Fulfillment & Releases
Releases
Releases are ad-hoc fulfillment events for release-based clubs where you decide when to offer items and members participate individually.
Releases
Releases are how you send items to members of release-based clubs, memberships or programs. Unlike subscription clubs that follow a fixed schedule, releases happen on your terms - you create a release whenever you have items ready to offer, and members participate in each one individually. This guide covers every screen, button, and step involved in opening, charging, fulfilling and completing releases. Each release has its own page under Fulfillment > Runs (/hq/runs), and its orders are also on Fulfillment > Orders (/hq/orders).
What Is a Release?
A release is an ad-hoc fulfillment event. You decide when to release items, you set the dates, and members make their selections and get charged for that specific release. There is no recurring billing cycle - members pay only when a release happens.
This model works well for businesses that produce in batches, offer seasonal collections, or want the flexibility to release items on their own schedule rather than on a fixed monthly or quarterly cadence.
Release Statuses
Every release has one of these statuses, displayed as a badge next to the release name in the header:
| Status | Badge Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| READY_TO_OPEN | Ready to Open | The release has been created but not yet opened. Templates are assigned and you can open it at any time. |
| SCHEDULED | Scheduled | The release has a future open date. It will open automatically on that date, or you can open it manually before then. |
| OPEN | Open | The release is live. Members can browse available items and make their selections. New members can be added. |
| SELECTION_CLOSED | Selection Closed | The selection period has ended. Members who didn't choose have their defaults auto-confirmed. Ready for charging. |
| CHARGING | Charging | Payment processing is actively running for this release. |
| CHARGED | Charged | All eligible members have been charged (or attempted). Ready to start fulfillment. |
| FULFILLING | Fulfilling | Orders are being prepared, shipped, or picked up. |
| COMPLETED | Completed | All orders have been fulfilled. The release is finished. |
| CANCELLED | Cancelled | The release was cancelled. All pending orders were voided. |
Release Actions Dropdown
Open Fulfillment > Runs (/hq/runs), which lists every run (subscription cycles and releases) with a Needs action filter, and click the release. The release's page shows its orders, and in its header a three-dot menu button (⋮) opens the actions below. All items are always visible in the menu, but items are greyed out and disabled when not applicable to the current status:
| Menu Item | Enabled When Status Is | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Open Release | Ready to Open, Scheduled | Opens the release now, so members can start making selections |
| Close Selections | Open | Closes the selection period and auto-confirms any unsubmitted selections |
| Edit Closing Date | Open | Opens the Edit Closing Date sidebar to change the closing date for member selections; the auto-close and charge are rescheduled to match. Email members about the new closing date (on by default), and choose who: All members still choosing or All active members |
| Reopen Selections | Selection Closed (not while charging) | Opens the Reopen Selections sidebar: a New closing date & time, and Email members about the new closing date to Reopened members only (the default), All members still choosing or All active members. Only members who were auto-confirmed at close go back to choosing; members who actively confirmed or customized stay locked |
| Preview Run | Open, Selection Closed | A charge-accurate projection of what members will be charged, with pickup and shipping counts and inventory needs per location |
| Inventory Needs | Any status | Opens the inventory each location needs for this release |
| Start Charging | Selection Closed | Opens the Charge Progress Modal to begin charging members |
| Retry Failed Charges | Charged or Fulfilling (when there are failed charges) | Opens the Charge Progress Modal in retry mode |
| Start Fulfillment (Mark Members Ready once Fulfilling) | Charged, Fulfilling | Opens the Start Fulfillment sidebar (see Starting Fulfillment) |
| Complete Release | Fulfilling | Marks the entire release as completed |
| Add Members | Open, Selection Closed, Charged, Fulfilling, Completed (and Charging when no charge run is in progress) | Opens the Add Members sidebar. Members added after selections close are confirmed automatically and charged one by one with Charge Now |
| Resend Notifications | Open, when some members haven't had the release email yet (staff with Process Orders) | Emails the release announcement to members who haven't received it (see Resending Notifications) |
| Ship Unclaimed Pickups | Charged, Fulfilling, Completed | Filters the release's orders to pickups ready and waiting 6+ weeks, so you can switch them to shipping (see Shipping Unclaimed Pickups) |
| Edit Release Details / View Release Details | Any status (edit while Ready to Open or Scheduled, view-only after that) | Opens the release details sidebar: name, description, dates and the tiers it covers |
| Change Templates | Ready to Open, Scheduled, Open, Selection Closed | Opens the Update Tier Templates sidebar to reassign templates per tier |
| Cancel Release | Ready to Open, Scheduled, Open, Selection Closed | Opens the Cancel Release sidebar, with an optional reason |
Reopen a Member's Customer Choice
After a release is closed and confirmed, you may need to let a specific member edit their selections again - for example, if they emailed you about a substitution or changed their mind. MemberZone supports this without requiring a full release reopen.
