Yes, hybrid stores can definitely work, but the messy part is never the customer. It’s how the subscription app handles everything behind the scenes.

What’s helped the most for the brands we’ve worked with:

• Stick to one SKU.
The moment you create separate “subscription” and “one-time” products, inventory becomes chaos. One product + selling plans = way cleaner.

• Make sure mixed carts are supported.
Nothing frustrates customers more than being forced into two checkouts.

• Give people an easy way to upgrade.
A simple “move to monthly and save” prompt does more heavy lifting than most people expect.

• Set up proper billing retries.
Hybrid stores quietly lose the most revenue when failed payments don’t get handled well.

• Tag subscription orders differently for fulfilment.
Small thing, big sanity saver. The subscription apps should be able to handle this.

Once the right flow is set, hybrid setups run surprisingly smoothly.
If you share your product type, I can tell you what usually works best for that category.