Templates

What Are Templates?

Templates define what products go into a release or shipment. They're the bridge between your inventory and your members' orders - they tell MemberZone exactly what to include when it's time to fulfill.

Without a template, MemberZone doesn't know what to put in the box. Templates must be set up before fulfillment can begin.

Templates are only relevant for subscription and release programs. Membership-only programs do not have fulfillment and therefore do not use templates.

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Where to Find Templates

Templates are created and managed at the location level. To access them:

1. Open the Dashboard
2. Click Templates in the sidebar menu (under the Location section)

This shows all templates for your current location. Since each template is tied to a specific location, you'll see only the templates relevant to the location you're currently managing. Switch locations from the UserMenu to see templates for a different location.

When you create a template, its suggested name includes the current month on your business's calendar, for example "Gold Fulfillment - Oct 2026".

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Template Types

There are two template types:

Fulfillment

Used for ongoing cycle or release shipments. This is the template that determines what items members receive (or choose from) during each fulfillment cycle or release.

• For subscription programs, each cycle builds its orders from the tier's default fulfillment template.
• For release programs, you pick the template for each tier every time you create a new release. The tier's default template isn't filled in for you.

Enrollment

Used for the initial purchase when a new member joins. Enrollment templates define what items are available in the welcome package, separate from ongoing fulfillment.

How enrollment templates work:

• The enrollment template is used only for the initial signup purchase, not for ongoing shipments
• It can offer a different set of items than the regular fulfillment template
• New members go through a selection flow when signing up, choosing from the enrollment template's available products
• If no enrollment template exists, new members wait for the next regular fulfillment cycle to receive anything

When to use enrollment templates:

• When you want new members to receive their first order right away rather than waiting for the next scheduled shipment
• When your welcome package differs from your regular shipments
• When you want to make a strong first impression with a curated or customizable welcome selection

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Inventory Control Modes

Each tier has an inventory control mode that determines how items are selected. This mode applies to all templates created for that tier:

Exact Set

With an Exact Set template, you pre-select the exact items that go into every shipment. All members who receive this template get the same items in the same quantities.

How it works:

• You choose specific products from your inventory and set the quantity for each
• Every member in the associated tier receives the identical selection
• Members have no say in what they receive - you curate the entire shipment

When to use it:

• Curated programs where you or your staff choose each shipment
• When you want consistency - every member gets the same experience
• When you have specific products you want to showcase or move through inventory

Example: For a 6-item tier, you might set up an Exact Set template with 2 each of three products. Every member in that tier receives exactly those six items.

Customer Choice

With a Customer Choice template, members choose their own items from a selection you make available. You control which products are offered, and members pick the ones they want within their tier's item count.

How it works:

• You select which products from your inventory are available for members to choose from, and which are pre-selected
• Members browse the available options and adjust their selection
• Members choose up to their tier's item count from the available products
• Selections close at the selection deadline of the cycle or release the template is used for. The deadline is set on the cycle or release, not on the template.

The selection deadline: After the deadline:

• Members can no longer make changes to their selections
• Members who haven't changed anything have their pre-selected items confirmed automatically
• This ensures every member has a complete selection before fulfillment begins, even if they didn't actively pick

A deadline you pick is a whole day in your business's time zone and closes at 11:59 PM that day. Members see it with the time and zone, for example "Oct 15, 11:59 PM PT" in the selection email. When a cycle has no deadline, selections stay open until fulfillment starts. See Time Zones.

When to use it:

• Programs that want to give members control over their shipments
• When you carry a variety of products and want members to explore
• When member satisfaction depends on personal taste preferences

Example: For a 6-item tier, you might make 15 different products available with 6 pre-selected. Members browse the list and pick any 6 they want. If a member doesn't choose by the deadline, their 6 pre-selected items are confirmed.

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Item Slots

Templates contain item slots that map to products in your inventory. Each item slot represents one product and includes details like:

• Which inventory product it maps to
• The quantity of that product in the template
• Pre-selected quantity (for Customer Choice - how many are pre-filled for the member by default)
• Any constraints on selection (for Customer Choice templates)

Item slots are how the template connects to your real inventory. When fulfillment runs, MemberZone looks at the template's item slots to determine which products to pull from stock.

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Connecting Templates to Releases

Templates connect to releases - when you create a release (Runs > New release), you pick the template each tier receives: a pickup template, a shipping template, or both, depending on how its members get their orders. This tells MemberZone what items to include in that release's orders. See Creating a Release.

The tier's default fulfillment template drives subscription cycles, not releases: a new release starts with no templates picked, so you can change the selection with every release without modifying the tier itself.

Different releases can use different templates for the same tier, so you can vary the items offered over time. Templates are reusable - the same template can be used across multiple releases or cycles.

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Inventory Availability

Templates respect inventory availability. When setting up a template:

• You can only add products that exist in your location's inventory
• If a product is out of stock, it cannot be assigned to a template
• For Customer Choice templates, members can only select products that are currently in stock

This prevents overselling and ensures that every item in a template can actually be fulfilled.

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Which Template Is Currently in Use

Each tier has two template "slots" that determine what's in use:

Enrollment Template

The tier's enrollment template is the one used when a new member signs up. You set it from the template sidebar - click Use as enrollment template in the template's footer. The template page shows an In Use pill next to the enrollment template currently assigned to a tier.

Default Fulfillment Template

The tier's default fulfillment template is what its subscription cycles use. You set it from the template sidebar - click Use as default template in the template's footer; once set, the footer shows Default with a Clear button. The template page shows a Default pill next to the default fulfillment template currently assigned to a tier. Releases don't use it: you pick each release's templates when you create the release.

Overrides

• Per-release choice: Each release uses the templates you pick for it when you create it, whatever the tier's default is.
• Per-member override: Individual members can be assigned a specific template at the order level, overriding whatever the release or tier default specifies.

Clearing a tier assignment

To remove a template's tier assignment, open the template sidebar and click Clear next to the tier assignment label. A confirmation dialog will appear before the change takes effect.

Important: If the tier requires an initial purchase, you cannot clear its enrollment template. You must either assign a different enrollment template first, or disable the initial purchase requirement on the tier. This safeguard prevents members from enrolling without selecting their initial items.

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Best Practices

• Create templates early. Don't wait until the last minute. Set up your template and assign it as the tier's enrollment or default fulfillment template well before the fulfillment cycle or release begins so everything is ready.
• Set a reasonable selection deadline on cycles and releases that use Customer Choice templates. Give members enough time to browse and choose (at least a week is recommended), but leave yourself enough time after the deadline to prepare shipments.
• Check inventory before finalizing. Make sure the products in your template are in stock and in sufficient quantity to cover all members in the tier.
• Use Enrollment templates for a great first impression. The welcome shipment is a member's first experience with your program. Make the options appealing and the selection process smooth.
• Review templates before each release. For release programs, make sure the template you're connecting to the release has the right products and quantities before you launch.
• Don't delete old templates - they serve as a record of what was offered in previous cycles, which is helpful for reference.