How to configure Subscriptions in Limio Offers with External Price and Zuora Rate Plans

In this user guide, you will learn how to setup a Rate Plan in Zuora that is compatible with a Limio Offer while holding all pricing information in Zuora. As a reminder,

• A Zuora Rate Plan is the price defined in the Zuora Billing Product Catalog, which can include the one or multiple charges incurred by the customer.
• A Limio Offer is an 'enriched' view of the Zuora Rate Plan, including Display, Billing, and eCommerce Behaviour fields.

There are two primary ways you can configure a Limio Offer to work with Zuora:

Initial Price Price held in Limio and Zuora

External Price Price fully held in Zuora

Limio will define the Initial Price for the Initial Term. This is the price charged to the customer for the Initial Term. The Initial Price in Limio will override the pricing help in Zuora but only for the Initial Term. Once the initial term is over, the subscription will renew to the Zuora pricing. Why use this method? This is particularly useful if you'd like to have promotional pricing managed in Limio and if you use Limio for Salesforce. This allows to reduce product proliferation in the Zuora catalog, by only storing list prices or standard prices in Zuora and holding promotional pricing in Limio. Note that the promotional pricing will still make its way on each Zuora Subscription, so reporting isn't impacted.  When to avoid this method? If you are using a complex pricing in Zuora (for example usage-based with tiers), you cannot set the Initial Price in Limio.

Limio will let Zuora fully drive the prices, for both the Initial and Renewal Terms. In this case, Limio Offers will not hold any pricing information and will only refers to the Zuora Product Catalog. This is called External Pricing. Why use this method? This is particularly useful for complex pricing (e.g. tiered pricing). It also makes sense if third-party applications relies on the full catalog to be in Zuora. When to avoid this method? When your pricing is simple (e.g. 10€ per month) and your customers are very sensitive on performance (as external pricing requires API calls that are slower to preview the pricing).

⚠️This article will focus on External Price for subscription products. 

• For Initial Price documentation, including how to create tiered pricing, go to How to configure Limio Offers with Initial Price and Zuora Rate Plans.
• For other types of products:
  • One-Offs: How to configure a One-Time Offer
  • Gifts: How to sell gift products with Limio and Zuora
  • Discounts (%): How to create a Discount offer

This guide explains how to use the external price in Limio and the impact in the checkout.

Configuration

Setting Limio Offer with External Pricing

If you want to rely fully on the Zuora rate plan, use:

• Price: Click on the Price and toggle 'Use External Pricing'. Limio will not override the pricing in Zuora and the subscription will be set to whatever pricing is in Zuora. You must still define the currency.

• Zuora Product and Rate Plan: Define the Product and Rate Plan as above
• Term: The term defined here will be used for both the initial and renewal term.
  • The Limio Term you need to set when using the 'Use External Pricing' is the contractual initial and renewal term, as defined by Zuora. For example, if the customer is paying monthly but is committed for 12 months, then put 12 months.  (https://knowledgecenter.zuora.com/Billing/Subscriptions/Subscriptions/A_Subscription_Introduction)

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Setting the rate plan

Limio can sync in your Zuora Rate Plans, so make sure you have done that by selecting Operations -> Product Catalog and then hitting the sync button. Once that is done, just search for the one you need in Limio Offers > Products and add it.

How it will appear on the checkout

Limio's Checkout (Component: Single Page Checkout) will display the following information dynamically:

• Order line items for each Zuora Rate Plan Charges
  • Rate plan charges that are discounts will be presented differently to customers
• Total without tax
• Tax
• Total with Tax

If certain input such as Quantity or Billing Address change, all these values will be recalculated.

Additional Considerations

When using external price on a Limio Offer, the only information Limio has about the charges is the currency. Therefore in order to display the price to the customer at checkout, it is necessary for Limio to make an API call to Zuora after billing address details have been entered.  Zuora will then return the charge, including any tax (if you have added tax tables to Zuora) which can then be displayed in the checkout.

Known limitations

• Using External Price is not yet supported in Limio for Salesforce (Limio Managed Package)