Tip #7 : Integrating online forms with Zoho Subscriptions

Tip #7 : Integrating online forms with Zoho Subscriptions

Hello everyone,

We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions. This week, we will be looking at how you can integrate online forms with Zoho Subscriptions.

Business Scenario:

In many subscription box businesses, their primary need is to personalize the subscription box according to their customer's preferences. In such cases, businesses will collect their customers' preferences before they check out.

Usually, businesses use online form building applications to collect customers' preferences. These applications offer customization options which helps businesses to design the form so that it's easier for customers to select their preferences. The forms usually contain a series of questions with multiple choices.

Typically, when customers want to subscribe to a box, they select the box, choose their preferences and the business will redirect them to the payment page. Here, they pay and a subscription will be initiated for them.

In Zoho Subscriptions, we provide the Hosted Payment Page to collect the customer's payment information securely which can be used as the checkout page. However, in this scenario we're looking at today, the business would ideally want to integrate the form building application with Zoho Subscriptions to save customers' preferences along with the subscription details.

Let's consider the following scenario to understand this better. Zylker Beauty runs a subscription box business that ships personalized makeup and beauty products every month. They use a third-party online form builder to collect the customers' preferences like the color of their eyes, hair etc. This helps the business to find the right products for their customers.

After the customers select their preferences, Zylker Beauty uses Zoho Subscriptions' Hosted Page to check them out and start their subscription. However, they need their customers' preferences to be saved along with the corresponding subscription details in Zoho Subscriptions.

To implement this process, we use the API Hosted Page which saves customers' preferences and generates a customized payment URL. The customized payment URL will reflect the customer's preferences. This way, the business can use the form builder application to customize the form and integrate it with Zoho Subscriptions at the same time.

How can you do it?

 For our explanation today, we will be using JotForm as the form builder. You can view the form that we've built to address the above scenario. JotForm lets you send the submitted date (customer's preferences) via a HTTP POST method. All you have to do is:
  1. process the submitted data;
  2. send it to Zoho Subscriptions server; and
  3. redirect the customer to the customized Hosted Payment Page.
In Zoho Subscriptions, we will create Custom Fields for the Subscriptions module to save the customer's preferences and map those preferences to the custom fields. You have to write a script to send an API call to Zoho Subscriptions server with all the data obtained from the form and retrieve the customized hosted payment page URL. Later, you can load this URL for your customers to check out.

There are two ways in which you can do this;

1. Create a custom PHP page:

You can create  your PHP script and deploy it in your server to process the submitted date. Access the code in GitHub.
  • Create a PHP web page using your text editor.
  • For the above example, you can copy-paste the code available in GitHub.
  • Modify the code based on your requirement.
  • Save the file with extension .php.
  • Deploy it in your website and configure the correct URL in the JotForm's Thank You page.
2. Use Google Cloud Function:

If you cannot host a PHP script in your website, don't worry. Google Cloud Functions can act as your script that processes the submitted data.

You can invoke the cloud functions with HTTP requests and configure them to meet our need. Learn more about cloud functions and get started. Once you complete the initial setup and enable the Cloud Functions API, follow the steps below:

  • Visit Google Cloud Functions and click the Create Function button at the top.
  • Provide a suitable name for the function and select the Trigger as HTTP.
  • The source code would be written in the Inline Editor with Node.js 6 runtime environment. So, configure them accordingly.
  • Next, copy the code from GitHub and modify it to suit your needs.
  • Create the function and configure the HTTP trigger URL in the JotForm's Thank You page.
Once the Thank You page of JotForm is successfully configured to redirect to one of the above URLs, the script will be executed successfully and your customers will be redirected to the hosted payment page to check out.

For further clarification, you can checkout this  video to understand this integration. 

Found this useful? Try it our for your subscriptions business and let us know. If you have any queries, feel free to comment below. We are here to answer them.

