ShopBuilder allows you to use discount coupon codes in your store. A discount coupon code is a code which a customer can use to get a discount when making a purchase. They are used for sales promotion.
Discount coupon codes are issued by store owners and can be distributed in any way the provider finds convenient (for example, through mail, site news, or advertisements on other sites).
Discount coupons are available for paid ShopBuilder accounts only.
Create Discount Coupons
To create discount coupons:
- In the left panel, click eCommerce, and then click Manage Store.
- Click Marketing, and then click Discount Coupons.
- Click + Add New Coupon.
- Complete the necessary fields and click Save.
Coupon Options
When creating a coupon, you have the following options:
- Name. Add a coupon name for your convenience. Only store owner can see it.
- Code. To create a random code, click the generate. Alternatively, type your own code (for example
summersale_coupon).Code is case-insensitive.Your customers will use a code to receive a discount. The discount can be one of the following:- Free shipping
- Absolute discount (for example, $5 off)
- Percent discount (for example, 10% off)
Coupon Limits
Click the limits link to configure the limits of the coupon. You have the following options:
- Orders:
- all orders. The coupon will be applied to all orders regardless of their totals.
- subtotal over amount The coupon will be applied only to orders whose totals are greater than specified dollar amount.
- Number of Uses:
- Unlimited. No limits. Each customer can apply such coupon numerous times.
- Once per customer. Each customer can apply a coupon only once per email, however the coupon can be applied numerous times. A customer can place two orders with such coupon, if he/she specifies different email addresses.
- Single use. The coupon can be applied only once.
- Customers:
- All. No limits by customer type.
- Repeat customers only. Only customers with existing successful orders can apply such coupon.
- Products and categories:
- Click Limit by Product or Limit by Category. Select one or more products or/and categories a coupon can be applied for.
Click Apply.
FAQs
When is the Apply a coupon field on a cart page is displayed?
The Apply a coupon field displays on a cart page if your store has at least one coupon enabled coupon.
What is a discount coupon applied to?
Discount coupons apply to subtotal (sum of items prices for all items in this order without taxes). A discount does not apply to shipping cost. The total discount cannot be more than a subtotal.
Is it possible to create a gift card (gift certificate) in ShopBuilder?
A single-use discount coupon can be used as a gift card (to some extent)—a customer who has a promotion code can apply such a coupon and get a discount. Also, if you set a 100% discount for a coupon, an order will actually be free for a customer, you can use it for either attracting new customers or offering a reward to regular ones.
- Please keep in mind discount coupons apply to subtotal (sum of items prices for all items in this order), a discount does not apply to shipping cost. So if you charge your customers for shipping, a gift card 100% coupon will not cover the cost of shipping.
- If you decide to use a 100% discount, you will need to enable the Skip payment method selection if the order total is zero option in order to prevent warning messages caused by the fact that most of the online payment gateways do not allow orders with zero total.
What limits does Google Checkout apply over discount coupons?
- There are two possible ways of applying a coupon if Google Checkout is used.
- Customer applies a coupon in a cart and then goes to Google Checkout. In this case, the discount will be shown as a item with the negative price. It will not be possible to apply a new coupon on a Google Checkout page. If you apply a “free shipping” coupon, the new “Free Shipping (coupon: coupon code)” shipping method will appear.
- Customer applies a coupon on a Google Checkout page. It is also possible to apply coupons on the Google Checkout page (it has a special field for it). Customers can apply only one coupon per order. If you apply a “free shipping” coupon, the new “Free Shipping (coupon: coupon code)” shipping method will appear.
- The “once per customer” limit cannot be checked if the order is placed via Google Checkout, so a customer can place multiple orders with “once per customer” coupon when using Google Checkout.
- Google Checkout has the following limitation for UK users:
Merchants in the UK cannot yet use the Merchant Calculations API to calculate coupons or gift certificates.
It means that UK users can apply coupons on the cart page only and cannot apply it on Google Checkout page yet.
My customers get a warning saying they cannot pay for a zero-total order when a discount is more than or equal to order total. How can I fix that?
Such a warning is displayed when a customer tries to pay with an online payment method for a zero-total order, because most of the online payment gateways do not allow orders with zero total. In order to fix this, enable the Skip payment method selection, if the order total is zero option in the Store Control Panel.