The Complete Discounts Guide
This guide describes how discounts work in the Voucherify discount configurator. The discount configurator helps you configure discounts by showing examples of how particular discount effects are applied to a cart.
Contents
- Glossary
- Discount configurator
- Discount types
- Order discount effects
- Product discount effects
- Amount discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
- Amount discount: Apply the full discount to each item unit
- Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to amount
- Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to quantity
- Percent discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
- New price: Apply the discount to item subtotal
- Choosing discounted products and effects
- Reward effects
- Free shipping
- Additional discount limits
- Validation rules
- Discount category:
- Discount types and effects (grouped under discount categories).
- Discount value – static or dynamic. Some discounts have additional limits.
- Validation rules (optional).
- Maximum discount amount
- Maximum discount amount combined for all order lines
- The whole cart – the discount value is calculated during the validation as a difference between the total amount of the customer's order and the new price.
- Particular products – the discount is applied to item subtotal. The total discount amount is calculated during the validation and it is a difference between the initial item price and the new item price
- The order contains 4 order lines: mug, poster, t-shirt, and thermal bottle.
- The mug, poster, and t-shirt are discounted.
- The discount applied to the mug ($1.6):
- $10 discount value x ($20 total amount for the mugs / ($20 total amount for the mugs + $45 total amount for the posters + $60 total amount for the t-shirts)).
- The discount applied to the posters ($3.6):
- $10 discount value x ($45 total amount for the posters / ($20 total amount for the mug + $45 total amount for the poster + $60 total amount for the t-shirts)).
- The discount applied to the t-shirts ($4.8):
- $10 discount value x ($60 total amount for the t-shirts / ($20 total amount for the mugs + $45 total amount for the posters + $60 total amount for the t-shirts)).
- The order contains 4 order lines: mug, poster, beanie, and thermal bottle.
- The mugs, posters, and t-shirts are discounted.
- The discount applied to the mugs ($2.5):
- $10 discount value x (2 as the total quantity of mugs / (2 as the total quantity of mugs + 3 as the total quantity of posters + 3 as the total quantity of t-shirts)).
- The discount applied to the posters ($3.75):
- $10 discount value x (3 as the total quantity of posters / (2 as the total quantity of mugs + 3 as the total quantity of posters + 3 as the total quantity of t-shirts)).
- The discount applied to the t-shirts ($3.75):
- $10 Discount value x (3 as the total quantity of t-shirts / (2 as the total quantity of mugs + 3 as the total quantity of posters + 3 as the total quantity of t-shirts)).
- Each product – apply the discount to all products, except for the products or collections added in the excluded products section.
- Selected products – add products or collections that are covered by the discount, except for the products or collections added in the excluded products section.
- Excluded products – add products or collections that are NOT covered by the discount. The discount will not be applied to the selected items even if the item is included in a discounted collection.
- Apply to every item – every item is covered by the discount.
- Apply to the cheapest items – only the cheapest items are covered by the discount. If there are more items with the same lowest price, all these items are discounted.
- Apply to the most expensive items – only the most expensive items are covered by the discount. If there are more items with the same highest price, all these items are discounted.
- By choosing the All Products collection, the validation will choose the cheapest or most expensive item in the cart.
- By choosing a specific collection created with product filters, such as the "Desserts category",the validation chooses the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart that belongs to the chosen collection.
- Subtotal of matched items – the total amount of all qualified cheapest/most expensive items.
- Quantity of matched items – the total count of all qualified cheapest/most expensive items.
- Items quantity in any matching order line – this rule defines the required quantity of each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.
- The unit price of any matching order line – this rule defines the required price of each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.
- Metadata of matched items - build limits using order line item metadata. Rules need to be met by each qualified cheapest/most expensive item.
- If the customer does not have the t-shirt in the cart, then free t-shirts will be added to the order and they will be discounted full-price.
- If the customer has one t-shirt in the cart, then one t-shirt will be added to the order and both t-shirts will be discounted full-price.
- If a customer already has two t-shirts in their cart, then the number of t-shirts already matches the unit value. After applying the code, no extra t-shirts will be added but both t-shirts will be discounted full-price.
- If the customer does not have the t-shirt in the cart, then two t-shirts will be added to the order and they will be discounted full-price.
- If the customer has any number of t-shirts in the cart, then two t-shirts will be added to the order but only those two t-shirts will be discounted full-price.
- Max units per order item
- Max units combined for all matched order lines
- Maximum discount amount – in percent discounts, it sets the maximum amount of the applied discount for the whole order (order discounts) or a given order line (product discounts).
- Maximum amount combined for all order lines – in product discounts, it sets the maximum amount of the applied discount to the whole order. This limit is available for:
- Discount limits for selected products – caps:
- Maximum discount amount per order line
- Maximum discount amount per order
- Max units per order item
- Max units combined for all matched order lines
- Amount discount: Apply the full discount to each item unit
- Percent discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
- New price: Apply the discount to item subtotal
Glossary
We've listed coupon-related definitions to help you feel comfortable when creating coupon campaigns in the Voucherify dashboard.