From the member's fulfillment sidebar, if the order is in Confirmed status:
- Open the action menu (⋮) on the order.
- Click Reopen Customer Choice.
- The order moves back to Pending Choice, the member receives a new selection email, and they can edit until you re-close.
This is per-order - it doesn't affect any other member's confirmed selections.
Cross-Location Takeover
If a member moves to a different location (for example, they switch tasting rooms or you've added a new location closer to them), you can transfer their open release order. From the member's fulfillment sidebar, use Takeover Release to:
- Cancel the current order at the old location (releasing its inventory back to that location's stock)
- Create a fresh order at the new location with the same selections
- Preserve the member's price and tier
The cancelled order is recorded with the cancellation reason Takeover Release for audit traceability.
Deep Links
Each release has its own page under Runs, so you can link straight to it from Slack, email or a bookmark:
/hq/runs/release/<release id>- opens that release, with its orders and the actions menu/hq/runs- lists every run, cycles and releases together/hq/orders?orderId=<order id>- opens that order's sidebar on the Orders page
Older links to /dashboard/business/releases?releaseId=<release id> (from earlier emails and bookmarks) still work: they open that release's page. Other parts of those old links, such as an order to open or the charge window, are dropped, so open the order or click Start Charging from there.
The Needs Your Attention list on your HQ home page and in the bell links a release that needs opening, closing or charging straight to its page.
Creating a Release
You create a release from the Create release sidebar. There are two ways in:
- Fulfillment > Runs (
/hq/runs): click New release in the page header. It shows when your business has a release program and you have the Edit Programs permission. - Programs: on a live release program's card, click New release (next to Releases). It shows for staff with both Edit Programs and Process Orders, and opens Runs filtered to that program with the sidebar already started on it.
The sidebar has two steps, Details and Templates.
Step 1: Details
- Release program - shown when you have more than one release program. Switching programs clears the templates you picked.
- Release name (required, up to 100 characters), for example "Spring 2026 Release".
- Description (optional, up to 500 characters) - shown to members in the release announcement emails.
Then the timeline. Each part is either scheduled or run by hand from the release page:
- When should the release open? - I'll open it manually (open it any time from the release page) or Schedule a date, then pick the day under Selections begin on.
- Selection deadline - Schedule it or I'll close manually. Scheduled, enter Days after the release opens (1 to 90, 7 to start with), or click Use specific date and pick the Last day to make selections. A scheduled 7-day window that opens on the 1st has the 7th as its last selection day: the sidebar shows "Last day for selections" with the date. For a release you open by hand, the window counts from the moment you open it, and the sidebar previews "If opened today, selections close on" a date.
- Charge schedule - Schedule it or I'll charge manually. Scheduled, enter Days after the selection deadline (0 to 30, 3 to start with); for a release with a scheduled open day you can instead click Use specific date and pick a Charge date after the deadline. The sidebar previews "Cards are charged on" the date (or "If opened today, cards are charged on" for a release you open by hand).
When the selection deadline and the charge are run by hand, the release page's Close Selections and Start Charging do them whenever you're ready.
If your account runs releases by hand only (no scheduling choices appear) and the program has a member choice tier, the sidebar asks for a Selection deadline day. Members see it, but it isn't enforced: you close selections from the release page.
Step 2: Templates
- Tiers in this release - shown when the program has more than one tier. Every tier is checked by default, which covers the whole program, including tiers you add later ("Covers the whole program, including tiers added later"). Uncheck a tier to leave it out: only members of the checked tiers are enrolled, charged and sent their order, and the tiers you leave out can have their own release ("Covers 2 of 3 tiers"). Each tier shows its number of active members, and at least one must stay checked. The template rows, member counts, location breakdown and inventory check below follow your choice. See Releases for Some Tiers.
- Fulfillment locations - with more than one location, choose where inventory comes from: Use configured locations (shipping from your default warehouse, pickup from each member's location, with a count of shipping and pickup members per location), Use current location (every order uses this location's inventory), or Custom locations (pick one pickup location for every pickup member).
