Build a Costco-style membership on Shopify
Sell an annual membership with a clear savings promise. Choose member pricing, restricted products or both, then test the offer from joining through renewal and cancellation.
Memberply Growth: US$49/month, unlimited members and a 14-day app trial.
Turn the paid-access idea into your own offer
A Costco-style membership on Shopify means customers pay to join a retail club and receive defined benefits. Your store might offer a member discount, access to selected products or both. You do not need to restrict the whole store or copy another retailer’s prices and benefits.
Start with customers who already buy repeatedly. Check whether their normal eligible spending would make membership useful, then model what the benefits cost you. A frequent buyer and an occasional gift shopper may reach very different conclusions.
“Costco-style” describes the model only. Memberply is not affiliated with Costco. Use your own brand and membership terms. For the wider strategy, see the paid loyalty program guide.
Choose member pricing, restricted purchasing or both
| Model | Customer promise | Implementation check |
|---|---|---|
| Member savings club | Anyone can buy; eligible active members receive a discount. | Configure the member discount and exclusions. A member price is a saving, not a purchase restriction. |
| Members-only products | Only signed-in active members in eligible tiers can buy selected products. | Configure exclusive product access, theme messaging and checkout protection. Keep the membership product available to join. |
| Combined club | Members get savings on regular products plus access to an exclusive range. | Test discount eligibility and purchase eligibility separately. An item can be restricted without having a discount. |
Memberply’s member discount supports percentage or fixed savings, minimum requirements and product or collection exclusions. This is not a promise of arbitrary wholesale price lists or automatic quantity pricing.
For exclusive products, the shopper must already be an active member of an allowed tier. Adding a membership and a restricted product to the same cart does not establish eligibility. Use a join-first flow, confirm activation, then have the customer sign in and shop.
Worked example: a $60 annual savings club
Illustrative merchant offer: “Pay $60 per year for 10% off eligible products.” Exclude products that cannot support the discount and state those exclusions before purchase. This is a sample offer for your customers, not Memberply’s app price or Costco’s membership price.
| Eligible annual spend before the discount | Discount savings at 10% | Savings minus the $60 fee |
|---|---|---|
| $300 | $30 | -$30 |
| $600 | $60 | $0 |
| $1,200 | $120 | +$60 |
The discount-only break-even is $60 ÷ 10% = $600 of eligible annual spending. Below that amount, the discount alone does not cover the fee. The example excludes shipping, taxes, returns and any additional perks. It does not assume that joining makes someone buy more.
Customer value is different from merchant profit. At $1,200 of eligible spending, the example gives away $120 in discounts and collects a $60 fee: a $60 reduction before any change in purchasing, product costs, payment fees or software. Assess the program against what those customers would have bought without membership.
Use the membership discount profit calculator to explore your margins. Add credit, shipping subsidies or gifts only after budgeting them; do not count unused rewards or unproven repeat purchases as guaranteed profit.
Choose annual renewal or fixed-term access
| Offer | Memberply configuration | What customers need to understand |
|---|---|---|
| Annual recurring membership | Choose a Yearly tier. | The customer agrees to recurring annual charges. State the fee, renewal terms and cancellation policy clearly. |
| One-year access without automatic renewal | Choose a One-time payment tier and configure a one-year benefit expiry. | Access has a defined end date. This is different from a yearly subscription and should not be described as automatically renewing. |
Create your membership tier before configuring its benefits. Published billing frequency is locked, so use a new tier to change the billing schedule. For recurring tiers, choose whether cancellation ends benefits immediately or at the end of the billing cycle.
Do not assume cancellation also refunds the fee or removes previously issued store credit. Verify those separate policies before describing your offer. If you add store credit, explain its grant timing, redemption and any expiry through the store-credit benefit setup.
Check online and in-store workflows separately
Online, give shoppers an obvious way to join and sign in. Use a membership landing page for the fee, terms, exclusions and savings example. Product-page upsells can help explain member pricing, but a displayed price is not proof that checkout eligibility is configured correctly.
