WooCommerce Discounts Ultimate Guide (2024)

There’s nothing more enticing to consumers than coupons and discounts, be it online or offline. They instantly grab customers’ attention and lure them into buying more than they planned.

While discounts might initially seem like a loss for eCommerce/WooCommerce stores, they actually yield a 73% increase in sales for online stores. Therefore, it’s a win-win for both customers and retailers.

Are you struggling with any of these –

• You have the perfect store with great products, but no visitors?
• Do you have visitors, but are not converting into customers?
• Are customers adding products to their carts but abandoning them due to price (number one reason for cart abandonment)?
• Want to clear out slow-moving inventory?

Discounts can come to your rescue as they are a time-tested marketing tool to help you bring new customers, boost sales, recover abandoned carts, and clear out stocks.

Our comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge to leverage WooCommerce discounts effectively. We’ll explore various WooCommerce discount types, delve into setting up discount rules, and explore strategies to maximize the impact of your promotions.

Let’s get started.

Understanding WooCommerce Discount Rules

WooCommerce is the best platform for building an online store and offering discounts. However, to truly unleash discount potential, you need to understand discount rules. Discount rules for WooCommerce act as the blueprint for your promotions, defining who qualifies, what products are included, and how much of a discount is applied.

We have already covered a wide range of discount rules WooCommerce in our blog. Let us give a quick review of the most common and important WooCommerce discount types or rule types:

Static Discounts

Static discounts generally offer a fixed discount and don’t change in real-time factors such as customer behavior, inventory levels, or time of day.

1. Cart-Based Discounts

In a WooCommerce cart discount, you offer your customers discounts based on their cart subtotal.

• Function: Encourage customers to spend more by offering a WooCommerce discount when their cart total reaches a specific amount.
• Benefits: Increases average order value and clears out inventory with slow-moving products at higher price points.
• Example: “Spend $100 and get 10% off your entire order!”
• Configuration: Set a minimum cart amount and the corresponding discount percentage within the WooCommerce coupon settings. Alternatively, use a WooCommerce discount plugin to create automatic cart discount rules.

2. Bulk Discounts

WooCommerce bulk discounts allow you to offer reduced prices when customers buy products in bulk/larger quantities.

• Function: Motivate larger purchases by offering tiered discounts based on the total number of items purchased across your store (not specific products).
• Benefits: Increases overall sales volume and encourages customers to stock up on essentials.
• Example: “Buy 2 items, get 5% off; Buy 3 or more items, get 10% off!”
• Configuration: You will need a WooCommerce discount rules plugin to generate bulk discounts. Alternatively, you can add custom codes to your WooCommerce theme file to generate these discounts.

3. Quantity-Based Discounts

In WooCommerce quantity discount, you can offer your consumers discounts based on their order quantity.

• Function: Encourage customers to add more items to their cart by offering reduced prices on added items.
• Benefits: Clear out excess stock of specific items and encourage customers to try new products in bulk.
• Example: “Buy 3 t-shirts, get $10 off!”
• Configuration: You can use custom codes for this type of WooCommerce discount setup. If you aren’t familiar with codes, the best way to generate them is to use a WooCommerce setup discount pricing plugin.

4. Shipping Discounts

In addition to reducing product prices, you can also create and offer WooCommerce shipping discounts in your store. Shipping costs are one of the primary reasons for customers to abandon carts. Therefore, shipping discounts can significantly decrease cart abandonment rates and grow your conversions.

• Function: Sweeten the deal by offering free or discounted shipping when customers reach a certain cart total.
• Benefits: Reduces perceived purchase barrier and encourages customers to add more items to qualify.
• Example: “Free shipping on all orders over $50!”
• Configuration: The built-in WooCommerce coupon settings have options to create free shipping. You can also integrate a WooCommerce discount plugin for more advanced options.