- Assign templates by tier - one row per tier with active members (tiers with no active members are left out, and the sidebar says how many). Pick the template each tier receives: a pickup template for its pickup members and a shipping template for its shipping members, as each applies. Nothing is filled in for you: a tier's default template is used for subscription cycles, not releases, so you pick each release's templates yourself. Click the refresh button after creating a template in another tab.
- Fulfillment Discount - optional, per tier, shown when the tier has a discount reward that can apply to fulfillment orders.
Create release stays disabled until every tier shown has its templates (and, for custom locations, a pickup location is picked).
Inventory check and creating
Clicking Create release first checks inventory for every member (shipping templates are checked item by item at the location you ship from). If some members won't receive the release, or there are issues such as missing addresses or short stock, a confirmation opens: Some members won't receive this release, with the details, and "You can resolve these before you open the release. Members are only notified when it opens." Click Go back to change your choices, or Continue anyway.
MemberZone then creates the release and prepares an order for every active member, showing progress ("Creating the release and preparing orders for N members", then "Scheduling the release" for a scheduled one). Keep the tab open until it finishes. You land on the new release's page (/hq/runs/release/<release id>):
- A release with a scheduled open day is Scheduled and opens on its own that day ("Release "..." created and scheduled").
- A release you open by hand is Ready to Open ("Release "..." created. Open it when you're ready.").
Members are not emailed when the release is created, only when it opens. Anyone resolved after it opens (for example a member who needed a template or had an issue) can be emailed later with Resend Notifications. Zoe can't create a release for you; ask her how, and she'll point you to Runs > New release.
Releases for Some Tiers
A release covers either every tier (the default) or only the tiers you check. The release page header names the tiers it covers ("Tiers: Gold, Platinum", or "every tier"), when the program has more than one.
- Overlap rule: a tier in a release for only some tiers can't be in any other unfinished release of the same program (one that isn't Completed or Cancelled). Creating, re-scoping or opening one that overlaps is refused, for example "Release "Spring Release" already covers Gold and isn't finished yet. Leave that tier out, or complete or cancel it first." Because a release for every tier includes every tier, a release for some tiers can't start while an every-tier release is unfinished, and an every-tier release can't start while a release for some tiers is unfinished.
- Two every-tier releases can run side by side, for example preparing the next release while the last one is still being fulfilled.
- Add Members offers only members of the release's tiers.
- Changing a member's tier: refused while the member has an unpaid order in a release that is Open, Selection Closed or Charging and doesn't cover the new tier ("... doesn't include Gold and this member has an unpaid order in it. Skip them from that release first, or change the tier after it is charged."). If a member moves to a tier a release doesn't cover before it opens, their prepared order is dropped when it opens.
- Deleting a tier is refused while an unfinished release names it ("Can't delete "Gold" because 1 unfinished release covers it. Complete or cancel it first, or switch this tier to Hidden instead.").
- Release emails, charges, reports and revenue forecasts count only the release's tiers.
Dates and time zones
Every date on a release is a whole day in your business's time zone: a scheduled open or charge date starts at 12:00 AM that day, and the selection deadline runs to 11:59 PM that day. See Time Zones.
Wherever the deadline is shown with a time, it names your time zone, so a member somewhere else knows when it closes: the release-opened and selection reminder emails read like "Oct 15, 11:59 PM PT", and the release details sidebar, the member's release page and the member detail sidebar read like "October 15, 11:59 PM PDT". Release report files are named with your business's date.
Opening a Release
- Open Fulfillment > Runs (
/hq/runs) and click the release. - Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Open Release (enabled only when status is Ready to Open or Scheduled).
- An Open Release confirmation dialog appears:
- Title: Open Release
- Description: "This will immediately open the release for member selections. Inventory will be reserved for all eligible members at this time."
- Preflight summary - shows:
- Eligible members count
- Blocked by issues count (if any, in amber)
- Members to assign count
- Inventory shortage warnings (if any items don't have enough stock)
- Issue summary (if any members have issues like missing addresses or payment methods)
- If the release was Scheduled, an amber warning: "This release was scheduled to open on [date]. Opening now will override the scheduled date."
- Send notification emails to members receiving this release - a checkbox (checked by default). Uncheck to open without emailing members.