In Shopify POS, staff select the customer before checking membership status and available benefits. Memberply can add an available membership tier to the POS cart. Recurring membership sales require POS Pro at the location, Shopify Payments, POS version 10.13 or later, the required staff permission and customer details. Review the Memberply POS guide and Shopify’s current POS subscription requirements.
Product purchase protection is a separate issue. Shopify cart-and-checkout validation does not run in POS or on recurring subscription orders. Do not advertise a universally enforced members-only store based on online validation alone. Define and test a staff process for restricted in-store products. See Shopify’s validation compatibility reference.
Test the full membership journey before launch
Keep a record of each result, the account used and any unresolved issue. Use controlled purchases and account for real payment or order charges.
| Stage | Test | Expected evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Join | Buy the membership with a new customer account. | Correct fee and annual plan, clear recurring terms, and successful membership activation. |
| Save | Buy an eligible item and an excluded item while signed in. | Only the eligible amount receives the intended discount. Repeat with promotions you plan to combine. |
| Access | Try a restricted product as a guest, non-member, eligible member and wrong-tier member. | Only the permitted active member can complete the supported online checkout. Check direct cart links and accelerated checkout. |
| Use POS | Select the customer, inspect status, then test the membership sale and promised perks. | Correct tier and payment flow. Staff understand that online purchase validation does not enforce POS restrictions. |
| Renew | Review renewal setup and arrange a controlled test with support if needed. | You understand successful and failed payment handling. A 14-day app trial does not demonstrate a full annual renewal cycle. |
| Cancel or expire | Cancel a recurring membership or verify the fixed-term end date. | Benefits end according to your chosen policy. Verify the customer’s access and any separate credit or refund rules. |
Start with one tier and a small pilot audience. Measure paid joins, benefit use, cancellations, actual renewals and contribution after reward costs. Compare against normal purchasing patterns; membership revenue alone does not establish success.
What does the membership software cost?
Memberply Growth is US$49/month with unlimited members, a 14-day app trial and 0% Memberply transaction fees. Shopify charges, payment processing and the benefits you fund are separate. Verify the current app pricing and Shopify App Store listing.
Choose Memberply when your offer depends on paid tiers and retail benefits. If you need automatic product shipments, dedicated wholesale pricing or a different access model, evaluate those requirements separately. Use the paid membership app buyer checklist or membership app comparison, then follow the launch guide.
Costco-style Shopify membership questions
Can I create a Costco-style membership on Shopify?
Yes. You can sell a paid membership and attach configured retail benefits such as member discounts or exclusive product access. Define your own offer, billing terms and eligibility rules. Memberply is not affiliated with Costco.
Do I have to make the entire store members-only?
No. You can keep ordinary shopping available to everyone and give eligible members a discount. Restrict selected products only if exclusive purchasing is part of your offer.
Is member pricing the same as members-only product access?
No. Member pricing changes the eligible customer’s price. Exclusive product access controls who may buy a selected product. Configure and test the two rules separately.
Can a customer join and buy restricted products in the same cart?
Adding a membership to the cart does not make a new customer an active member. For restricted products, use a join-first flow, confirm activation and have the customer sign in before purchasing.
How much should I charge for an annual membership?
Base the fee on usable customer value and sustainable benefit costs. In the illustrative $60 annual club with 10% off eligible products, discounts alone cover the fee at $600 in eligible annual spending. This is an example, not a recommended price for every store.
Can I sell one year of access without automatic renewal?
Yes. A one-time membership tier can have a one-year benefit expiry. A Yearly tier instead uses recurring billing. Explain which offer the customer is buying.
Will online members-only purchase restrictions work in Shopify POS?
Do not assume so. Shopify cart-and-checkout validation does not run in POS. Memberply’s POS integration supports membership status and available benefits, but restricted in-store purchasing needs a separately verified staff process.
What happens when an annual member cancels?
For recurring tiers, Memberply lets you choose whether benefits end immediately or at the end of the billing cycle. Verify the configured policy and separately explain refunds and any previously issued credit.
Ready to build your annual membership?
Create your first tier and test the offer with a 14-day app trial.