5. Bundle Discounts

WooCommerce bundle discounts are probably the most common and effective discount strategies for niche-based stores. These discounts offer reduced prices on grouped or bundled products, where additional items complement the primary product.

Such discounts create a sense of urgency and entice customers to purchase the bundle at a discounted price, as the additional products enhance the value and usability of the main item.

• Function: Create curated product bundles with a discount applied to the entire package.
• Benefits: Increase perceived value, encourage the purchase of complementary products, and clear out slow-moving inventory.
• Example: “A skincare set including a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Regular Price: $75, Bundle Discount Price: $65!”
• Configuration: WooCommerce’s core functionality doesn’t support true bundled products. Consider using a WooCommerce discount plugin to create product bundles with built-in discount features.

6. BOGO Discounts (Buy One Get One)

BOGO deals or WooCommerce buy-one-get-one discounts are by far the most enticing and popular discounts around the world. You can immediately grab the attention of your customers through these discounts.

• Function: A time-tested sales tactic! Offer a free or discounted second item when a customer purchases a specific product.
• Benefits: Creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encourages customers to try new products, and clears out excess inventory.
• Example: “BOGO! Buy one T-shirt, get one for Free!”
• Configuration: You can install a free plugin such as Smart Coupons to add BOGO functionalities to your WooCommerce coupon tool. For more advanced BOGO deals, you can use a premium WooCommerce discount plugin.

7. Percentage Discounts

WooCommerce percentage discount is one of the basic discount types. You can combine percentage discounts with other discounts to create more advanced and segmented discount strategies.

• Function: The most common discount type, offering a flat percentage reduction on selected products or the entire cart.
• Benefits: Simple to implement, effective for promoting sales across a range of products.
• Example: “20% off all summer clothing!”
• Configuration: The WooCommerce core coupon tool has enough options for creating percentage discounts. In addition to flat percentage discounts, you can also filter by products, categories, and cart total to create more specific discounts.

8. First Order Discount

A WooCommerce first-order discount can encourage your visitors to take the first step toward trusting you and buying from your store. These discounts can increase your conversions and grow your customer base.

• Function: Show appreciation and incentivize first purchases by offering a special discount on a customer’s initial order.
• Benefits: Reduces purchase hesitation for new customers and increases customer acquisition rates.
• Example: “Welcome to the Family! Enjoy 15% off your first order.”
• Configuration: You can add custom codes to WooCommerce to create automatic first-order discounts. However, the best option is to use a WooCommerce discount plugin that comes with this feature.

9. Category-Based Discounts

You can use WooCommerce category discounts for various purposes. Along with regular categories, you can create separate categories for your holiday sales, top-rated products, slow-moving stocks, etc., and offer special discounts.

• Function: Apply discounts to all products within a specific category (e.g., seasonal collections, clearance items).
• Benefits: Clear out seasonal inventory, promote specific product lines, and run targeted sales campaigns.
• Example: “Black Friday Sales! 50% off all backpacks and notebooks.”
• Configuration: Within the coupon settings, select the “Product categories” option and select the relevant categories to which you want the discount to apply.

WooCommerce Dynamic Discounts

While static discounts have some advantages, they offer fixed benefits. If you want to apply more advanced discount strategies that cater to different audience segments or are based on your customer behavior and requirements, you should opt for dynamic discounts.

In WooCommerce dynamic pricing and discounts, you charge different prices to different customers depending on different criteria, such as who is buying it and when they are buying it.

For instance, imagine offering a higher discount to loyal customers or automatically triggering a discount on a product a customer viewed recently, or offering a special discount to someone who abandoned their cart. These dynamic elements can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your discount strategies.

Note – You must use a dynamic discount WooCommerce plugin to create these discounts.

10. Conditional Discounts

WooCommerce conditional discounts truly serve the purpose of dynamic pricing and discounts. By applying different conditions, you can convert any static discount into a dynamic one. For example, you can apply location-based conditions to your static percentage discounts or offer BOGO deals to specific customers only.

