How to configure the trial period in TryBee?

Getting Started with TryBee: Enable Risk-Free Shopping in Minutes

TryBee empowers Shopify merchants to offer a structured Try Before You Buy experience, reducing purchase hesitation, lowering cart abandonment, and increasing conversion rates. By allowing customers to test products at home for 7–30 days with a small upfront charge, you create trust-driven buying experiences while maintaining full control over payments, inventory, and returns.

Ready to supercharge your store?🤔 Follow this quick setup guide to launch TryBee in minutes.

Setup Requirements

Before activating TryBee, ensure the following prerequisites are in place:

• An active Shopify store (any plan).

• Store Owner or Admin access (required for permissions and theme integration).

• TryBee installed via the Shopify App Store.

  
• A configured payment gateway (e.g., Shopify Payments or Stripe) to securely process deposits and post-trial charges.

Step-by-Step Onboarding Guide

Once installed, the TryBee dashboard presents a guided onboarding flow. Each step builds the operational foundation of your trial program.

Step 1: Configuring Your Try Before You Buy Plan

When you click Setup Plan, you are redirected to the Try Before You Buy Plan page.

It is where you define the operational structure of your trial program, including trial timelines, authorization limits, product eligibility, and customer purchase rules.

Each section below determines how your Try Before You Buy experience functions for customers and how payments are authorized and captured.

1. Trial Settings:

Configure the trial periods and authorization timeline

This section defines the complete lifecycle of a trial order, from order creation to final payment capture or return completion.

• Pre-Trial Period

(From order creation to trial beginning)

The Pre-Trial Period acts as a buffer between order placement and the start of the customer’s trial.

• This duration typically accounts for shipping and delivery time.

• The trial clock begins once delivery is confirmed.

• If delivery confirmation is not detected, the trial will automatically begin after the defined pre-trial duration.

• Trial Period

This is the core “try at home” duration.

• Defines how many days customers can test the product.

• During this period, only the checkout fee is charged.

• If the customer does not initiate a return before the trial ends, the remaining balance is automatically captured.

• Return Period

The Return Period begins after the trial period ends.

• Specifies the maximum number of days allowed to complete the return process.

• This gives customers a structured grace window.

• If the return period is disabled (checkbox selected), customers must return items within the trial window only.

Important: The total authorization duration = Pre-Trial Period + Trial Period + Return Period

This total determines how long payment authorization remains valid before final charge or release.

• Total Authorization Period

Displayed automatically at the bottom of the section.

This is the combined duration of all configured timelines. It ensures your payment gateway maintains authorization coverage for the entire trial lifecycle.

1. Try Before You Buy Rules:

This section controls purchase limits and prevents misuse.

Maximum Products Per Order

Defines how many trial-eligible products a customer can include in a single order.

• The limit is displayed to customers in the Try Before You Buy popup.

• The restriction is enforced during checkout.

1. Pay Just X Now:

Configure the upfront checkout charge

This section determines what customers pay at checkout when selecting Try Before You Buy.

You can choose between:

• Percentage (%)

• Fixed Amount ($)

Checkout Charge Amount

Set the amount customers must pay at checkout.

Example:

• 20% of product price Or $5 fixed charge

This amount is:

• Charged immediately at checkout

• Refunded if the product is returned

• Deducted from the total if the customer keeps the item

How it works:

• The customer pays the defined portion upfront.

• If they keep the product → remaining balance is automatically charged at the end of the trial.

• If they return the product → only the defined fee rules apply (based on your configuration).

Strategic consideration: A small upfront fee reduces fraudulent orders while keeping entry friction low.

4. Selected Items

Choose which products are eligible for Try Before You Buy

This section determines product eligibility.

You have two options:

• Include All Products

Enables Try Before You Buy for your entire catalog.

• Every product becomes trial-eligible.

• Ideal for stores fully committed to trial-based selling.

• Include Specific Products

Allows selective activation.

• Only chosen products will display the Try Before You Buy option.

• Useful for testing the feature with specific categories or high-margin products.

• Helps reduce inventory risk during initial rollout.

