Discounts & Coupons

Discounts and coupons are powerful tools to incentivize purchases and reward customers. The system supports both automatic promotions and coupon codes with flexible targeting and usage rules.

Overview

The discount system provides two main types:

• Coupons - Require customers to enter a code at checkout
• Promotions - Apply automatically when conditions are met

Both types support:

• Multiple discount methods (percentage, fixed amount, free shipping, same price)
• Product/category/collection targeting
• Usage limits per customer or total
• Date-based scheduling
• Minimum order requirements
• Customer-specific discounts

Discount vs Promotion

Feature	Coupon	Promotion
Requires code	Yes	No
Customer enters code	Yes	Auto-applied
Quantity limits	Yes	Optional
Usage tracking	Per code	Per promotion
Best for	Targeted campaigns, email marketing	Store-wide sales, automatic discounts

Creating a Discount

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Discounts -> Create in admin panel.

Basic Information

For Coupons:

• Code - Alphanumeric code customers enter (max 20 characters)
• Description - Optional note visible to admin only

For Promotions:

• Title - Name displayed to customers (required for promotions)
• Description - Optional internal note

TIP

Use the Generate coupon code button to create a random 12-character code.

Discount Type

Choose how the discount is calculated:

Type	Description	Example
Percentage	Reduce price by percentage	20% off = $100 → $80
Fixed Amount	Reduce price by fixed value	$10 off = $100 → $90
Free Shipping	Remove shipping costs	Free delivery for all items
Same Price	Set all qualifying items to same price	All items $19.99

Value field:

• For percentage: Enter number without % symbol (e.g., 20 for 20%)
• For fixed amount: Enter amount (e.g., 10 for $10 off)
• For same price: Enter the fixed price (e.g., 19.99)
• For free shipping: Value is ignored

Discount Target

Control which products qualify for the discount:

Target	Description	Use Case
All Orders	Applies to entire cart	Store-wide sale
Minimum Order Amount	Only if cart total reaches minimum	Free shipping over $50
Specific Products	Selected products only	Discount on featured items
Product Collections	All products in collections	Sale on summer collection
Product Categories	All products in categories	20% off electronics
Product Variants	Specific product variants	Discount on large sizes only
Customer	Only specific customers	VIP customer discount
Once Per Customer	Limit one use per customer	First-time buyer coupon

Additional targeting options:

• Minimum order price - Cart must reach this amount (e.g., $50)
• Product quantity - Minimum items required (e.g., buy 3 or more)
• Discount on - Choose between "Subtotal" or "Shipping fee" (for percentage/fixed discounts)

Date & Time Restrictions

Control when the discount is active:

• Start date/time - When discount becomes available
• End date/time - When discount expires (optional)
• Check No expiration for unlimited time

WARNING

Discounts with past start dates are active immediately. Customers cannot use expired discounts.

Usage Limits (Coupons Only)

For coupon codes, control how many times they can be used:

• Total usage - Maximum total uses across all customers
• Check Unlimited quantity to remove limits
• Per-customer limits are controlled by target type (see "Once Per Customer")

Advanced Options

Can use with promotion:

• When ON: Coupon can combine with automatic promotions
• When OFF: Coupon cannot stack with promotions

Can use with flash sale:

• When ON: Discount applies to flash sale items
• When OFF: Discount excluded from flash sale items

Apply via URL:

• When ON: Generate a URL that auto-applies the coupon
• When OFF: Customers must manually enter code
• URL format: https://yourstore.com/cart?coupon_code=YOURCODE

Display at checkout:

• When ON: Show discount in available coupons list at checkout
• When OFF: Customers must know and enter code manually

Discount Application Priority

When multiple discounts could apply, the system follows these rules:

1. Flash sales take priority over all discounts (unless discount allows flash sale)
2. Product-specific discounts override general discounts
3. Higher value discount wins if multiple apply to same item
4. Promotions auto-apply; coupons require manual entry
5. Only one coupon can be used per order (but can combine with promotions if allowed)

Example Configurations

Example 1: 20% Off Coupon (Limited Use)

Type: Coupon
Code: SAVE20
Discount type: Percentage
Value: 20
Target: All Orders
Quantity: 100
Start date: 2024-01-01
End date: 2024-01-31
Can use with promotion: No

Example 2: Free Shipping Over $50

Type: Promotion
Title: Free Shipping on Orders $50+
Discount type: Free Shipping
Target: Minimum Order Amount
Min order price: 50
No expiration: Yes

Example 3: Buy 3 Get 20% Off

Type: Promotion
Title: Buy 3 or More Save 20%
Discount type: Percentage
Value: 20
Target: Specific Products (or Collection/Category)
Product quantity: 3

Example 4: VIP Customer Discount

Type: Promotion
Title: VIP Customer 15% Off
Discount type: Percentage
Value: 15
Target: Customer
Customers: [Select specific customers]
No expiration: Yes

Example 5: First Order Coupon

Type: Coupon
Code: FIRST10
Discount type: Fixed Amount
Value: 10
Target: Once Per Customer
Quantity: Unlimited

Managing Discounts

Editing Active Discounts

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Discounts to view all discounts.

