Coupons are a powerful tool in WooCommerce to boost sales, promote products, and reward loyal customers. Whether you’re offering a percentage discount, free shipping, or a product-specific deal, coupons can drive engagement. This step-by-step guide walks you through creating coupons in WooCommerce, with practical examples to make your promotions shine.
Step 1: Access Coupon Management
- Navigate to Coupons:
- From your WordPress dashboard, hover over WooCommerce and click Coupons.
- If no coupons exist, you’ll see a welcome screen with a brief explanation and a “Learn More” link.
- If coupons are present, they’ll be listed here.
- Start Creating:
- Click Add Coupon to create a new one.
Step 2: Set Basic Coupon Details
- Coupon Code:
- Enter a unique code customers will use at checkout, e.g., NINJA20 for 20% off.
- This field is required and should be memorable yet clear (avoid spaces or special characters).
- Description (Optional):
- Add a note for internal use, e.g., “20% off posters for holiday sale.”
- Visible to store managers in the coupon list, it helps track the coupon’s purpose.
Step 3: Configure Coupon Data
The Coupon Data meta box is where you define the discount, restrictions, and limits, split into three tabs: General, Usage Restriction, and Usage Limits.
General Tab
- Discount Type:
- Choose from:
- Percentage Discount: A percentage off the cart total, e.g., 20%.
- Fixed Cart Discount: A set amount off the cart, e.g., $10.
- Fixed Product Discount: A set amount off specific products, e.g., $5 per item.
- Example: Select Percentage Discount for a storewide sale.
- Choose from:
- Coupon Amount:
- Enter the discount value, e.g., 20 for 20% or 10 for $10.
- No need for symbols (% or $); use numeric values only.
- Allow Free Shipping:
- Check to include free shipping with the coupon.
- Requirement: You must enable the Free Shipping method in WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping and set it to “A valid free shipping coupon” (see WooCommerce’s free shipping documentation).
- Coupon Expiry Date:
- Click the Coupon Expiry Date field to open a date picker.
- Set an end date, e.g., 2025-12-31, or leave blank for no expiry.
- Example: Expire after a holiday sale to create urgency.
Usage Restriction Tab
- Minimum Spend:
- Set a minimum cart total for the coupon to apply, e.g., $50.
- Leave blank for no minimum.
- Maximum Spend:
- Set a maximum cart total, e.g., $200, beyond which the coupon won’t work.
- Leave blank for no limit.
- Individual Use Only:
- Check to prevent the coupon from being used with other coupons.
- Example: Ensure NINJA20 can’t combine with another deal.
- Exclude Sale Items:
- Check to block the coupon on already discounted products.
- Useful to protect margins on sale items.
- Products:
- Search and select specific products the coupon applies to, e.g., “Flying Ninja Poster.”
- Leave blank to apply to all eligible products.
- Exclude Products:
- Search and select products to exclude, e.g., exclude premium posters.
- Leave blank to include all products (unless restricted elsewhere).
- Product Categories:
- Select categories the coupon applies to, e.g., “Posters.”
- Leave blank for storewide use.
- Exclude Categories:
- Select categories to exclude, e.g., “Original Art.”
- Leave blank to include all categories (unless restricted).
- Email Restrictions:
- Enter email addresses to limit the coupon, e.g., vip@customer.com.
- Applies to logged-in users or checkout email fields. Leave blank for universal use.
Usage Limits Tab
- Usage Limit per Coupon:
- Set how many times the coupon can be used overall, e.g., 100 for the first 100 customers.
- Leave blank for unlimited use.
- Limit Usage to X Items:
- Restrict the discount to a number of items in the cart, e.g., 2 to apply to only two products.
- Example: For a product discount, limit to two posters to prevent bulk discount abuse.
- Usage Limit per User:
- Set how many times a customer can use the coupon, e.g., 1 for one-time use per account/email.
- Leave blank for no per-user limit.
Step 4: Example Scenarios
- Storewide Sale:
- Code: SUMMER20
- Type: Percentage Discount, 20%.
- Restrictions: Minimum spend $50, exclude sale items.
- Limits: Usage limit per user = 1, expires 2025-08-31.
- Product-Specific Deal:
- Code: NINJAPOSTER
- Type: Fixed Product Discount, $5.
- Restrictions: Applies to “Flying Ninja Poster” only.
- Limits: Limit to 2 items per cart.
- VIP Free Shipping:
- Code: VIPFREESHIP
- Type: No discount, check Allow Free Shipping.
- Restrictions: Email restriction to vip@customer.com.
- Limits: Unlimited usage.
Step 5: Publish and Test
- Publish the Coupon:
- Review all settings and click Publish to activate the coupon.
- Test the Coupon:
- Add products to your cart and apply the coupon code at checkout.
- Verify:
- The discount applies correctly (e.g., 20% off or $10 off).
- Restrictions work (e.g., only for selected products or above minimum spend).
- Free shipping triggers (if enabled).
- Usage limits enforce (e.g., one-time use per user).
- Check the coupon list (WooCommerce > Coupons) to confirm usage tracking.
Pro Tips
- Create Urgency: Use expiry dates to encourage quick purchases (e.g., “Valid until December 31!”).
- Protect Margins: Combine Exclude Sale Items and Individual Use Only to avoid stacking discounts.
- Targeted Promotions: Use email restrictions for loyalty rewards or category restrictions for specific collections.
- Clear Messaging: Ensure your coupon code (e.g., SAVE10) and description align with marketing (emails, banners).
- Explore Documentation: Check WooCommerce’s coupon documentation for advanced setups like auto-applied coupons or bulk generation.
Congratulations!
You’ve mastered creating coupons in WooCommerce! From percentage discounts to free shipping offers, your store is ready to attract and reward customers with deals like NINJA20. Use coupons strategically in your marketing to drive sales and build loyalty.
For more guidance, explore WooCommerce’s resources or dive into analytics to track coupon performance.