A coupon is a code your customers type into the coupon box in the cart to get a discount on a website order: an amount off, a percentage off, free shipping, or a mix. You can also make a coupon apply automatically, with no code at all. Coupons live under Website › Marketing › Coupons.
The coupon list
Each row shows the code (with the name shown in the cart and the date it was created), what it takes off in plain words along with any rules, who can use it, when it is valid, how many times it has been used, and its status.
- Active: it can be used today, as long as the order meets its rules.
- Scheduled: it has a date range that has not started yet.
- Expired: its last day has passed.
- Used up: it belongs to one person, and that person has used it as many times as the limit allows.
An Automatic tag next to the status means the coupon applies at checkout without a code. The tabs across the top (All, Active, Scheduled, Expired, Automatic) narrow the list, and the filters let you pick by status, by kind of discount, by how it switches on, or by who can use it. The search box looks through codes, cart names, notes and customer email addresses.
The envelope icon on each row sends that coupon by email (see below). The pencil opens it and the trash icon deletes it.
Creating a coupon
Click Add New Coupon. The form is a set of cards; the In short box on the right writes out, in one sentence, what the coupon will do as you fill it in. Read it before you save.
The code
- Coupon code: what the customer types, up to 32 letters and numbers, for example BOOKSALE. It is not case sensitive and cannot contain an ampersand. It cannot be changed once the coupon is saved; to use a different code, add a new coupon.
- Name shown in the cart: required. The customer sees it next to the discount.
- Note on the order confirmation: optional. A sentence shown under the coupon line once the order is placed.
What it takes off
Tick one or more:
- An amount off the order, in your site's own currency.
- A percentage off the items. Items already discounted by more than this (for example by a site discount) are not discounted again, and items marked as not allowing discounts on their item form are left out. The customer is told so in the cart.
- Free shipping. Leave the zone at “All Zones” to make every shipping option free, or pick a zone and, if you like, one rate in it.
How it switches on
- At checkout: The customer enters the code, or Automatic, which gives the discount to every eligible order with no code. You can have one automatic coupon for everyone, and one automatic coupon per customer.
- Who can use it: Anyone, One person, by email address, or One of your customers (picked from your customer list). A coupon for one person works only when that address is the email on the order.
- Limit how many times each customer can use it: the limit counts per customer, not in total. A limit of 1 on a coupon for anyone means each customer may use it once. To make a true single-use coupon, assign it to one person and set the limit to 1.
A coupon open to Anyone is never created by accident. When a save would make a coupon open to everyone (a new coupon, one that used to belong to a customer, or an open coupon switched to Automatic), you are asked to confirm in a prompt. An automatic coupon for anyone gives the discount to every eligible checkout from every customer, so choose it deliberately.
When it is valid
Switch on Only between two dates and enter the First day and Last day. With the switch off, the coupon is valid until you delete it.
Rules (optional)
- The order must be any size, at least a certain amount, or at least a certain number of items.
- Leave out expensive items: items priced above the amount you enter get no discount from the coupon.
- Only for particular items: pick items by title or item number, then choose whether the order must include at least one of them or all of them.
Save, and the coupon is live according to its dates.
Seeing how a coupon is used
Open a saved coupon and the In short box shows its status, how many times it has been used on placed orders, and the latest redemptions with a link to each order. Rows in grey are carts that were never placed or orders that were cancelled; they do not count as uses. The In your cart box tells you whether the coupon box is showing in your cart. It is switched on and off under Settings › Selling Options › Checkout Options; if it is off, customers have nowhere to type a code, though automatic coupons still apply.
Sending a coupon by email
Click the envelope on the list, Send this coupon by email in the In short box, or the same item in the ... menu of an open coupon. Choose the recipient (an email address or one of your customers), check the From address and Subject, and edit the message, which is pre-filled from your coupon email template with the code, the discount and the rules. Then click Send the email and confirm. You can send a scheduled or expired coupon, but the window warns you first.
Coupons and site discounts
Coupons need a code (or an automatic rule) and apply to one order. Site discounts lower the prices shown on your website for everyone, with no code. The two work together: a percentage coupon only tops an item up to the coupon's percentage, so a 30% coupon on an item already 20% off takes it to 30% off, and a 10% coupon on that item adds nothing. An order carries one coupon at a time; if an automatic coupon and a typed code both apply, the checkout keeps whichever saves the customer more.
Common questions
Why does my coupon say Used up?
Only a coupon assigned to one person can be used up: that person has reached the limit you set. Raise the limit or switch it off to let them use it again. A coupon for anyone is never used up, because its limit counts per customer.
Why was my coupon refused when I chose one person?
You chose One person but left the email address empty. The coupon is not quietly opened to everyone; enter the address, pick the customer, or choose Anyone on purpose.
What currency are the amounts in?
Your site's own currency. Type amounts as plain numbers with a dot for decimals, for example 5.00.
Should I delete a coupon or let it expire?
Setting an end date lets the coupon expire on its own, and it stays in the list under Expired with its use count for your records. Deleting removes it from the list for good. Orders already placed keep their discount either way.
A customer says the code does not work. What should I check?
Open the coupon and read the In short sentence: the dates, who it is for (the order must use that email address), the minimum order, excluded or particular items, and whether the customer has reached their limit. Also check that the coupon box is switched on in Checkout Options.