• Function: Set additional criteria beyond just purchase amount to trigger a discount. This allows for highly targeted promotions.
• Benefits: Encourage specific customer behavior (e.g., reward past purchases, incentivize product reviews), clear out slow-moving inventory with targeted discounts.
• Example: “10% off products who have spent an overall total of $500 previously!”
• Configuration: You need to use a WooCommerce discount plugin to apply conditional logic to discounts.

11. User Role / Customer Specific Discounts: Tailoring Offers to Specific Audiences

WooCommerce customer-specific discounts or user role discounts are the perfect choice for rewarding loyal customers and encouraging repeat purchases.

• Function: Reward loyal customers or target new ones with discounts exclusive to specific user roles (e.g., registered users, wholesale customers). You can even personalize offers based on customer purchase history.
• Benefits: Increase customer loyalty, incentivize registrations, and encourage repeat purchases.
• Example: “Wholesale Offer: 30% off for wholesale customers!”
• Configuration: You can use custom codes to create some basic user role discounts. However, to get the most out of customer-specific discounts, you need to look for a WooCommerce discount plugin.

How to Create a Discount on WooCommerce

Now that we have learned about different WooCommerce discount types, the next question is how to add a discount in WooCommerce.

Well, despite having a built-in coupon tool, WooCommerce does lack the ability to create advanced discount strategies. Most importantly, there’s no WooCommerce automatic discount feature in the default system.

However, WooCommerce’s flexibility makes it the undisputed king of eCommerce platforms.

You can still create a wide range of discounts using several methods:

1. Using custom codes
2. Using coupons with or without a coupon plugin
3. Using a premium WooCommerce discount plugin

Let us give you a quick overview of these methods.

Creating a WooCommerce Discount using Custom Codes

We have demonstrated how to apply custom codes to add discount in WooCommerce in all our individual discount specific articles. We must mention that this method is not recommended for everyone.

You must have the knowledge and skill to play with custom codes. Here are the most important steps –

1. Back up your WooCommerce Site

You don’t want to mess up your existing running store in case something goes wrong. Make sure you create a backup of your entire WooCommerce WordPress site before attempting to use custom codes.

2. Create a Child Theme (Alternative to Back up Files)

If you don’t want to insert custom codes directly in your Woo site, you can create and use a child theme. A child theme is a separate theme that inherits the functionality and styling of your main (parent) theme.

This allows you to make customizations without altering the original theme files, which makes it easier to update the parent theme without losing your changes. However, you must be familiar with creating and maintaining child themes.

3. Inserting Custom Codes

To add custom functionalities to a WooCommerce store, you need to edit the function file of your WordPress theme.

You can access this file in three ways –

1. Accessing web server files from Cpanel
2. Using FTP client software to connect and edit the file from your server
3. Access the file from the WordPress dashboard.

To access the file from your Woo back panel, go to Appearance >> Theme Editor.

After that, click on the functions.php file and scroll down to the bottom. Create some empty space and insert your code.

WooCommerce Discount Custom Code Example

For example, let’s say we want to apply a flat 15% discount on all products storewide. Here’s code for it –

function apply_custom_discount() {

if (is_admin() && !defined('DOING_AJAX')) return;

// Set the discount percentage

$discount_percentage = 15;

// Get the cart subtotal

$cart_subtotal = WC()->cart->get_subtotal();

// Calculate the discount amount

$discount_amount = ($cart_subtotal * $discount_percentage) / 100;

// Add the discount

WC()->cart->add_fee(__('WooCommerce Percentage Discount', 'woocommerce'), -$discount_amount);

}

add_action('woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees', 'apply_custom_discount');

Check it out from the front end. Add some products and jump to the cart page.

As you can see, WooCommerce automatically applied a 15% discount as per your code. For more details and custom codes, check our individual discount articles.

