Ecommerce and Retail

Cheddar: Subscription Management Platform and Recurring Billing API

The management of subscriptions and recurring billing has become a critical aspect for platforms seeking sustainable growth. Cheddar offers a seamless and secure means for platforms to handle these intricacies efficiently. Let’s delve into how Cheddar’s innovative approach addresses the challenges of compliance, security, and more when managing recurring payments.

Why the name Cheddar? The term cheddar is believed to have originated from the practice of stacking coins in piles, resembling the layers of cheddar cheese. It’s often used colloquially to refer to money in a casual or slang context.

Cheddar distinguishes itself through its unique usage-based approach to billing. This methodology empowers platforms to swiftly incorporate monetization strategies into their products, often within a single day. Here’s how it works:

  • Tracking Comes First: Cheddar’s platform prioritizes customer activity tracking. This means that billing rules are applied based on the tracked data, allowing for greater flexibility in iterating pricing models without the need to modify billing code.
  • Decoupled Billing: Cheddar’s billing is decoupled from the core codebase, allowing developers to focus on what activities to track. By separating pricing logic from the code, the platform ensures that billing can be managed independently, simplifying the development process.

Recurring payments present compliance and security challenges that demand careful attention. Cheddar addresses these concerns through:

  • Robust Infrastructure: Cheddar’s platform is engineered to ensure security, scalability, and redundancy at every level. This approach guarantees that sensitive customer data and payment information are protected from potential threats.
  • Transparent Operations: Cheddar’s status page provides real-time updates on platform performance. This transparency instills confidence in both platform operators and end-users, ensuring uninterrupted subscription services.

Cheddar was designed by software engineers who understood the challenges of integrating billing into software products. The platform offers several key advantages:

  • Rapid Integration: Developers can integrate Cheddar’s billing capabilities in hours, bypassing the months typically required for traditional solutions.
  • Isolated Pricing Logic: Cheddar’s architecture isolates pricing logic from the main codebase. This separation enhances code maintainability and reduces the risk of errors when modifying billing rules.
  • Simple API Calls: Cheddar’s API enables efficient customer management, usage updates, and billing status checks. The platform manages billing complexities with just a few API calls, from activity tracking to invoicing and revenue optimization.
  • Transparent Pricing: Cheddar’s pricing structure is straightforward, without hidden fees or lock-in contracts.
  • Enhanced Support: For those requiring more comprehensive assistance, enhanced support plans are available, catering to startups, growing organizations, and enterprises.

PCI Compliance

Achieving PCI compliance can be a complex and challenging process for businesses that handle payment card information. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) outlines stringent security requirements to protect cardholder data and prevent data breaches. While it’s possible for businesses to achieve PCI compliance on their own, using a platform like Cheddar can significantly simplify the process and enhance security. Here’s how Cheddar’s features can contribute to PCI compliance:

  1. Security Expertise: Cheddar, a specialized platform focused on billing and recurring payments, has dedicated resources and expertise to ensure its infrastructure and processes align with PCI DSS requirements. This expertise reduces the burden on businesses to interpret and implement complex security measures.
  2. Secure Infrastructure: Cheddar’s platform is engineered with security in mind. It offers a secure environment for storing and processing payment card information. By utilizing Cheddar’s infrastructure, businesses can leverage the built-in security features, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities.
  3. Data Protection: Cheddar’s approach to decoupled billing ensures that sensitive payment card information is separated from the core codebase. This isolation minimizes the exposure of cardholder data to potential threats, enhancing data protection and reducing the scope of PCI compliance requirements.
  4. Regular Audits: Cheddar likely undergoes security audits and assessments to maintain its PCI compliance. This reassures businesses that the platform adheres to the necessary security standards, which can streamline the compliance process for businesses using Cheddar.
  5. Transparency: Cheddar’s commitment to transparency, as evident from its real-time status updates, can provide businesses with the visibility they need to monitor security measures and ensure ongoing compliance.
  6. Managed Payment Processing: Cheddar’s involvement in processing payments can simplify PCI compliance by shifting some of the responsibility for securely handling payment data to the platform itself.

It’s important to note that while using a platform like Cheddar can certainly ease the path to PCI compliance, businesses are still responsible for their own security practices and adherence to PCI DSS. Even when utilizing a compliant platform, businesses must ensure that their own systems and processes, including how they integrate with Cheddar’s services, also meet the necessary requirements.

Cheddar’s track record speaks volumes about its capabilities. Trusted by hundreds of SaaS companies, the platform has demonstrated its ability to meet the demands of subscription-based models. Its usage-based billing approach, combined with its commitment to security and compliance, positions Cheddar as a reliable partner in the world of recurring payments.

Cheddar offers a sophisticated solution for managing subscriptions and recurring billing that aligns seamlessly with the sales, marketing, and online technology landscape. Its usage-based approach, developer-friendly architecture, and dedication to compliance and security make it a standout choice for platforms seeking efficient and secure monetization strategies. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, Cheddar remains a steadfast partner for businesses navigating the complexities of recurring payments.

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Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is the founder of the Martech Zone and a recognized expert on digital transformation. Douglas has helped start several successful MarTech startups, has assisted in the due diligence of over $5 bil in Martech acquisitions and investments, and continues to launch his own platforms and services. He's a co-founder of Highbridge, a digital transformation consulting firm. Douglas is also a published author of a Dummie's guide and a business leadership book.

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3 Comments

  1. I visited SproutBox a few weeks ago, not because I have a software project, but because I’m intrigued by their model. It’s a fantastic approach! I also love the creative environment they’ve created.

  2. Jon, it really is a superior approach to technology and venture capitalism! I’ve seen many companies throw away good investment money on bad development because they didn’t know what they were doing. This removes much of that risk!

  3. Hi Douglas –

    Thanks for the great review! In the time since you’ve written this, we’ve gone on to add even more features to CheddarGetter, including PayPal integration, a Quickstart wizard, hosted payment pages, and more! We even have two new pricing plans: our Starting Up plan for $9/mo, and a Blowing Up plan for $79/mo. The best part about these plans is that you’re allowed unlimited transactions and customers: what differentiates the plans is how much revenue you take in, and what features you would like. You can check out all the details of the pricing plans here: http://blog.cheddargetter.com/post/4211900640/new-pricing-plans.

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