Coupon and Discount Guide

There are three types of coupons:

• Quantity Coupon
• Value Coupon
• Shipping Coupon

Each type applies a discount in a different manner.

You must select the coupon type at the beginning of the coupon creation process:

A coupon of type quantity will deduct either a percentage or an amount of the total price if the amount of items purchased is greater than the amount set in the Minimum Quantity field.

Example: I have created a coupon named “More than 3” (coupon code: 3MORE).

This coupon will apply a 30% discount if the amount of items purchased is greater than 3.

So if a customer tries to apply this coupon when only purchasing 2 items:

- it will not work:

But if the user selects more than 3 items:

- then the coupon will work and apply the discount:

A coupon of type value will deduct either a percentage or an amount off the total price if the total value of the purchase is greater than the amount set in the Minimum Purchase field.

Example: I have created a coupon name “More than 1000” (coupon code: D1000).

This coupon will apply a £200 discount if the total value of the shopping cart is greater than £1000.

So if a customer tries to apply this coupon when only purchasing £300 worth of goods, it will not work:

But if the customer purchases more than £1000 worth of goods, then the coupon will work and the discount will be applied:

A coupon of type shipping will deduct either a percentage or an amount off the total shipping price.

As with the coupons of type quantity and value, you can set the percentage discount on the Discount Percent % field:

- or apply a discount by amount on the Discount panel price matrix:

Shipping discounts are always displayed at checkout:

Note: for shipping type coupons, you must select the Shipping Profile/s (Control > Commerce > Shipping Profiles) where this discount can be applied.

Select the shipping profile filter:

Select the specific shipping profile (if needed):

The Smart Coupon option allows you to generate a URL which links a coupon code to a catalogue item.

When a user clicks on the smart coupon URL they are taken to the product’s detail page and the discount is automatically applied.

In order to create a smart coupon, you will need to select the Smart Coupon option from the  Catalogue Selections.

Once you've selected the Smart Coupon option you can link the catalogue item(s).

Note: make sure to tick Live or the smart coupon will not work.

After you’ve saved the coupon the URL will be generated:

You can share this URL in a message or place it within an article.

As an example, a product URL without an associated smart coupon will appear like this:

In comparison, a product URL with an associated smart coupon will appear like this:

Once the product has been added to the basket, the Coupon/Promo Code field will be pre-populated and the discount amounts will be displayed. 

This means that the standard coupon rules are applied to the basket.

Control > Commerce > Coupons > (Add/Edit)

Creating a coupon is fairly straightforward. Simply fill in the necessary value and save.

Fields

Main panel:

• Name
• Enter the Name for this Coupon (this is the Control Centre reference for this Coupon. The customers only see a prompt to enter the Code)

• Description
• Enter a description for this coupon (this is only for internal use and allows a maximum of 300 characters)

• External ID
• Enter an External ID. This can be used to store any external coupon reference e.g. for Stripe payment integration

• Coupon Section
• Enter the name of a Coupon Section you wish to log this coupon against. Simply enter the section name and if it exists then select it (if you wish to create a new section then simply type out the new name and it will automatically be generated)

• Type
• System field only (displays what Type of Coupon this is)

• Coupon Code
• Enter the Code that customers need to enter to claim a discount (this code must not contain spaces)

• Coupon Information
• Enter a short description or additional information for the coupon entered ( this will appear at the top of the Basket screen during checkout)

• Enable Total Uses
• Tick to enable Total Uses that a Coupon can be used by all users

• Total Uses
• Enter the maximum number of times for everyone that this Coupon can be used for

• Coupon Group
• Select the Coupon Group that you'd like to group this coupon with for particular group rules

• Minimum Quantity
• Enter Minimum purchase quantity against which this Coupon can be used

• Maximum Quantity
• Enter Maximum purchase quantity against which this Coupon can be used. '0' means the Coupon is unlimited

• Step Value
• Enter the number of Steps (which are Items, typically) that coupon is valid for (for instance, 3 Steps and 33% discount translates to Buy 2 Get 1 Free)

• Discount Percent %
• Enter Percentage Discount

• Maximum Uses
• Enter the maximum number of times (per customer) that this Coupon can be used for ('0' means the Coupon has unlimited uses)