- If there are coverage gaps (members without a matching template for their tier/fulfillment method), a red block appears: "Cannot open: members not covered" with details per tier. The confirm button is replaced with Edit Templates to fix the issue.
- If there are inventory tracking issues, a red block appears: "Cannot open: inventory tracking issue". The confirm button is replaced with OK and a Notify MemberZone button.
- Footer buttons:
- Cancel (left)
- If no issues: Confirm Open (right)
- If there are inventory shortages or member issues but no coverage gaps: Open Anyway (right, amber-colored)
- After confirming, a processing modal appears: Opening Release with animated steps:
- "Creating member orders" (active spinner)
- "Assigning fulfillment templates"
- "Sending notification emails"
- When complete, the modal shows results: Release Opened Successfully (or Release Ready for Charging if all members are exact-set and auto-advanced past selections):
- Orders Created count
- Templates Assigned count
- Any warnings about failed template assignments or blocked members
- Click Done to close.
Closing Selections
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Close Selections (enabled only when status is Open).
- A confirmation dialog appears:
- Title: Close Selections
- Description: "This will close the selection period. Members who haven't made their selections will have their default templates auto-confirmed. This action cannot be undone."
- Buttons: Cancel and Close Selections
Charging Members - The Charge Progress Modal
The Charge Progress Modal opens when you click Start Charging or Retry Failed Charges from the actions dropdown. It has three phases:
Phase 1: Pending (Review Before Charging)
Modal title: Release Charging (with a credit card icon)
Summary table:
- Eligible members (confirmed selection) - count of members who have confirmed selections
- Blocked by issues - count of members blocked (amber, subtracted from eligible)
- Members to charge - final count (bold, highlighted)
Additional information:
- Estimated time: "about N minutes" (based on member count)
- Not included in this charge run - a grey box listing exclusions:
- "N skipping this release" (if any)
- "N never confirmed a selection" (if any)
- "N already charged" (if any)
- Previously failed warning (if applicable): amber box stating "N members failed in a previous charge run and will not be retried automatically. Use Retry Failed Charges after this run completes."
- By Tier breakdown - table showing each tier name, member count, and item count
- Fulfillment Method breakdown - side-by-side cards showing Pickup count and Shipping count
- Blocked-by-issues detail - an expandable section: "Why are N members blocked?" Click to expand and see each issue type with count.
- Red warning box: "Member payment methods will be charged immediately. This action cannot be undone."
Footer buttons:
- Cancel (left)
- Charge N Members (right, with credit card icon) - begins the charge run
Phase 2: In Progress
Center display:
- Spinning loader icon
- "Processing Payments"
- "N of N members processed"
- "Currently processing: [member name]" (updates in real-time)
Progress bar showing percentage complete with "N% complete" on the left and "N remaining" on the right.
Result tiles (side by side):
- Green tile: Successful with count
- Red tile: Failed with count
- Amber tile: Skipped with count (only shown if > 0)
Failure category chips - if failures occur during processing, colored badges appear showing the failure type and count:
- "Card declined: N" (red)
- "Blocked by Stripe Radar: N" (amber)
- "Stripe API issue: N" (amber)
- "Configuration error: N" (red)
Footer button:
- Run in Background - closes the modal but keeps the charge running in the background. Progress is visible from the background jobs indicator in the top-right of the page.
Phase 3: Completed
Hero display:
- If all succeeded: green checkmark icon + All Charges Successful
- If failures: amber warning icon + Completed with Failures (or Completed with Failures & Skipped if both)
Run type badges:
- Initial run (blue) or Retry run (amber)
- Manual or Auto-triggered (outline)
Stats grid (3 or 4 columns):
- Total - total members processed
- Success - successful charges (green)
- Failed - failed charges (red)
- Skipped - skipped members (amber, only if > 0)
Revenue breakdown:
- Product Revenue - $X,XXX.XX
- Tax Collected - $X,XXX.XX (if > 0)
- Fees Collected - $X,XXX.XX (if > 0)
- Total Collected - $X,XXX.XX (bold, large)
Failure Breakdown - if there were failures, a detailed table showing each failure category:
- Category badge (e.g., "Card declined", "Blocked by Stripe Radar")
- Count of affected members
- Description of what happened and recommended action
Failed Members - expandable section: click Failed Members (N) to see a scrollable list of each failed member with:
- Member name and email
- Charge amount
- Error message
- Category badge
- A small credit card button to retry charging this individual member inline
- A small person icon button to view this member in the fulfillment table
Skipped Members - expandable section: click Skipped Members (N) to see each skipped member with their name, issue reasons, and a Resolve link to navigate to that member's fulfillment sidebar.