The table shows:

• Code/Title
• Type (Coupon/Promotion)
• Discount type (%, fixed, shipping)
• Value
• Total used (for coupons)
• Start/End dates
• Status

Click Edit to modify. Changes apply immediately.

WARNING

Changing a coupon code while it's active may break existing links and customer bookmarks.

Viewing Usage Statistics

For coupons, the Total Used column shows how many times the code was used.

To see detailed usage:

1. Edit the discount
2. View Used by customers section (shows customer names and usage dates)

Deleting Discounts

Click Delete to remove a discount.

WARNING

Deleting a discount does NOT affect past orders that used it. Historical order totals remain unchanged.

Customer Experience

Using Coupons at Checkout

1. Add items to cart
2. Go to checkout page
3. Enter coupon code in "Discount code" field
4. Click "Apply"
5. Discount appears in order summary

If coupon fails:

• "Invalid coupon code" - Code doesn't exist or is typed incorrectly
• "Coupon has expired" - Past end date
• "Coupon usage limit reached" - Total uses exceeded
• "You have already used this coupon" - Per-customer limit reached
• "Minimum order amount not met" - Cart total too low

Auto-Applied Promotions

Promotions apply automatically when conditions are met:

• No code entry required
• Shows as "Promotion: [Title]" in cart
• Removes automatically if conditions no longer met

Discount Display

At checkout, customers see:

• Subtotal - Original total
• Discount - Amount saved (shows discount name)
• Tax - Calculated on discounted amount
• Shipping - Free if shipping discount applied
• Total - Final amount

Best Practices

1. Use clear codes - Make coupon codes memorable (e.g., SAVE20, FREESHIP, VIP15)

2. Set expiration dates - Create urgency with limited-time offers

3. Test before launch - Create test order to verify discount applies correctly

4. Limit usage - Prevent abuse with quantity/per-customer limits

5. Track performance - Monitor total uses to measure campaign success

6. Avoid overlap - Be careful with multiple auto-promotions; higher value wins

7. Communicate clearly - Include terms in marketing (min order, expiration, exclusions)

8. Archive old discounts - Delete expired/unused discounts to keep list clean

Troubleshooting

Discount not applying at checkout

1. Check dates - Ensure current date is between start/end
2. Verify target - Confirm cart contains qualifying products
3. Check minimums - Cart must meet min order/quantity requirements
4. Test conflicts - Disable "can use with" options if conflicts suspected

Coupon code rejected

1. Check spelling - Codes are case-sensitive
2. Verify status - Discount must be published (not draft)
3. Check usage - Quantity limit may be reached
4. Test customer - Per-customer limits may apply

Wrong discount amount

1. Check discount type - Percentage vs fixed amount
2. Verify target - May only apply to specific products, not entire cart
3. Check "Discount on" - May apply to subtotal OR shipping, not both

Multiple discounts conflicting

• Only one coupon allowed per order
• Promotions can stack if "can use with promotion" enabled
• Highest value discount wins for same products
• Flash sales override discounts (unless discount allows flash sale)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers use multiple coupons?

No, only one coupon code per order. However, a coupon can be combined with automatic promotions if "Can use with promotion" is enabled.

Do discounts apply to shipping?

Yes, if:

• Discount type is "Free Shipping", OR
• "Discount on" field is set to "Shipping fee" (for percentage/fixed discounts)

Can I create buy X get Y discounts?

Yes, use:

• Target: Specific Products (select X and Y)
• Product quantity: Minimum quantity required
• Discount type: Percentage (100% for free) or Fixed Amount

How do I create a store-wide sale?

Create a Promotion with:

• Target: All Orders
• Discount type: Percentage
• Set start/end dates for sale period

Can I offer exclusive discounts to specific customers?

Yes, use Target: Customer and select specific customers. This creates a VIP/loyalty discount.

What happens if I delete a discount that was used in past orders?

Past orders are unaffected. Order totals and discount history remain in the system.

Can discounts apply to product variants?

Yes, use Target: Product Variants to select specific variants (e.g., only Large sizes).