Cheers,
Sasidaran K,
Zoho Subscriptions.



      • Sticky Posts

      • Tip #4 : Refer and Earn Workflow system for your Subscription Business

        Hello everyone, We've been coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your business. In continuation to the previous post, this week we will be seeing about how you can implement the Refer and Earn Workflow system to acquire more customers. Why are Referrals important? Customer Acquisition is crucial for any business to sustain itself in a constantly evolving market. It involves persuading new consumers to purchase your products. Customers

      • Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

        Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date. Business Scenario: In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's

      • Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

        Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business. Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business: While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can

      • Tips And Tricks - Announcement

        Hello everyone, Every business is unique and each of them follows a specific workflow. While managing your customers' subscriptions with Zoho, you might have some needs unique to your business. Custom Functions helps you address such needs. This is a start to a series of posts, where we will be coming up with a custom function workflow every week that addresses specific business scenarios. Watch this space for further updates! Also, if you have any specific business scenario which needs to be addressed,

      • Tip #6 : Accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions

        Hello everyone, We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which you can implement for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about implementing the Approval Workflow system. This week, let's look at how you can access external URLs with the help of Custom Link. Business Scenario: Every business functions differently and has its unique requirements. At times, businesses might want to access other websites or applications by appending specific information

        • Recent Topics

        • Emailing lookup field but placing this as an ID or number rather than text

          Hi there, First time poster and have been a user of Zoho Creator for approx 6weeks so forgive my ignorance as I learn to code. We have a need to send an email to a specific email address with some of the fields triggered by the submission of a form. In

        • JOB Sheet can not send PDF as service rapports and more info needed other topic

          Goedendag, - Jullie hebben nu job sheet erin gedaan en dar is echt super goed, enkel kunnen we de werkbon ( JOB sheet) nu niet verzenden als PDF als een service rapport naar onze hoofdaannemer hoe we dat nu doen als bewijs van de levering van het werk

        • Tax Deduction at Source (TDS)

          I issued a sale invoice outside UAE , the customer apply TDS on the invoice , i checked my Zoho ( professional version ) i couldn't find the option of Enable TDS to let it appear while posting the incoming payment , please how to make it and how to configure

        • UNAPPROVED record management

          When the unapproved list of duplicates is long, one needs the some tools to manage them - when this list has over 1500 records, we cannot manage it without some tools, such as: 1. The ability to apply a filter - ie similar to creating a CREATE a NEW VIEW

        • Zoho mail filter Add to WorkDrive doesnt't work

          Hello, We have a problem with using the filter in the email. So, we want that when a bulk payment confirmation from the online store arrives, this email is automatically saved in HTML format on the drive using the action 'Add to Zoho WorkDrive -> Email

        • Introducing Zia GenAI: Zoho's Native Generative AI for Zoho Desk

          Hello everyone, Zia GenAI is available on Early Access for Zoho Desk Enterprise subscribers. Kindly fill out this Registration Form to request early access. We are excited to announce the Beta release of Zia GenAI in Zoho Desk, now available through our

        • Add blueprint buttons to listview and kanban

          Hello, just started to use the Blueprints feature - really useful. I have one suggestion to help this work even better - can there be transition buttons that appear on the top of listview & Kanban? Maybe an option as well - "Blueprint transitions appear

        • Deleted message in SPAM

          In one of my gmail accounts (getnickifit@gmail.com) I had an email from PayPal in the SPAM folder. I thought I was moving the message to the inbox from the zoho mobile but it looks like it was deleted. It is no where to be found--inbox, trash, etc. Can it be restored?

        • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

          Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files

        • Multiple Facebook Pages under Single Brand

          Hi everyone, I'd like to know if there is a possibility of connecting multiple Facebook pages under a single brand on Zoho? At the moment, there are different Facebook pages of a single brand and would want to keep under the same brand on Zoho as we

        • Zoho Books Estimate to Zoho CRM quote?