Download CSV Report button - downloads a CSV file with columns: Type, Name, Email, Amount, Category, Error/Issues, OrderId.
Charging History - expandable section: click Charging History to see a chronological list of all charge runs for this release, each showing:
- Run type badge (Initial / Retry)
- Status (COMPLETED, RUNNING, FAILED, INTERRUPTED)
- Start time
- Success / failed / skipped counts
- Duration
- Trigger source (auto / manual)
Footer:
- If there are failures: Retry N Failed button (with refresh icon) - starts a retry charge run for all failed members
- Done button - closes the modal and clears the job from the background indicator
Run-Level Error Messages
When a charge run is interrupted (Stripe outage, infrastructure failure, server restart in the middle of the run) the run terminates as Failed or Interrupted and an error message is captured on the run itself. The Charge Progress modal shows this error in a red callout above the per-member breakdown so you know why the run died rather than seeing a misleading "0 successful, 0 failed" summary. The error message is also visible in the Charging History expander so support and ops can audit a run's outcome after the fact.
Member Magic-Link Sign-In (Release Emails)
When you open a release, the notification email sent to each member can include a one-click sign-in link unique to that member. Clicking the link signs the member into MemberZone and drops them on the right page automatically:
- For customer-choice tiers: the link lands them on the selection page for this release.
- For exact-set tiers: the link lands them on their membership page where they can review the upcoming order.
The link is multi-use for 30 days - members can click it again from the same email to come back and edit their selections without having to remember a password. This is on by default for release-opened emails; you can toggle it off per release in the Edit Release Details sidebar under "Include sign-in link in emails" if you prefer members log in normally. See Accounts & Authentication for the underlying mechanics.
Starting Fulfillment
Click Start Fulfillment in the actions menu (enabled once the release is Charged). The Start Fulfillment sidebar opens with two steps, Confirm and Mark Ready.
Step 1: Confirm
A readiness check counts members in each state. Rows with nobody in them are hidden:
| Row | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Charged & Ready | Charged and ready to be fulfilled |
| Ready for Fulfillment | Already marked ready |
| Already Fulfilled | Orders already complete |
| Confirmed (Not Charged) | Confirmed but not charged yet |
| Payment Failed | Their payment failed |
| Issue Blocked | Blocked by an issue (missing address, etc.) |
| Pending Choice | Haven't submitted a selection |
| Unassigned | No order yet |
| Cancelled | Cancelled orders |
Blockers (red) list what stops fulfillment from starting, such as payment failures or unresolved issues. Warnings (yellow) are worth a look but don't stop you, such as members still in Pending Choice. When the only blocker is issue-blocked members, Exclude N Blocked Members removes them from the release.
Then answer Mark all paid members ready for pickup / shipping?
- Yes (N members) - recommended. You can review and untick individual members on the next step. A second question follows: Notify these members by email? Yes sends each member a ready-for-pickup or ready-for-shipping email.
- No, I'll mark them individually - starts fulfillment without changing any member's status.
With No, click Start Fulfillment. With Yes, click Next.
Step 2: Mark Ready
Review the paid members and untick anyone who isn't ready yet. Click Start Fulfillment & Mark N Ready, or Start Fulfillment Only if you untick everyone.
If you close the sidebar before marking members ready, the release is still Fulfilling and the menu item reads Mark Members Ready. It reopens the sidebar as Continue Fulfillment, with Mark N Ready (or Done).
Managing an Open Release
While a release is Open, these actions are available:
Adding Members
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Add Members (enabled from Open through Completed, except while a charge run is in progress).
- The Add Members sidebar opens with a searchable list of eligible members.
- Select members to add and confirm. For a release that covers only some tiers, only active members of those tiers are listed ("All active members of this release's tiers are already in it." when there's nobody left to add).
Members added after selections have closed are confirmed automatically and charged one by one with Charge Now from their order.
Resending Notifications
When members join a release or are cleared after it opened (for example a member who needed a template or had an issue to resolve), they haven't had the release announcement yet.
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Resend Notifications. It's shown to staff with the Process Orders permission and enabled while the release is Open and at least one member hasn't had the email.
