⊕ Plugin feature · payment modes
Reusable packaging is optional for your customers — and how they pay for it is your call. The Packio Shopify plugin supports four payment modes out of the box, including a 14-day deposit-forfeit flow that turns return rate into a financial incentive. Pick what fits your unit economics.
— Plugin status · in build for 2027
The features and flows described on this page are being built alongside our public consumer launch in 2027. No live merchant is running these yet — this documents the design intent. Anchor-partner brands will beta-test through 2026 to shape the final feature set before public release.
Each mode trades off conversion friction against return-rate economics. Free maximises opt-in but you absorb the cost. Forfeit gives you the highest return rate but tighter checkout copy. We support all four — switch any time from your admin.
You absorb the packaging cost as part of your unit economics. Customer just toggles "yes" — no extra charge, no extra friction. Lowest checkout friction of the four modes.
Customer pays a small non-refundable fee at checkout. Frames Packio as a value-add ("contribute to the reuse network") rather than a cost. Opt-in rate sits below Free mode because of the price hurdle.
Customer pays a deposit at checkout, refunded when we scan the Packio at a return point. No deadline — works like a glass-bottle deposit. Cleanest "money back" mental model for customers.
The strongest return incentive. Customer pays a deposit; refunded if they return within X days (default 14); forfeit if they don't. Highest return-rate ceiling of the four modes, but tightest checkout copy. Required disclosure shown at cart.
Pick your mode in Packio Settings. For paid modes, set the amount (any currency). For forfeit mode, set the return window and reminder schedule. We auto-create the corresponding Shopify product so the deposit shows up as a real line item in the cart — no Shopify Scripts, no custom checkout extensions.
— Settings page · payment mode picker (forfeit selected)
The 14-day window begins when the courier scans the unit at delivery, not at order time. The merchant's admin shows a live countdown with reminder history — and emergency override buttons for CS edge cases (customer says they returned but no scan, deposit dispute, etc.).
— Shipment detail · day 6 of 14, two reminders left
The default reminder schedule is 7 days / 3 days / 1 day before the deadline. Tone gets sharper as the deadline approaches — the 7-day email is gentle, the 1-day email is "final notice." All three templates live in the merchant's Klaviyo (or other email tool) — we fire the trigger event with the merge tags; the merchant owns the copy.
— Reminder sequence · day 7 / day 3 / day 1
If the customer returns within the window, we auto-refund the deposit via Shopify's refundCreate mutation the moment the unit is scanned at a drop-off point. Shopify sends its standard refund email; the merchant's Klaviyo flow layers a celebratory thank-you on top.
If the deadline passes without a return, the daily cron job marks the deposit forfeit and fires a notification event. The merchant's email template can include a goodwill exit ramp — "still have it? Return any time and we'll credit you €5 as a goodwill gesture" — which keeps the customer relationship intact AND increases asset recovery.
— Forfeit notification · firm tone, goodwill exit ramp
Payment modes are one of 14 features in the Packio Shopify plugin. See the complete merchant + customer flow with mockups for every screen, or compare us to RePack, RE-ZIP, Hipli, and Returnity on a feature-by-feature matrix.