Creating Addons

Creating Addons Manually

Creating an addon allows you to define optional features or services that customers can purchase along with a plan. Once created, you can configure pricing, tax details, plan associations, and visibility settings for the addon.

Here’s how to create an addon:

  • Click Items on the left sidebar.
  • Navigate to the Addons module at the top.
  • Click + New in the top-right corner.
  • Enter the required details in the following fields.
FieldDescription
ProductSelect the name of the product you want to associate this addon from the dropdown.
Addon NameEnter a name for the addon. The name must be under 100 characters.
Addon CodeEnter a unique code for the addon. The code must be under 100 characters, should not contain spaces, and can include hyphens (-) and underscores (_).
Addon DescriptionEnter a description for the addon. The description can be up to 2000 characters.
Addon TypeChoose whether the addon is one-time or recurring.
Pricing IntervalSelect how often you want to bill your customer from the dropdown.

Note: Addons are charged based on the subscribed plan’s billing frequency.

Addon ImageUpload an image for the addon by dragging the image into the field or by clicking Browse images.
  • Navigate to the Pricing tab and enter the required details in the following fields.
FieldDescription
Pricing ModelSelect the pricing model of the plan from the dropdown. Refer Pricing Models to learn more.
Unit NameSelect a unit for the plan. If the unit is not listed, you can enter a new unit name in the field.
PriceEnter the price of the plan per billing cycle.
TypeChoose whether the plan is a good or a service.
SACEnter the SAC number of the plan.
Tax TypeChoose whether the plan is taxable or non-taxable.
Tax RatesIf the plan is taxable, select the applicable Intra-State and Inter-State tax rates.
Exemption ReasonIf the plan is non-taxable, select the reason for exemption from the dropdown.
  • Navigate to the Plans tab and enter the required details in the following fields.
FieldDescription
Associated PlansSelect whether you want to associate this addon to all the plans or selected plans.

Note: If you select All Plans, the addon will be associated to plans with the billing frequency same as the addon’s pricing frequency.

Select PlansSelect the plans that you want to associate this addon to.
  • Navigate to the Hosted Payment Pages & Portal tab and enter the required details in the following fields.
FieldDescription
Widget PreferenceMark this option to display the addon in the pricing and checkout widgets.
Associate AddonMark this option to allow customers to associate this addon to their subscriptions from the customer portal.
  • Navigate to the Other Details tab and enter the required details in the following fields.
FieldDescription
AccountSelect the account to associate the revenue generated from this addon.
  • Click Save.

Once saved, the addon will be associated with the selected product and made available based on the configured plan and visibility settings.

Understanding Addon Fields

Types of Addons

There are two types of addons - One-time and recurring.

One-Time Addons - Customers are charged only once for a one-time (non-recurring) addon. A separate invoice is raised for a one time addon

You can offer a one time addon which let users to back up all their data in the cloud. Typically, users would not want to back up date often. This requirement would call for a specific occasion. So backing up data in the cloud can be a one time addon.

Recurring Addons - These addons are ideal when you need to bill the customer for the same feature each time.

Consider project management software. There can be an addon which allows users to view their projects as Gantt charts. You can charge for this addon each time you charge for the plan making it a recurring addon.

Renewing Recurring Addons

The price of recurring addons are included only at the time of renewal of the plan.

 Example 1:

Plan: Billed monthly
Cost of plan: $20

Addon: Billed monthly
Cost of addon: $5
Each subscription charge costs $20 + $5 = $25

Example 2:

Plan: Billed once a year
Plan cost: $50/year

Addon: Charged every month
Addon cost: $5/month
Total cost of subscription: $110 ($50 + 12 * $5) for the whole year

Example 3:

The below method of calculation is applicable only for Pricing Schemes - Unit and Volumes and not for Tier and Package. For Tier and Package schemes, the addon cost will not be divided rather the full amount will be applied every month.

Plan: Monthly
Cost of plan: $10

Addon: Billed yearly
Cost of addon for an year: $48
Each subscription charge costs $10 + ($48/12) = $14/month

Pricing Models

Pricing models define how charges for an addon are calculated during billing. The pricing model dropdown displays the list of supported pricing models configured in Zoho ERP. You can choose an appropriate pricing model based on how the addon is billed, such as a flat pricing, tiered pricing and so on. Refer Pricing Models to learn more about the available pricing models and how they work.

Account

Whenever a customer subscribes to a plan, the corresponding plan’s revenue will be mapped into the account that you choose from the dropdown. The dropdown displays the list of Income accounts. To get an account listed in the dropdown, you’ll have to create an Income account (Income/Other Income). Refer Accounting to learn more about how to create accounts in Zoho ERP.

Tax

Taxes determine the applicable charges applied to a plan during billing. You can associate either an individual tax or a tax group with a plan, allowing you to apply one or multiple taxes as required. The tax dropdown displays the list of taxes and tax groups that are configured in your organization. To make a tax available for selection, it must first be created under Taxes & Compliance in Settings.

Importing Addons

Importing addons allows you to add multiple addons to Zoho ERP at once using a file. This is useful when migrating data from another system, as it reduces manual entry and helps maintain consistency.

Here’s how to import addons:

  • Click Items on the left sidebar.
  • Navigate to the Addons module at the top.
  • Click the More Actions icon and select Import Addons.
  • Download the sample file and compare it with your file. Make sure that the format in your file is similar to the sample file.
  • Under the Configure tab,
    • Click Choose File and select the file that you want to import.
    • Select the Character Encoding and File Delimiter from the dropdown.
    • Click Next.
  • Under the Map Fields tab,
    • Map the Zoho ERP fields to the imported file headers.
    • Click Next.
  • Under the Preview tab,
    • Check the list of all the products that are ready to be imported, skipped and also the list of unmapped fields.
    • If there are plans that are being skipped, edit the import file and repeat the above steps.
  • Click Import.

Once the import is complete, the addons will be added to your organization based on the mapped fields and import preferences. Review the imported data to ensure accuracy before associating the addons with plans or subscriptions.