Setting Up Discount Codes or Coupons

The purpose of the Discount Code is to offer customers or prospects the ability to apply a discount to specific products through the Shopping Cart or Online Store. The discount can be calculated based on a percentage of the price of the product or by subtracting a flat dollar amount. You may also set-up a discount that can be applied to merchandise if purchased in bulk or volume.

You can limit the use of the code by:

• Defining the time period during which the discount code is valid (e.g., Discount code is good through October 31).
• Limiting how many times a customer can apply the discount (e.g., Only two discounted items per customer).
• Limiting the total number of times the discount code can be used (e.g., Discount is available to the first 100 customers).

Note: If the discount (dollar amount) is more than the cost of the product, only the amount of the product will be covered. A credit for the difference will not be created on the customer's record.

If the Bill Me option is selected, creating an order, and the order is not paid by the time the discount shopping code expires, when the customer goes to pay the order (converting it to an invoice) the discount code will still apply because it is linked to the order.

If a customer selects items in the shopping cart but does not check out, the items including the discount will remain in the customer's shopping cart when they return to it. If the discount shopping code has expired when the customer goes to check out of the shopping cart, the discount code will be cleared and a message will appear explaining that the discount code has expired. The price of the products will revert back to the original price.

If the discount shopping code is set up to apply to ALL products and the discount is a flat dollar amount, if the customer has multiple products in the shopping cart, the discount will be applied starting with the first product in the shopping cart list. If the discount is percentage-based, the percentage will apply to all products.

If the discount code is set up to apply to a bundle, the discount amount will be applied to the Bundle Product and not to the components of the bundle.

The discount does not apply to shipping or tax.

Before you can set up a Discount Code, you must set up a Charge Code for the discount expense account. (See Setting Up the Discount Charge Code.)

To create the Discount Code Profile:

1. Click the Administration hyperlink on the Module Menu to launch the Administration module.
2. Click the Discounts group item to display the list of available actions.
3. Click the Add Discount hyperlink.



This will open the Discount Information page.

4. Enter the Discount Code. (This is the first half of the discount coupon code and is required.)
5. Expand the Merchant Account drop-down menu and select the appropriate account, if this discount is to be tied to a merchant account.
6. Enter the Discount Name. (This field is required.)
7. Enter a Description for the discount.
8. Click the Volume based check box, to create a discount for bulk or volume purchases made by a customer. This will cause the Apply To drop-down menu to display.
9. Expand the Apply To drop-down menu and choose which type of individual this discount will be available to.

Select Member in the Apply To drop-down, if the volume discount should be available to members only. Otherwise, choose Non-Member for a Non-Member discount or both if it is available to both. This is required if the Volume based check box was checked..

10. Select the Limited Availability check box, to limit the availability of the discount, . Clicking this check box will display the Qty on Hand/Available field.

11. Enter a number in the Quantity on Hand/Available field, to limit the total number of times the discount code can be used by all customers.  This field is required if the Limited Availability check box has been checked.

12. Enter a number in the Usage per Customer field, to limit the number of times a discount can be used per customer.
13. Enter a Start Date and End Date, to limit the time period this code is available.

14. Click the Save button.

This creates the Discount Code Profile.

On the Amounts tab, you will set-up the amount of the discount. On the Applied To tab, you will set up the discount code to work with a specific product or multiple products.

Setting up the Discount Amounts

Please visit the following help topics to learn more about setting up the discount amounts:

• Setting up a Dollar Amount Discount
• Setting Up a Percentage-Based Discount

Associating a Discount Code with a Product Type

Please visit the following help topic to learn more about associating a discount code to a product type:

• Associating a Discount Code with a Product Type