- The Resend Notifications confirmation says how many members get the email ("This emails the release announcement to N members who haven't received it yet... Members who already have it aren't emailed again."). If some members still need a template or have an issue to resolve, it says how many, so you can resend again once they're ready.
- Click Send Emails. A message confirms how many members were notified.
Editing Release Details
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Edit Release Details (or View Release Details once the release has opened: details can be edited only while it is Ready to Open or Scheduled).
- The Edit Release Details sidebar opens with editable fields for name, description, dates and, when the program has more than one tier, Tiers in this release. Checking every tier makes the release cover the whole program again. Changing the tiers before the release opens moves the prepared orders to match, and is refused if it would overlap another unfinished release (see Releases for Some Tiers).
- Make changes and click Save Changes. After the release opens, the sidebar is titled Release Details and is read-only, including the list of tiers it covers.
Changing Templates
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Change Templates (enabled for Ready to Open, Scheduled, Open, Selection Closed).
- The Update Tier Templates sidebar opens showing template assignments per tier.
- Reassign templates as needed and click Save.
Cancelling a Release
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Cancel Release (red text, enabled for Ready to Open, Scheduled, Open, Selection Closed).
- The Cancel Release sidebar opens:
- Under the title: "This will cancel the release. Any pending orders will be voided. This action cannot be undone."
- Reason (optional) - placeholder "Why is this release being cancelled?"
- Footer: Keep Release and Cancel Release (red). The sidebar stays open and locked while the release is being cancelled.
Completing a Release
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the header.
- Click Complete Release (enabled only when status is Fulfilling).
- A confirmation dialog appears:
- Title: Complete Release
- Description: "This will mark the release as completed. Make sure all orders have been fulfilled before proceeding."
- Buttons: Cancel and Complete Release
Release Fulfillment - Processing Members
Once a release is in Fulfilling status, you process member orders the same way as cycle-based fulfillment. The release's page under Fulfillment > Runs lists every order in the release with its status; they're also on Fulfillment > Orders (/hq/orders) among all your orders, where the type filter can narrow the list to Release orders.
For each member, click their order to open the Member Fulfillment Sidebar and follow the same status-based workflow documented in How to Manage Fulfillment and Process Orders:
- Pending Choice members: Click Confirm in the footer to confirm on their behalf, or wait for them to submit.
- Confirmed members: Click Mark Ready for Pickup or Mark Ready to Ship.
- Ready for Pickup members: Check items and click Complete Pickup or Pickup Selected Items.
- Ready for Shipping members: Configure shipping, then click Mark Shipped.
Release-Specific Actions in the Member Sidebar
For release members, an additional action row appears in the sidebar footer when the release is Open and the member has a confirmed selection:
| Button | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Skip | Opens the Skip from release? sidebar: "This will skip this member from the current release. Their reserved inventory will be released back to the pool. This action cannot be undone.", with an optional Skip reason and note, then Skip from release. Skips the member from this release - they will not be charged or fulfilled. |
| Reopen | Opens a "Reopen Member Selection?" dialog with a checkbox: "Send email to notify the member". Re-opens the member's selection window so they can change their choices. |
| Charge Now | Opens a "Charge Now?" confirmation. Immediately charges this individual member's payment method without waiting for the bulk charge run. |
Allow Self-Skip Toggle
Each tier's Policy step in your program setup has a Members can skip a release switch ("Let members opt out of an individual release."). It controls whether members of that tier can skip releases on their own from their member dashboard. With it on, Skips allowed per calendar year sets a limit (leave it blank for unlimited); skips your staff set don't count against it.
- On (default): The "Skip Next Release" button appears on the member's Membership Detail page. Members can opt out of upcoming releases without contacting you.
- Off: Members cannot self-skip. If a member needs to skip, your staff must do it for them from the Member Fulfillment Sidebar (the Skip button is unaffected by this setting).
The switch is per tier, so you can allow self-skip on some tiers and require staff to skip for members on others.
Bulk Operations in Release Fulfillment
Tick several orders in the release's order list to open the Bulk Fulfillment Sidebar. The bulk sidebar works the same as for cycles - see Bulk Fulfillment Sidebar for the complete wizard documentation.
Shipping Unclaimed Pickups
When members don't collect a release pickup, you can ship it to them instead, in bulk, from the release's page.
Find the pickups still waiting
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the release header.
- Click Ship Unclaimed Pickups (enabled once the release is Charged, Fulfilling or Completed).