          I'm not sure why this isnt automatic, but maybe I'm missing something. When we create a quote in zoho books we have a custom function that pushes the contact into a deal within the CRM. I can not for the life of me figure out how to push an estimate from

        • Zoho Developer Hangout (ZDH) – Episode 17 | Optimizing Organizational Processes through Automation

          Hey developers! Running a business can get quite overwhelming especially when juggling multiple tools like those in the Zoho ecosystem. Although integrating most of them is a piece of cake, manual intervention is needed at times. Being able to automate

        • User Emails Blocked

          Community: I keep running into issues where our users stop receiving notifications from CRM because their email addresses get blocked in on the backend some how. I reach out to support, they confirm, they fix, and we carry on, but then it happens again.

        • Organization Variables - Restrict Access

          Currently, there is no way to restrict the access to organization variables. This leads to a problem when storing API related values that should be kept secret as anyone with access to create and edit email templates, workflow rules, or inventory templates

        • Apple Messages for Business in Omnichannel communications?

          Hello, Apple launched "Apple Messages for Business" but Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk don't appear in the list of possible integrators. Zoho already promotes https://www.zoho.com/crm/omnichannel.html Omni Channel integration, but Apple Messages does not yet appear.

        • Kaizen #140 - Integrating Blog feed scraping service into Zoho CRM Dashboard

          Howdy Tech Wizards! Welcome to a fresh week of kaizen. This week, we will look at how to create a dashboard widget that displays the most recent blog post of your preferred products/services, updated daily at a specific time. We will leverage the potential

        • Schedule meeting monthly on a particular day

          Suppose I wanted to schedule HR meeting every month on the first Tuesday with each employee separately for 20 minutes each. How could I automate these type of meetings? And if Sunday occurs on the first Tuesday I would like to shift that meeting on next

        • In ZohoCRM Dashboards - Editing Shown Columns on Drilldown of Components

          Hello! I'm working with some Dashboards inside of ZohoCRM. When creating a component (In this case, specifically a KPI Ranking Component), I'd like to customize which fields show when trying to drilldown. For example, when I click on one of the sales

        • Multibrand Help Center - Share knowledge base catgories between multiple departments

          Hello, I would like to know if it is possible to share categories between multiple departments when the multi brand feature is enabled. So that then one portal exists per department, but certain categories are visible in multiple portals. After all, we

        • Added Domain but SSL is not being set properly

          We added a Domain for our landing page and it pushed an SSL cert to it. The Cert is generated by LetsEncrypt, but it doesn't match our subdomain (i.e., it's just pointing to zohosites.com). How do we get the cert properly setup there?

        • Zoho CRM Widget not displaying 2 related lists (JS)

          Okay so I basically have 2 relatedLists that I want to get and render: ZOHO.CRM.API.getRelatedRecords({ Entity: data.Entity, RecordID: data.EntityId, RelatedList: "Notes", page: 1, per_page: 200, }) ZOHO.CRM.API.getRelatedRecords({ Entity: data.Entity,

        • Sharing Knowledge Base articles across multiple departments

          It would be useful to share some Knowledge Base articles across multiple departments where they are applicable, rather than having to go into other departments to find the article you're looking for. For example. Our reception uses the 'Admin' desk whereas our IT guys use the 'Support' desk, however both divisions would find KB articles about our company intranet useful. Reception does not have access to the support desk, so cannot see articles created in the Support KB. Perhaps you could install

        • Iteration through a list - Coming up against a "Failure to update function" error

          Hi there! I've been attempting to get a deluge script working and am running into an error that I have been unable to resolve. The error I am getting is Failed to update function Error at line :18. Improper Statement. Error might be due to missing ';'

        • KPI widget with percentage

          I'm trying to create a KPM widget that displays current performance as a percentage - something like the picture below. I've tried following the instructions at https://www.zoho.com/analytics/help/dashboard/kpi-widgets.html#chart but nothing ends up being

