your "SaaS App" Blueprint.
Put the one-click checkout link for your "SaaS App" blueprint on your landing pages/email/social media.
When someone clicks this link they'll be guided through creating their account and subscribing to your product.
Once done the "SaaS App" blueprint will be launched and the customer will be able to access it via your Hub. They continue to have access to your SaaS App until they cancel their subscription.
Once they have signed up for your SaaS you can then upsell additional services/upgrade inside your Hub. For example premium support, 1 on 1 coaching, development service or anything else!
WaaS - Provide pre-made designs tied to a specific subscription with one-click checkouts for your customers.
This model assumes you're building a WaaS where you have multiple Blueprints created that all have a unique design. i.e "Wedding Website, "Photography Website, "Business Website" etc.
Example Workflow
Create a WooCommerce product with a subscription (ie "Starter" for $29 per month).
In the Blueprint Manager assign these Blueprints to your product. (ie assign "Wedding Website" to your "Starter" product).
On your landing pages use the shortcode (or Dollie Blueprints Elementor widget) to show all your pre-made sites to your visitors. Your customer can preview/demo all your designs and then choose which one they want to purchase by clicking the "Buy Now" button.
Finally they'll be guided through creating their account, setting up their subscription and launching their site inside your Hub. They continue to have access to their site until they cancel their subscription.
There are countless other setups possible, and we are always here to help.
Hopefully the above examples give you a good idea on what's possible. You can create your own custom workflow/checkout flow to suit your use case. Once you understand how WooCommerce Products, Blueprints and the Dollie Hub work together you can easily create something unique for your business! If you need some guidance or recommendations for your specific use case please contact us and we'll be more than happy to help!
Updated on: 27/02/2024
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