Defining Upgrade Paths

FluentCart's Upgrade Paths feature is a powerful tool for managing tiered products, especially for digital products with licenses and subscriptions. It allows you to create seamless and structured pathways for your customers to upgrade from a lower-tier product/license to a higher one, often by paying only the price difference or a prorated amount.

This streamlines the customer experience and encourages upsells, maximizing your store's lifetime value.

Accessing Upgrade Paths

Upgrade path settings are found within the Edit Product screen for individual products that support tiered offerings (typically digital products with licenses or subscriptions).

1. Navigate to FluentCart Pro > Products in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Edit an existing product that has multiple license tiers (e.g., "Fluent Forms").

3. On the Edit Product screen, click on the "Upgrade Paths" tab.

   

Understanding and Adding Upgrade Paths

The "Upgrade Paths" tab displays a table where you define the upgrade logic.

1. Adding a New Upgrade Path

1. Click the "+ Add Path" button at the bottom of the table.

2. A new row will appear, allowing you to configure the upgrade details:

   • From Plan: Select the specific product plan or license variation that a customer currently owns and wishes to upgrade from (e.g., "Single Site Yearly License").
   • To Plan: Select the higher-tier product plan or license variation that the customer can upgrade to (e.g., "5 Sites Yearly License" or "50 Sites Lifetime License").
   • Discount Amount: This field specifies the discount applied to the "To Plan" price during the upgrade. This is typically the value of the "From Plan" or a specific monetary discount.
   • Is Prorate: Select "Yes" or "No".
     • Yes (Prorated): This means the customer will receive credit for the unused portion of their existing "From Plan" license/subscription. This credit is then applied towards the cost of the "To Plan," ensuring they only pay the difference. This is commonly used for subscriptions.
     • No: The upgrade will simply apply the "Discount Amount" without considering any remaining value from the old plan.

3. After configuring the path, ensure you save your product settings by clicking the "Save" button on the bottom of the Edit screen.

   

2. Examples of Upgrade Paths

The table can display various configured paths, showing the flexibility of the system:

• Yearly to Yearly: Upgrade from a "Single Site Yearly License" to a "5 Sites Yearly License".
• Yearly to Lifetime: Upgrade from a "Single Site Yearly License" to a "Single Site Lifetime License" (often with prorated options).
• Tier-to-Tier: Moving from a lower tier to a higher tier within the same license type (e.g., 5 Sites Yearly to 50 Sites Yearly).

How Customers Upgrade Their Products

Once your upgrade paths are set up in the backend, the actual upgrade process is entirely self-serve and effortless for your customers. Here is exactly what they will see:

• Step 1: Access the Dashboard Your customer logs into their account and clicks on the Subscription Plans (or Licenses) tab in their sidebar menu. This brings up a list of all their active purchases.

• Step 2: View Plan Details They select the specific plan they want to upgrade (for example, "Carto App") to see their detailed subscription overview.

• Step 3: Click to Upgrade Right below their current billing terms and payment method, they will easily spot a prominent Upgrade Plan button.

• Step 4: Choose a New Package Clicking that button opens a simple "Upgrade Options" popup. Here, they can review the higher-tier plans you've made available, check the new price, and simply click the Upgrade button next to the one they want.

• Step 5: Instant Checkout They are immediately taken to the checkout page to finalize the transaction. A friendly notice confirms what they are upgrading to, and the order summary automatically calculates their new cost—applying any prorated discounts instantly!

Streamlined Customer Experience

Defining clear upgrade paths simplifies the process for your customers, allowing them to easily scale their usage or commitment without complex manual intervention or needing to purchase a new product entirely.