How To Make Discount Code On Woocommerce

How to Make Discount Codes on WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide

Want to boost sales and reward your loyal customers? Offering discount codes is a powerful way to do it! WooCommerce makes creating and managing discount codes incredibly easy, even if you’re a complete newbie. This guide will walk you through the process, step-by-step, with real-life examples and explanations to help you understand the “why” behind each step.

Think of discount codes like coupons you might find in a newspaper or get in your email. They entice customers to buy by offering a percentage off, a fixed amount discount, or even free shipping. Let’s dive in!

Why Use Discount Codes?

Before we jump into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Discount codes are a vital part of many e-commerce strategies. Here are a few common reasons to use them:

Attract New Customers: A well-placed discount code can encourage first-time buyers to take the plunge. For example, a “WELCOME10” code for 10% off a first order.
Reward Loyal Customers: Show your appreciation with exclusive discounts for returning customers. Imagine sending a “THANKYOU20” code to customers who have spent over $100 in your store.
Clear Out Inventory: If you have old or slow-moving stock, a discount code can help you move it quickly. Think “SUMMERSALE” for 30% off summer apparel at the end of the season.
Increase Average Order Value: Offer discounts based on the total cart value, encouraging customers to buy more. For instance, a “FREESHIP50” code for free shipping on orders over $50.
Drive Traffic to Specific Products: If you want to highlight a new product or a specific category, use a discount code that applies only to those items. For example, “NEWPHONE15” for 15% off the latest smartphone.

Creating Your First WooCommerce Discount Code

Okay, let’s get our hands dirty! Here’s how to create a discount code in WooCommerce:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.

2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Coupons. You’ll find this in the left-hand menu.

3. Click the “Add coupon” button. This will take you to the coupon creation page.

Configuring Your Discount Code: The General Tab

The coupon creation page has several tabs, but we’ll start with the “General” tab. This is where you define the basics of your discount code.

Coupon Code: Enter the code your customers will use. Make it easy to remember and type. Examples: “SPRING20,” “STUDENT15,” “WELCOMEBACK.” WooCommerce can also generate a random code for you.
Description (Optional): Add a description for your own reference. This is only visible to you in the admin panel. For example, “Spring 2023 Promotion” or “Welcome Offer for New Subscribers.”
Discount Type: This is crucial! Choose from:
Percentage discount: Gives a percentage off the cart total. (e.g., 20% off)
Fixed cart discount: Gives a fixed dollar amount off the cart total. (e.g., $10 off)
Fixed product discount: Gives a fixed dollar amount off specific products. (e.g., $5 off a specific t-shirt)
Coupon amount: Enter the amount of the discount. For percentage discounts, this is the percentage (e.g., 20). For fixed discounts, this is the dollar amount (e.g., 10).
Allow free shipping: Check this box if the coupon should also grant free shipping. This usually works best with fixed cart discounts or as a standalone offer.
Coupon expiry date: Set the date when the coupon will expire. This is essential! Expired coupons can lead to frustrated customers.

Example:

Let’s say you want to create a coupon code “SUMMER25” for 25% off all products, valid for the month of June. You would:

Coupon Code: SUMMER25
Description: Summer Sale 2023
Discount Type: Percentage discount
Coupon amount: 25
Allow free shipping: Unchecked (unless you also want to offer free shipping with this code)
Coupon expiry date: June 30, 2023

Usage Restriction Tab: Setting Limits and Conditions

The “Usage Restriction” tab allows you to control *who* can use the coupon and *how* they can use it. This is where you add conditions to prevent misuse of your discount code.

Minimum spend: The minimum order total required to use the coupon. Useful for encouraging larger orders. For example, set to $50 to require customers to spend at least $50 before using the code.
Maximum spend: The maximum order total allowed to use the coupon. Useful for preventing excessively large orders from being heavily discounted. Less commonly used.
Individual use only: Check this box to prevent the coupon from being used in conjunction with other coupons. Highly Recommended! Otherwise, customers might “stack” coupons and get huge discounts.
Exclude sale items: Check this box to prevent the coupon from being applied to products that are already on sale.
Products: Specify the specific products the coupon applies to. This is useful for targeting specific items or categories.
Exclude products: Specify the specific products the coupon *doesn’t* apply to. This is useful for excluding high-profit items or items that are already heavily discounted.
Product categories: Specify the product categories the coupon applies to.
Exclude categories: Specify the product categories the coupon *doesn’t* apply to.
Allowed Emails: List the email addresses that are allowed to use the coupon. Useful for rewarding specific customers.
Usage limit per coupon: The maximum number of times the coupon can be used in total. Set this if you want to limit the number of customers who can take advantage of the offer.
Usage limit per user: The maximum number of times each individual user can use the coupon. Typically set to “1” to prevent abuse.

Example:

Let’s say you want to limit the “SUMMER25” coupon to one use per customer and exclude sale items:

Minimum spend: Leave blank (no minimum spend)
Maximum spend: Leave blank (no maximum spend)
Individual use only: Checked
Exclude sale items: Checked
Usage limit per coupon: Leave blank (unlimited total uses) or set to a specific number.
Usage limit per user: 1

Usage Limits Tab: Controlling Usage

The “Usage Limits” tab focuses on how many times the coupon can be used overall and per customer, as we saw a bit in the previous section. This is critical for controlling your budget and preventing coupon abuse.

We’ve already discussed the “Usage limit per coupon” and “Usage limit per user” settings in the “Usage Restriction” tab, so this tab is mostly a review and reinforces the importance of these settings.

Important Note: The “Usage Limit” tab is essentially a simplified view of the “Usage Limit per Coupon” and “Usage Limit per User” fields already found in the “Usage Restriction” tab. You don’t need to configure settings in *both* tabs; configuring them in either tab will have the same effect. The “Usage Restriction” tab is generally preferred because it provides more comprehensive options.

Publishing and Promoting Your Discount Code

Once you’ve configured all the settings, click the “Publish” button to activate your coupon.

Now, the most important part: Promote your discount code!

Email Marketing: Send an email to your subscribers announcing the discount.
Social Media: Share the code on your social media channels.
Website Banners: Display the code prominently on your website.
Order Confirmation Page: Include a discount code for future purchases on the order confirmation page.
Abandoned Cart Emails: Offer a discount to customers who have abandoned their carts.

Tracking Your Coupon Performance

WooCommerce tracks how many times each coupon is used. You can see this information in the “Coupons” section of your dashboard. Analyze this data to see which coupons are most effective and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Troubleshooting Common Discount Code Issues

Coupon not working: Double-check the expiry date, usage limits, and product/category restrictions. Make sure the customer’s cart meets the minimum spend requirements.
Coupon stacking: If customers are able to use multiple coupons together, make sure “Individual use only” is checked.
Coupon applying to sale items: Make sure “Exclude sale items” is checked.

Conclusion

Creating discount codes in WooCommerce is a straightforward process that can significantly boost your sales and customer engagement. By understanding the different settings and using them strategically, you can create powerful promotions that drive revenue and build customer loyalty. Remember to plan your coupon strategy carefully, promote your codes effectively, and track your results to get the most out of your WooCommerce store! Now go out there and create some awesome discounts!