Offering a WooCommerce Discount Using Coupons (With and Without a Coupon Plugin)

WooCommerce comes packed with a handy coupon tool that allows you to create a number of discount types.

You can add discount WooCommerce coupons for –

1. Percentage Discount
2. Fixed Cart Discount (Fixed amount discount)
3. Fixed Product Discounts (Product Specific Discounts)
4. Free Shipping Discounts

Additionally, you can apply different conditions to your coupons such as –

• Minimum Spend (Applies cart-based discounts) and maximum spend
• Product filter for product-specific discount coupons
• Category filter for a category-based WooCommerce discount code
• Email filter for specific customer coupons

Moreover, you can set usage limits for your discount coupons. The coupon tool comes in handy for creating basic discount coupons.

Customers need to manually apply these coupon codes on the cart page to avail of the discounts. Additionally, you can apply custom codes to auto-apply the coupon codes for your customers.

However, for advanced or dynamic discount coupons, you can use a third-party plugin. In some of our discount articles, we demonstrated the free plugin called Smart Coupons For WooCommerce.

This WooCommerce add discount coupon plugin enhances the existing coupon settings by adding additional features. Most importantly, you can auto-apply coupons using this plugin.

This means you can create and offer automatic discounts to your store.

You can allow your customers to apply coupon codes in three ways –

1. Through coupon URL
2. Enabling auto-apply feature
3. Clicking through the discount coupon banner

Here’s a walkthrough with an example of the plugin.

Creating a WooCommerce Discount using a Premium Plugin

There are a large number of discount plugins available for WooCommerce. One premium plugin that can create WooCommerce all discounts is Discount Rules for WooCommerce.

This plugin can create any discount strategy you can think of and has a bundle of options to apply conditional logic to your discount rules. We have already covered how to create different discounts using this plugin in our discount articles.

WooCommerce Discount Plugin Walkthrough

Let us give you a quick overview of the settings of this WooCommerce discount plugin. After you install it, go to WooCommerce >> Discount Rules. Add a new rule for creating a discount strategy.

The primary discount types it offers are –

• Product Adjustment
• Cart Adjustment
• Free Shipping
• Bulk Discount
• Bundle Discount
• Buy X Get X (BOGO)
• Buy X Get Y

After you select any primary discount type, three tabs will pop up –

1. Filter
2. Discount
3. Rules

The Filter tab allows you to set discounts for specific products, categories, attributes, SKUs, etc.

In the Discount tab, you need to set your discount value (percentage/price/fixed price).

The Discount tab changes depending on the primary discount type you select. For example, here’s what you will see when you select the Buy X Get Y discount type.

The Rules tab is what makes this plugin stand out. You can add and apply a wide range of conditions through this tab.

Here are the available conditions –

Cart:

• Subtotal
• Item quantity
• Coupons
• Total weight
• Payment Method
• Line Item Count

Cart items:

• Attributes
• Categories
• Product combination
• SKU
• Product Tags
• Products
• Category Combination

Date & time:

• Date
• Date and time
• Days
• Time

Purchase History:

• First Order
• Last Order
• Last order amount
• Number of orders made
• Number of orders made with the following products
• Number of quantities made with following products
• Total spent

Shipping:

• Shipping Country
• Shipping State
• Shipping City and Zip Codes

Billing:

• City
• Country
• State
• Zip Code

Customer:

• Email domain
• User
• Is logged in
• User role

You can combine these conditions to generate a vast array of conditional dynamic discounts. Here are some examples of conditional discount rules that you can create with this plugin.

Best WooCommerce Discount Plugins

There are a plethora of discount plugins available to create a wide variety of discount strategies in your Woo online store. Dedicated plugins are available to create advanced coupons, conditional discounts, dynamic discounts, free gift discounts, and more.

We have researched and compiled the best WooCommerce discount plugins for you. Let’s check them out.