        • Canvas List View Not Saving

          Hi, I am trying to edit a list view to look different depending on the tags. Everything worked well and saved well with multiple views, but when I have gone back in to make some small changes like moving one of the icons it comes up with the error message

        • Team Inbox is not working AGAIN

          I like Team Inbox in general. It makes using a collaborative inbox easy - when it works. The problem is that it doesn't work at times - and it seems to not work, a lot. It's not catastrophic failure, it's little things. Unable to send messages Unable

        • QR code image is not exported in PDFs

          The new QR code field works fine when I include it in a report template and I choose the print option: https://creatorapp.zoho.com/<username>/<app_link_name>/record-print/<report_link_name>/<record_ID>/ But when I try to save the document to a .pdf file

        • QR codes in templates

          I'm excited about the new QR code generator. I have included a QR code that contains the record ID setting "${ID}" as input data. In the report detail it works perfectly but when printing it in a template the code is not shown.

        • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

          Hi Support, Can you tell me why number was marked as spam. I have having difficult to add my number as you keep requesting i must use it. My number is +63....163 Or is Zoho company excluding Philippines from their services?

        • geographic search filter in map view

          Hi, I have a recruiting and timesheet system built in Creator. The client wants to enhance the search for candidates based on their location and filter by job skills - currently they look on the Map View which uses the geo location or post code of the

        • Real Estate CRM

          How can I tailor my CRM for real estate? I had seen an image where the CRM included property tabs.

        • Zoho CRM search not working

          The search bar is not showing any results in our CRM installation. We have a lot of items and can not search them by using the navigation each time. Can someone please check this asap.

        • Reload page with widget

          Hi all, I hope I can find some help here. I developed a small widget for Creator that is integrated into a page as a component. The page contains other content as well. When the widget is sent, the entire page should be reloaded to apply the changes to

        • Tip of the week #37 - Manage all your Telegram business conversations directly from your shared inboxes.

          Tired of switching between multiple apps to manage your business conversations? With Zoho TeamInbox's multichannel inboxes, connect your Telegram channel to a shared inbox. This way, your teams can easily handle c View, reply, and collaborate on them

        • Tags on notes aren't syncing correctly on Android

          I've created notes on the desktop version that have several tags assigned, but on both my Android devices those notes only have ONE of those tags instead of all of them, despite the actual content of the note being correctly synced, and I'm also starting

        • Reports - custom layout - duplicate report

          Do you also have this problem and what is the possible solution? I duplicate a report that has a "custom layout". Unfortunately the custom layout is not duplicated. To be improved for a future release by Zoho. I export the custom layout and import it...

        • "Copy Field Values from one Module to another" how to use?

          Hi everyone! I'm sorry if this question was already asked, I didn't find it! So let me explain:  In my Tickets module, we have the custome field "customer type" where we indicate if it's a lead, user, etc... In the Contact module I used the "type" field with exactely the same entries. I would like when in the tickets module an operator choose an option that it automatically update it in the contact module. I found the "Copy Field Values from one Module to another" custom function which seems perfect

        • How to map a global picklist from one module to another

          Hi there, i currently have a new field that is called sales office which we use for permission settings between our different offices located in different countries. It is a global set picklist with three different options: MY, SG and VN. I want to be

        • Pageless mode needed to modernise Writer

          When we switched from GSuite to Zoho, one of the easiest apps I found to give up, was Docs. In many ways, Writer has always been more powerful than Docs, especially in terms of workflows/fillable forms/etc. However, I went back into Docs because I notice

        • Changing the Logo Size on Zoho Sites

          My company logo incorporates both an image and text, and I would like it to be much more prominent on the page than is currently allowed by the small logo box in the template.  Is there any way to hide the page name and then make the logo box much bigger since my company name and logo are connected / are all in one file?  Thank you. 

        • Next Page