How to Easily Add Discount Codes on Shopify (step by step!)
As a Shopify store owner, you need to find ways to get your customers to buy your products. One way to market your online store is to offer discount codes! Occasionally offering your customers items at a lower price can get them to make a purchase from you and drive sales.
While there are different ways to do this, in including third-party apps, the easiest way for most store owners is to simply set up promo codes directly in your Shopify store.
Shopify discount codes can be set up many different ways such as offering percentage discounts, setting minimum purchase amounts, allowing specific customers to get discounts to boost customer loyalty, setting start date and end dates, etc. There are plenty of ways to customize the different types of discounts and it’ll be up to you to test out which methods produce the best results for your store.
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to add discount codes on Shopify (with screenshots and everything!) so that you can offer your customers some great deals and make more sales!
Quick Facts on Shopify Discount Codes
As anyone knows, discount codes are a great way to incentivize customers to make a purchase. On Shopify, these codes can be applied to a specific product, collection, or the entire store. Here are a few things you should know about discount codes:
- Discount codes can be created for a specific amount off, a percentage off, or free shipping.
- You can set a start and end date for the discount code to be active or you can leave it open ended.
- Discount codes can be limited to a certain number of uses or a specific customer group.
- You can also combine discount codes with other promotions such as free gifts or buy-one-get-one offers.
- Discount codes can’t be stacked on Shopify (aka only one code can be used at per order)
Overall, discount codes are a powerful tool for driving sales and rewarding loyal customers. By understanding how to create and use them effectively, you can boost your store’s revenue and build a strong customer base.
How to Add Discount Codes on Shopify
Next I’ll show you exactly how to get to the area where you can create discount codes in your Shopify store.
To create a discount code, navigate to the Discounts section in your Shopify admin.
From there, you’ll see all existing codes, and you can create a new discount code by clicking the button in the top right corner.
Then you’ll see a pop up to decide the type of discount you want to offer.
Once you select the type, you’ll then be sent to a page where you can enter a unique discount code and all of the details or restrictions. Remember to always test your discount codes after making changes to ensure they’re working properly.
Types of Discount Codes (& How to Use Them)
There are four basic types of discount types available on Shopify:
Amount off products
With this discount, you can set a discount for specific products if you don’t want to give a discount to your whole store. This allows you to be a little more in control of what can be discounted.
For this, you will have to set:
- Discount method (code or automatic discount)
- Discount code (the unique code for this discount)
- Value (choose between a percentage or fixed discount)
- What it applies to (certain products or collections)
- Minimum purchase requirements
- Customer eligibility
- Maximum discount uses
- Combinations
- Active dates
Amount off order
If you want to offer a general discount off of your whole store, you can use this discount.
For this, you will have to set:
- Discount method (code or automatic discount)
- Discount code (the unique code for this discount)
- Value (choose between a percentage or fixed discount)
- Minimum purchase requirements (if you want the customer to spend a certain amount before they can use it)
- Customer eligibility
- Maximum discount uses
- Combinations
- Active dates
Buy X, Get Y
You can offer a discount when customers buy a specific combination of products.
- Discount method (code or automatic discount)
- Discount code (the unique code for this discount)
- Customer buys (this section is where you set the minimum of what they buy or how much they buy)
- Customer gets (this section is where you set what they get either at a discount or for free)
- Customer eligibility
- Maximum discount uses
- Combinations
- Active dates
Free shipping
With free shipping discounts, the entire order gets free shipping.
For this, you will have to set:
- Discount code (the unique code for this discount)
- Countries (which countries you want to offer free shipping to)
- Minimum purchase requirements
- Customer eligibility
- Maximum discount uses
- Combinations
- Active dates
These all differ slightly, depending on the type of discount coupon, but many of them have very similar settings or restrictions such as minimum order amount, the ability to apply to different products or the full order, etc.
How to Create a Link to Automatically Apply Discounts to Checkout
As a store owner, one of the best things you can do is make things as easy as possible for your customers. Especially when you’re giving them a discount. The best way to do this is to create a link that automatically applies the discount to their order, which will show at checkout.
To do this, it’s just a few easy steps.
1. Create a discount code using the steps above OR click on a code that already exists
2. Click on the “Promote” button on the top right
3. Select “Get a sharable link”
4. Decide where you them to land (homepage or product page/collection page)
5. Copy the link and send it to your customers
One important thing to note with this method is to really make it clear that the coupon will be applied at checkout. It can be confusing for some customers because it doesn’t show the discount on the actual products or on the cart page. It might help even to provide them with the code so they feel like they have all the info they need, and they’ll be pleasantly surprised when they get to the checkout page and the coupon code has already been entered for them.