Discount Rules for WooCommerce – Pro By Flycart

We have personally tested and demonstrated this plugin in several articles. It also has a free version available in the WordPress repository.

However, the premium version packs a bundle of powerful features to create almost any type of discount strategy. One of the standout features of this plugin is its versatility in applying various discount types, from bulk discounts and cart discounts to user role-based discounts and special offers.

It also supports conditional logic, allowing store owners to create highly targeted discount rules that can significantly enhance the shopping experience and encourage repeat purchases.

Key Features:

• Store-wide global discount: Apply discounts across the entire store.
• Bulk purchase discounts: Offer discounts based on the quantity purchased.
• User role-based discounts: Provide discounts based on user roles.
• Buy One Get One Free offers: Create BOGO promotions.
• Conditional discounts: Apply discounts based on specific conditions.
• Purchase history-based discounts: Provide discounts based on customers’ purchase history.
• Coupon-activated discounts: Activate discounts with coupon codes.
• Multiple discount rules in a single purchase: Combine various discount rules in one transaction.

YITH WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts

The YITH WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts plugin is a powerful tool designed to boost conversions by creating dynamic discounts and price rules in your online store. It allows you to set up a variety of promotions, such as buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO), quantity discounts, last-minute offers, and more.

This plugin is an excellent choice for store owners looking to increase average order value and attract customers with targeted offers.

With this plugin, you can easily apply discounts across your entire shop or specific categories, create personalized offers based on cart contents, and schedule promotions for special events like Black Friday or Christmas. The user-friendly interface and extensive feature set make it a versatile solution for any WooCommerce store.

Key Features:

• Apply discounts to the entire shop or specific categories with a few clicks.
• Create popular promotions like 3 for 2, 2 for 1, and BOGO.
• Schedule discounts and promotions to start and end automatically.
• Offer a product as a gift or discount based on cart contents.
• Provide dynamic cart discounts and free shipping when a minimum amount is spent.
• Show dynamic messages in the cart to encourage higher spending.
• Promote active special offers through modal windows in the cart.
• Set last-minute deals with countdown timers on the cart or checkout page.

WooCommerce Discount Manager by Barn2

The WooCommerce Discount Manager by Barn2 is a feature-rich plugin designed to maximize sales through effective discount and pricing strategies in WooCommerce stores. Whether you’re looking to implement bulk discounts, storewide sales, or personalized pricing based on user roles, this plugin offers a comprehensive solution to enhance your eCommerce offerings.

With a user-friendly interface and robust functionality, the WooCommerce Discount Manager empowers store owners to create dynamic pricing rules effortlessly. From percentage or fixed price discounts to buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deals and tiered pricing tables, this plugin supports a wide range of discount types to cater to diverse marketing needs.

Key Features:

• Implement dynamic discounts based on total cart value.
• Set up WooCommerce bulk and quantity discounts.
• Offer free or gift products based on specific criteria like BOGO deals.
• Schedule sales and discounts with start and end dates.
• Establish user and role-based pricing rules for targeted promotions.
• Display discounted prices prominently on product pages.
• Utilize tiered pricing tables to showcase bulk pricing options.

Dynamic Pricing By Element Stark

Dynamic Pricing by Element Stark is a robust WooCommerce discount plugin designed to elevate your online store’s sales strategy through advanced pricing and discount functionalities. Whether you’re aiming to offer bulk discounts, implement role-based pricing, or create tailored pricing rules based on product quantities and categories, this plugin provides comprehensive tools to meet your eCommerce needs.

With an intuitive interface, Dynamic Pricing allows store owners to configure intricate pricing rules effortlessly. Whether adjusting prices based on customer roles or applying discounts to specific product categories, this plugin empowers businesses to implement flexible pricing strategies that can enhance customer engagement and increase sales.

