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Automatic Discounts

An automatic discount applies at checkout with no code to enter. You create one like any discount, but set the Method to Automatic discount and give it a Title that customers see in their cart and at checkout.

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An automatic discount applies on its own when an order qualifies, so the customer does not enter a code. You create it the same way as a discount with a code, with one difference: set the Method to Automatic discount and give it a Title instead of a code. The title is what customers see in their cart and at checkout. This article covers the automatic path; and Create a Discount Code takes the codes customers type.

Automatic or code

Automatic discount Discount code
How it applies On its own when the order qualifies Customer enters a code at checkout
What identifies it A Title customers see in their cart A code customers type
Good for Storewide sales, free shipping over a threshold Campaign codes, partner codes, occasional goodwill

Before you begin

  • Your role includes Edit discounts.
  • You know the offer: what it discounts, who qualifies, and when it runs.
  • Open Discounts in the admin sidebar, then select Create discount.

Steps

1. Open Discounts and choose a type

Open Discounts, click Create discount, and in the Select discount type dialog choose the type you want, for example Amount off products. See Discounts Overview.

2. Set the method to Automatic discount and add a title

At the top of the form, set Method to Automatic discount. The code field is replaced by a Title field; enter a name such as Summer Sale 15% off. The helper text confirms that customers will see this title in their cart and at checkout. Under Discount value, choose Percentage or Fixed amount and enter the amount.

The Amount off products form with Method set to Automatic discount, a Title that customers see, and the Discount value set to a percentage. (opens full size)

3. Choose what the discount applies to

Under Applies to, choose Specific collections or Specific products, then use Browse or the search box to pick them. See Limit a Discount to Specific Products.

4. Set who qualifies

Under Eligibility, choose All customers, Markets, Specific customer segments, or Specific customers. Because there is no code, eligibility is how you limit an automatic discount to a group. See Apply a Discount to a Customer Segment.

5. Add purchase requirements

Under Purchase requirements, leave No minimum requirements, or set a Minimum purchase amount or Minimum quantity of items. A minimum amount is the usual way to build a "free shipping over a threshold" style offer.

6. Set usage limits and combinations

Under Usage limits, optionally cap total uses or limit one use per customer. Under Combinations, choose whether this discount can combine with Product, Order, or Shipping discounts.

By default a discount does not combine with any other discount at checkout. Only turn on a combination if you want two discounts to stack, which matters most for automatic discounts since several can be active at once.

7. Set the active dates

Under Active dates, set the Start date and Start time, and turn on Set end date so the sale stops on a set day. See Schedule Discounts.

8. Save, then test

Save the discount. Build a cart that qualifies and confirm the discount applies at checkout with your title shown, then build a cart that does not qualify and confirm it does not apply.

Verify the result

  • The discount appears in the Discounts table with Method set to Automatic and the type you chose.
  • Its Status is Active when it is within its active dates.
  • A qualifying cart shows the discount and your Title at checkout, with no code entered.

Best practices

  • Write a clear title, since customers read it in their cart, for example Summer Sale 15% off rather than Discount.
  • Use eligibility or purchase requirements to control who qualifies, since there is no code to hand out.
  • Set combinations deliberately, because more than one automatic discount can be active at the same time.
  • Give the discount an end date so a sale does not run past the campaign.

Common mistakes

  • A vague title, so customers cannot tell what the discount is for.
  • No end date, which leaves a storewide sale running indefinitely.
  • Unintended combinations, so automatic discounts stack and cut margin more than planned.

If something goes wrong

  • The discount does not apply. Check the order meets the eligibility and purchase requirements, and that the discount is Active and within its dates.
  • Two discounts stacked unexpectedly. Review the Combinations settings on your active discounts.
  • A customer says it disappeared. Its active dates may have ended.
  • You cannot create a discount. Your role may not have permission to manage discounts.

Next steps

Still stuck?

More in Discounts

  • Discount Usage Limits

    The Usage limits section controls how many times a discount can be redeemed. You can cap the total number of uses across all customers, and you can limit each customer to one use. Because a discount with no limit can be shared and reused without bound, these two settings are how you keep a code from being redeemed far more than you planned.

  • Discount Detail Page

    Clicking a discount opens its detail page, which is the discount form filled in with its current settings, plus a Summary panel that shows the status, type, and a list of the discount's rules in plain language. From here you can review a discount in one read, edit any part of it, duplicate it, and see how many times it has been used.

  • Discount Management

    The Discounts page is where you manage every discount in your store. You filter the list by status, search for a discount, select rows to activate or deactivate several at once, manage the columns shown, export the list, and open any discount to edit it. Because everything is in one list, you can review and update your discounts from a single place.

  • Discount Status Flow

    Every discount has a status that says where it is in its life: Active, Scheduled, Expired, or Draft. The status tabs on the Discounts page group discounts by status, and a discount moves between them on its own based on its active dates, so the status tells you whether it is working right now.

All 32 articles in Discounts

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