- The orders table filters to Pickup orders that are Ready for pickup and have been waiting 6+ weeks.
The Waiting filter on a release's orders table finds orders by how long they have waited since they were marked ready (or since they were charged, if they were never marked ready): Ready any time, Waiting 2+ weeks, 4+ weeks, 6+ weeks or 8+ weeks. Weeks are counted in calendar days in your business's time zone.
Switch them to shipping
- Select the orders. When every selected order is a paid pickup (Charged or Ready for pickup) on a charged release, a bar appears: "Unclaimed pickups? Ship them to the members instead."
- Click Switch to shipping (N). The Switch to shipping sidebar opens, showing the release, the order count and the location the orders ship from.
- Review the orders. They are grouped as Ready, Check first and Can't switch:
- Ship-to address: each order ships to the membership's shipping address, otherwise the member's default address, otherwise their only saved address. Click Change to pick another of their saved addresses, or Add a new address (or Add address when they have none) and Ship here.
- Can't switch: "No saved address to ship to", "Address is in a state you don't ship to", "Not an open pickup order", an item not stocked where you ship from, or another reason the order can't move. Picking a different address clears the address problems.
- Check first: "No card on file: shipping would go past due", or "Ship-from stock may run short" when the selected orders together need more of an item than the ship-from location has (a notice lists each item's needed and available counts). Orders that can't be stocked fail and stay as pickups.
- Untick any order you want to leave as a pickup.
- Under Shipping charge, choose Charge each member their tier's shipping rate (a breakdown shows the count and charge per tier and the total charged to cards on file) or Waive shipping for everyone in the run.
- Optional: Email members that their order is shipping (on by default; includes the address and the shipping charge, and tracking follows when the label is created) and Also ship their future shipments (worded as shipments, releases or deliveries, as your business says it; leave it off for a one-time switch, so members stay on pickup next time).
- Click Switch N to shipping. The switch runs in the background; you can close the sidebar and it keeps running.
When it finishes, the sidebar shows how many switched and lists any that couldn't switch (they stay as pickups) with the reason. Click Create labels for these N to jump to the release's ready-to-ship orders with the switched ones selected, then create and print their labels and mark them shipped in one run.
When the shipping charge declines
A declined card, or no card on file, doesn't stop the switch. The order stays paid, still ships, and the shipping goes on the order's past-due balance. The results list these under Shipping declined with a Retry button. Later, the order's sidebar shows a Past due card with Retry (collects only what is still owed, never the order again), Mark Paid (you collected it another way) and Waive (forgives it; the order stays paid and ready to hand over, and no shipping is charged on its label later). See Failed Payments and Retries.
The member's email
With the email option on, each member gets Unclaimed pickup shipping: their order hasn't been picked up, so it's being shipped to them instead, with the address, and either the shipping charged to their card, that shipping is free, or that their card couldn't be charged for shipping and they should update their payment method. It says tracking follows once the package ships, and that an adult signature is required when their tier needs age verification. You can edit and test-send it under Emails.
Release Lifecycle - Complete Flow
Here is the full lifecycle of a release from creation to completion:
- Create the release from Runs > New release (see Creating a Release). Status: Ready to Open or Scheduled.
- Open the release from the actions dropdown. Status changes to Open. Members receive notification emails and can make selections.
- Wait for members to submit their selections (customer choice tiers) or proceed directly (exact set tiers).
- Close Selections from the actions dropdown. Status changes to Selection Closed. Unsubmitted selections are auto-confirmed.
- Start Charging from the actions dropdown. The Charge Progress Modal opens. Status changes to Charging during processing, then Charged when complete.
- If any charges failed: click Retry Failed Charges to re-attempt them.
- Start Fulfillment from the actions dropdown. The Start Fulfillment sidebar checks readiness and can mark paid members ready. Status changes to Fulfilling.
- Process orders - mark ready, ship, and complete pickup for each member (individually or in bulk).
- Complete Release from the actions dropdown. Status changes to Completed.
Asking Zoe About a Release
Ask Zoe about a release by its name, for example "What percentage of members customized their September 2026 order?" or "Compare orders across our last three releases." Zoe finds a release's orders by its name, not by the month in it: a release often opens weeks before the month it's named for, so a date range would miss many of its orders. A name matches every program's release with that name. When she works out a share (such as how many customized), she counts only live orders and leaves out cancelled, released and skipped ones.
Still stuck?
Ask Zoe about this article and get a direct answer.
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