Editing a Discount Code
If you need to make changes to a discount code that you’ve already created in Shopify, you can easily edit it. Here are the steps to follow:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
- Click on the name of the discount code you want to edit.
- Make the changes to the discount code’s settings, such as the discount amount, minimum purchase amount, or the products it applies to.
- Click on the Save button to save your changes.
It’s important to note that editing a discount code won’t affect any orders where the code has already been used. So if you change the discount amount, for example, it will only apply to new orders that use the code.
Additionally, you can also make a discount code combinable with other discount codes if you want customers to be able to use multiple codes on the same order. To do this, simply edit the existing discount code and check the box next to “Combine with other discounts” under the “Usage limits” section.
Deleting a Discount Code
If you no longer want to offer a discount code, you can delete it from your Shopify store. Here’s how you can do it:
- From your Shopify admin, click on the Discounts section.
- Find the discount code(s) that you want to delete and click the checkbox next to the name.
- A box will pop up at the bottom giving you the option to “Activate Discounts”, “Deactivate Discounts”, or if you click the … you can “Delete Discounts”.
Once you delete a discount code, it cannot be recovered. If you want to offer a similar discount in the future, you will need to create a new discount code.
It’s important to note that deleting a discount code will not affect any orders that have already been placed using that code. The discount will still apply to those orders, even if the code is no longer active.
Alternatively, if you want to stop people from being able to use that discount code, but don’t want to delete it (it could be good to have that to reference in the future), you can click “Deactivate Discounts” instead. I highly prefer this option to deleting.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Sometimes you, or one of your customers, will encounter issues when adding discount codes on Shopify. Here are some common problems and solutions to discount code issues.
Discount Code Not Working
If your discount code isn’t working, there are a few things you can check:
- Check the dates: Make sure the discount code is still valid. Check the start date as well as the end date (if applied).
- Check the product/collection: If your discount is for certain products/collections, make sure you set it up correctly and that you’re trying to apply it to the right product(s) or collection(s).
- Check the usage limits: If you’ve set a limit on the number of times the discount code can be used, make sure it hasn’t already been reached.
If none of these solutions work, Shopify support should be able to help you pretty quickly.
Discount Code Not Applying Correctly
If your discount code is applying the wrong amount or not applying at all, try these troubleshooting steps:
- Check the discount value: Ensure that you’ve entered the correct discount value. If you’re trying to take off a fixed amount, make sure you’ve entered the correct dollar amount.
- Check the products: Ensure that the discount applies to the correct products. If you’ve set a discount for a specific collection, make sure the product you’re trying to purchase is in that collection.
- Check the customer eligibility: Ensure the discount applies to the correct customer group. If you’ve set a discount for new customers only, existing customers won’t be able to use it, etc.
If none of these solutions work, Shopify support should be able to help you!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I create automatic discounts on Shopify?
You can use the Shopify Discounts feature to create automatic discounts on Shopify. The setup is pretty much the same as the “How to Add Discount Codes on Shopify” further up in this article, just make sure you select “Automatic discount”, not “Discount code”. This means the discount will apply to any order that meets the criteria set in the discount, so make sure to check your settings.
What is the best Shopify discount app to use?
Many discount apps are available on the Shopify App Store, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you simply need to set up discounts and can do it manually the way I talk about in this article, you don’t need an app. But if you need something more robust, there are several apps available.
Some popular discount apps include:
- Bulk Discount Code Bot: To generate and export unique discount code sets (so you don’t have to create them manually)
- Coupon X: Adds discount pop ups, coupons, email popups, and promo codes pop ups to improve subscriptions and sales.
- All‑in‑One Discount On Cart: Allows your shop to accept discount codes on cart page (instead of at checkout) & see savings before checkout, which can often lead to increased conversion rate & AOV!
- AIOD ‑ All Automatic Discount: Easily create & manage offers and mix-match offers like Bundle, Quantity discount, Free gift, BOGO offer.
Final thoughts
Adding discount codes to your Shopify is a pretty easy way to improve your customer experience and encourage repeat customers! Luckily, Shopify comes with built in discounts with plenty of customization options that will work well for most stores. My best advice is to slowly add discount codes to your marketing efforts, and keep track of what works and what doesn’t so that you can come up with an effective discount strategy.