Key Features:

• Configure bulk discounts for individual products using quantity and discount tables.
• Implement role-based pricing rules to offer discounts to specific customer groups.
• Define pricing rules based on cart quantities, individual variations, or categories.
• Offer dynamic discounts such as percentage discounts or fixed amount discounts based on customer roles.
• Display discounted prices visibly to customers as they browse your product catalog.
• Easily manage and update pricing rules through a user-friendly interface.
• Integrate seamlessly with WooCommerce to ensure compatibility with your store’s setup and other plugins.

Smart Coupons For WooCommerce

Smart Coupons for WooCommerce enhances the default WooCommerce coupon system with advanced features designed to boost sales and customer engagement. Whether you’re looking to implement BOGO deals, set up complex coupon restrictions, or automate coupon applications, this plugin offers versatile tools to optimize your WooCommerce store’s discount strategies.

Key Features:

• Create Buy One Get One offers with options for percentage or price discounts on the second item.
• Coupons can be automatically applied when conditions are met, streamlining the checkout process.
• Restrict coupon usage based on products, categories, user roles, and more.
• Issue coupons specific to chosen shipping or payment methods.
• Duplicate existing coupons to quickly create new ones with similar settings.
• Generate unique URLs that apply specific coupons automatically when visited.
• Show available coupons on the cart and checkout pages for easy access and application.
• Works seamlessly with WooCommerce Block and Checkout Block for WordPress Block themes.

Benefits of Offering Discounts in your WooCommerce Store

Discounts are a cornerstone of successful eCommerce strategies. But beyond just lowering prices, strategically implemented discounts can yield a multitude of benefits for your WooCommerce store:

Boost Sales

Discounts serve as a persuasive tool that nudges customers towards making more frequent purchases or spending more per transaction. Picture a customer hesitating over a product; a timely discount can sway their decision, resulting in a purchase and increased revenue for your business.

Attract New Customers

WooCommerce discount can be a powerful tool for acquiring new customers.

Special introductory offers or welcome coupons entice potential customers who might not be familiar with your brand to try your products for the first time. This can significantly expand your customer base and open doors to new audiences.

Clear Out Slow-Moving Inventory

Every store has products that linger on the shelf. Strategic discounts can help move these slow-selling items, freeing up valuable storage space and improving your cash flow. By offering a compelling deal, you can turn stagnant inventory into happy customers and avoid the burden of deadstock.

Build Customer Loyalty

Discounts are a great way to show appreciation to your loyal customers and encourage repeat business.

Exclusive offers for returning customers or reward programs with discount incentives foster a sense of value and build lasting relationships. Loyal customers are more likely to become brand advocates, spreading positive word-of-mouth and contributing to your long-term success.

Create a Sense of Urgency and Excitement

Even the marketing geniuses themselves have a “fear of missing out,” so will your customers!

Limited-time discounts and flash sales create a sense of urgency, prompting customers to act before the offer expires. This “fear of missing out” mentality can be particularly effective for boosting sales during slow periods or clearing out seasonal inventory.

Gain Valuable Customer Insights

Well-targeted discounts based on purchase history or user roles can be a goldmine for customer data. By analyzing how customers respond to different offers, you gain valuable insights into their preferences and buying habits.

This data can be leveraged to refine your product offerings, personalize marketing campaigns, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction.

Enhance Brand Image

Strategic discount promotions can position your brand as a value-driven and customer-centric business.

This can be especially beneficial for attracting budget-conscious customers and establishing a competitive edge in the market. Customers who perceive your brand as offering good value are more likely to return and recommend you to others.

Test New Products and Pricing

Discounts can be a valuable tool for testing new products or pricing strategies.

Gauge customer response to different discount levels and product combinations. This valuable data can help you refine your offerings and pricing models before a full-scale launch, minimizing risk and maximizing success.

Wrap up

Discounts are undoubtedly effective tools to boost your traffic and conversions. However, you must use them strategically to maximize their impact and save yourself from harming your profit margins.

We hope this article will guide create impactful WooCommerce discount strategies for your store.