Puck

Puck contracted me as a fractional engineering lead to build and support a bespoke subscription infrastructure for their high-traffic, Sage-powered publication. Serving over 4 million page views each month, Puck required a financial engine capable of handling tens of thousands of recurring subscribers without the bloat or performance drag of standard eCommerce plugins.

Challenges

  • Complex Subscription Needs: Puck needed to manage over 50,000 recurring subscribers. Off-the-shelf solutions like WooCommerce were too heavy, and standard membership plugins lacked the flexibility required for their specific user journey.
  • Frictionless Onboarding: To maximize conversion, the checkout flow needed to happen entirely on-site (embedded), rather than redirecting users to a generic Stripe-hosted page.
  • High-Volume Performance: With 4M+ monthly views, the database architecture had to be optimized to check subscriber status instantly without slowing down page loads.
  • Regulatory Compliance: The site required strict adherence to GDPR and CCPA, integrated with Google’s consent framework.

    Solutions

    Custom Stripe Subscription Engine

    I bypassed third-party plugins to build a native, API-driven subscription system tailored specifically to Puck’s business model.

  • Direct API Integration: Leveraged Stripe’s Payment Intents API and Webhooks to handle renewals, cancellations, and failed payments in real-time.
  • Embedded Checkout Flow: Built a custom React-based onboarding flow using Stripe Elements. This allowed users to purchase subscriptions without ever leaving the Puck domain, significantly increasing conversion rates.
  • Self-Serve User Portal: Developed a "My Account" area where subscribers can upgrade tiers, update payment methods, or pause subscriptions, syncing directly with Stripe customer data to reduce support ticket volume.

    Enterprise-Grade Performance & Compliance

  • GDPR/CCPA Integration: Implemented a consent management system that bridges the gap between user choices and Google Tag Manager, ensuring full legal compliance without data loss.
  • Dynamic Mega Menu: Engineered a complex, cache-compatible mega menu that updates daily based on author activity, ensuring the frontend reflects the publication's fast-paced editorial cycle.

    Results

  • Scale: The custom engine flawlessly processed billing for over 50,000 active subscribers.
  • Speed: By eliminating eCommerce plugin bloat, subscriber entitlement checks occur in milliseconds, preserving the site's high-performance scores.
  • Conversion: The embedded, on-site checkout flow reduced cart abandonment and streamlined the path to paid readership.