• Store Options
• Select whether Coupon can apply to All or Selected

• Stores
• Select to which Store Profiles this Coupon applies

• Group Options
• Select whether Coupon can apply to All or Selected

• Groups
• Select to which Groups this Coupon applies

• Channel Options
• Select whether Coupon can apply to All or Selected

• Channels
• Select to which Channels this Coupon applies

• Section Options
• Select whether Coupon can apply to All or Selected

• Sections
• Select to which Sections this Coupon applies

• Coupons
• Select with which other Coupons this Coupon can be used

• Enforced Coupons
• Select any additional coupons you want to enforce along with this coupon. This will allow the creation of advanced discounts (e.g. 20% off the products with 20% off shipping)

• Catalogue Selections
• Select how Coupons can be assigned to Catalogue Items. A Smart Coupon is used to automatically generate a direct link to the checkout, populating the selected Catalogue Items and coupon/promo code (Note: only one subscription catalogue item can be added to the basket at a time. For non-subscription items, you can select multiple catalogue items)

• Catalogue Items
• Use the multiple lookup to select more than one option

Publication panel:

• Publish Start
• Enter the date when this Coupon will become valid

• Publish End
• Enter the date when the Coupon will expire

• Live
• Tick this box to publish this Coupon Live to your Website

Discount panel:

• Depending on the coupon type, this can show different discount fields

Note: you can leave the defaults if you do not wish to specify a Store, Group, Channel, Section or Coupons Combinations.

If you wish to adhere (or enforce) one coupon to another, please visit the following FAQ:

How can I adhere (enforce) one coupon to another?

If you wish to create a coupon that applies only when a certain number of items is purchased, please visit the following FAQ:

How can I apply coupons to specific quantities of a catalogue item?

Coupons are applied when the customer arrives at the Shopping Basket screen.

There will be a "Add Promotional Code" section below the Gran Total:

Customer will need to add the promo code to the field:

A success message will be displayed after a valid coupon is applied:

Control > Commerce > Coupon Groups

Coupon Groups help you to categorise and group your coupons.

If you set these up first, they will be displayed on the coupon creation screen:

Control > Commerce > Coupon Import

You can Add, Update and Delete coupons in mass by means of the Coupon Import.

Download the sample XLSX file (by clicking on the Help button, File > Sample XLS):

- and populate the columns with the necessary values.

Columns:

• CouponName
• Description
• CouponType
• CouponCode
• EnableTotalUses
• TotalUses
• CouponGroup
• MinimumQuantity
• MaximumQuantity
• StepValue
• DiscountPercent
• MaximumUses
• GroupOptions
• Groups
• CouponCombinations
• Coupons
• CatalogueSelections
• CatalogueItems
• PublishStart
• PublishEnd
• Live
• MinimumPurchase
• MaximumValue
• DiscountAmount
• CurrencyName
• EnforcedCoupons
• Store
• ChannelScreenNameFilter
• SectionScreenNameFilter
• ArticleTypeFilter
• TopicFilter
• ZoneFilter

Control > Commerce > Discounts

Discounts are very similar to coupons, the difference is that the former are automatically deducted from the catalogue item rather than the customer having to input a code in order to obtain the discount.

Discounts can be of type Quantity, Order Value and Item Value.

The discount can be deducted by amount or percentage. 

Creating a discount is almost identical to creating a coupon (minus several fields).

The Discount detail page has an added panel: the Discount Matrix panel.

The values will change depending on the type of discount selected.

Discount of type Quantity:

The Quantity type discount changes the Matrix panel so that you can set the Minimum Quantity and the Maximum Quantity.

Example:

If a customer wishes to purchase 7 items they will receive a 5% discount.

If a customer wishes to purchase 23 items they will receive a 10% discount.

And finally, if a customer wishes to purchase 46 items, they will receive a 15% discount.

Discount of type Item Value:

Example:

If a customer buys an item worth £75 they will get a £7 discount.

If a customer buys an item worth £220 they will get a £14 discount.

Finally, if a customer buys an item worth £380 they will get a £28 discount.

Discount of type Order Value:

Example:

If a customer’s order is between £100 and £200, they will get a 10% discount.

If a customer’s order is between £201 and £400, they will get a 15% discount.

Finally, if a customer’s order is between £401 and £500, they will get a 20% discount.

Control > Commerce > Checkout Profiles > (Add/Edit)

The checkout profile has two options related to coupons.

• Hide Coupon Code
• Select to hide the Coupon/Promotional Code panel on the checkout screen
• Coupon Help
• Enter the message for customers to see when they click on the Coupon Help icon

Control > Commerce > Catalogue Items > (Add/Edit)

A catalogue item has one option related to coupons (and discounts).

• Coupons & Discounts
• Tick option to allow Coupons and Discounts to be assigned to this Catalogue Item