Note: If you experience an error while selecting Specific Products, scroll to the top of the Try Before You Buy Plan page and click Cancel Subscription. After confirming the cancellation, recreate a new campaign and configure the product selection again. This typically resolves temporary configuration conflicts.

After completing these steps, click on Save. Once saved, your Try Before You Buy structure becomes active and immediately applies to selected products.

Step 2: Select Products Eligible for Trials

Defining product eligibility allows you to control inventory exposure, monitor performance, and strategically introduce the Try Before You Buy model before expanding across your full catalog.

If product eligibility was already configured in a previous step, you may skip this section and simply click Mark as Done. Otherwise, follow the steps below to proceed.

Configuration Instructions:

1. Click Select Products to access the eligibility settings.

2. Choose how you would like to apply the trial feature:

3. All Products: Enables Try Before You Buy across your entire store catalog.

4. Specific Products or Collections: Limits eligibility to selected items or collections, allowing for controlled rollout (e.g., apparel, beauty, premium products).

5. Review your selected items to confirm accuracy.

   
6. Click Save Settings to apply changes instantly.

A phased or category-based rollout enables you to evaluate operational efficiency, monitor customer behavior, and optimize the trial structure before scaling store-wide.

Step 3: Activate the “Try Before You Buy” Button

Note: This step is optional. If the widget/block is not visible on your storefront, complete the following steps to properly display it on the frontend.

This step enables the customer-facing trial option on eligible product pages, making the Try Before You Buy program visible and accessible to shoppers.

Activation Instructions

1. From the TryBee dashboard, click Activate Extension.

1. You will be redirected to your Shopify Theme Embed settings.

2. Locate TryBee in the list of available app embeds.

3. Ensure the toggle is switched ON.

4. Click Save to apply the changes.

Once saved, the Try Before You Buy button will appear on all eligible product pages.

Activating the extension ensures customers can clearly see and select the Try Before You Buy option while browsing your products.

Step 4: Add the Product Page Block

Ensures prominent placement of the trial button, especially on custom or heavily modified themes.

Steps:

1. From the TryBee dashboard, click on Add Block.

1. It will redirect you to the Default Product Page.

1. Click Add Block → Try Before You Buy.

2. Position it above or below the Add to Cart button.

3. Save your changes.

Strategic placement increases visibility and improves trial engagement.

Step 5: Add the Customer Account Block

Adding the Customer Account Block gives shoppers clear visibility into their active trials. From their account area, customers can review trial status, track payments, and manage return requests, reducing support inquiries while improving transparency and trust.

Activation Instructions

1. From the TryBee Dashboard, click Add Customer Account Block.

1. You will be redirected to the Order Status / Customer Account customization page in Shopify.

2. Under the Apps section, locate TryBee: Try Before You Buy.

You will see two available blocks:

• TryBee: Order Status

• TryBee: Customer Portal

1. Click the “+” icon next to each block to add them to the layout.

5. Click on add to order status to add TryBee Order Status and then Save it.

6. Click on Accounts to add the TryBee Customer Portal page and then click on Save.

1. Position them appropriately within the page structure.

Optional: Add TryBee to the Customer Account Menu

To improve accessibility:

1. Select the Customer Portal block.

2. Click Add to Menu.

   
3. Save your changes.

   

This ensures customers can directly access the TryBee portal from their account navigation menu.

Once enabled, customers will be able to:

• View active and completed trials

• Monitor payment timelines

• Initiate or track returns

• Manage their Try Before You Buy orders independently

Properly configuring this section strengthens the post-purchase experience and supports a self-service workflow for trial management.

Final Verification

Before going live:

1. Open an eligible product page and confirm the trial button is visible.

2. Simulate checkout to validate fee logic.

3. Check the TryBee dashboard to confirm test trial data appears correctly.

Once verified, your program is fully operational.

You’re Ready to Launch

With TryBee configured, your store can now offer structured home trials that convert cautious browsers into confident buyers. Monitor early performance in the dashboard and refine product eligibility or fee structures as needed.

If you need assistance, you can contact our support team directly through the in-app chat within the dashboard or schedule a call with one of our experts for personalized guidance.