Validation rules
Validation rules are limits and rules attached to codes, checked during the redemption.
Discount category
Voucherify supports order discount, products discount, free products, and free shipping discount categories.
Discount value
The value of a discount defines a discount that is applied to a customer's order during a single code redemption.
Discount type
The discount type defines how the discount is applied to the customer's cart. Depending on the discount category, different effects are available.
Discount configurator
With the discount configurator, you can set discounts in various Voucherify campaigns.
The basic screen of the discount configurator consists of:
Discount types
Campaign Manager supports order discount, products discount, rewards, and free shipping.
| Discount category | Types |
|---|---|
| Order Discount | Amount discount: Apply to whole cart Percent discount: Apply to whole cart New price: Apply to whole cart |
| Products Discount | Amount discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal Amount discount: Apply the full discount to each item unit Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to amount Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to quantity Percent discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal New price: Apply the discount to item subtotal |
| Rewards | Free products: Add missing order items to match total discount units count Free products: Always add new units items Free products: Add many order items Upgrade bonus: Replace order items |
| Free Shipping | Free products: Add missing order items to match total discount units count |
Amount discount
This discount defines an amount in any currency that will be subtracted from the whole cart or product, for example, $20 or €10 off. You can set the currency in the Project Settings.
The amount can be modified with additional discount limits.
Discount currency
The currency of your incentives is set per project. Currency settings let you display a discount in a proper format. However, note that Voucherify API is currency-agnostic: currency changes do not impact the way the discounts are calculated.
Read the Discount dependable on currency article to learn more about creating different discounts for various currencies.
Percent discount
This discount defines a percentage that will be subtracted from the whole cart or the product, for example, 10% or 50% off. The total discount amount is calculated during the validation, and it is a difference between the initial price and the amount calculated based on the percent value.
The following additional discount limits can be applied to secure the campaign budget:
New price
This discount defines a fixed amount for:
Free products
Free products enable you to offer items from your inventory for free. First, you need to decide on the discount effect.
Then, you need to decide which product you want to add for free and in what quantity.
Please note that this type of discount is based on the products added to the Products section in your dashboard. If you haven't synced your inventory yet, please follow the Products and Product Collections guide first.
Free shipping
You can also offer your customers free shipping. The discount is based on the Free products: Add missing order items to match the total discount units count discount type, and it cannot be edited.
Dynamic discount values
For percent, amount, new price, and free products, you can set a fixed discount value or use a formula builder to create a dynamic discount expression. Formulas with mathematical and logical operators assign a dynamic discount value. Discount value will be calculated during redemption based on the provided formula and metadata values. Read more in the Dynamic discount value formula builder section.
Order discount effects
These discounts are applied to the whole cart, which means the sum of all products in the order (total order amount). Three discount types can be applied:
Product discount effects
Product discounts determine how discounts are, or are not, applied to individual products or collections. You can also choose discounted products and their effects.
These product limits are applied as validation rules, which can be reused in the future. To add more validation rules, click With Rules to search for an existing validation rule or create a new one with the plus button.
Unroll a sample order with a $10 discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items. The order will be used in the examples of different effects below:
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | $0 | ||
| Total amount | $175 |
Amount discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
This effect applies the discount to the product order lines.
This effect can be combined with an additional discount limit – Maximum amount combined for all order lines.
Unroll a sample order with a $10 discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$10 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$10 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$10 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$30 |
||
| Total amount | $145 |
Amount discount: Apply the full discount to each item unit
This effect applies the discount to each product unit.
If you select individual products or collections for a discount, you can further define additional cap limits.
This effect can be combined with an additional discount limit – Maximum amount combined for all order lines.
Unroll a sample order with a $10 discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$20 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$30 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$30 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$80 |
||
| Total amount | $95 |
Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to amount
This effect splits and applies the discount to the chosen items proportionally to their share in the total discounted items amount.
Unroll a sample order with a $10 discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$1.6 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$3.6 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$4.8 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$10 |
||
| Total amount | $165 |
How to calculate the discount per item?
This effect splits the discount proportionally among the discounted products per line item. Each product is counted as an individual line item, whether there is one or multiple units of the product. In the example above:
Amount discount: Split the discount proportionally to quantity
This effect splits and applies the discount to the chosen items proportionally to their share in the total discounted items quantity per line item. Each product unit will be counted as an individual line item. In the case of multiple product units in the line item, the quantity will be higher, and therefore, the proportional discount by quantity will also be higher.
Unroll a sample order with a $10 discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$2.5 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$3.75 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$3.75 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$10 |
||
| Total amount | $165 |
How to calculate the discount per item?
This effect splits the discount proportionally among the discounted product units per line item. Each product will be counted as an individual line item, whether there is one or multiple units of the product. In the example above:
Percent discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
This effect applies the discount to the order lines of the products defined with validation rules.
This effect can be combined with additional discount limits– Maximum discount amount and Maximum amount combined for all order lines. For selected products or collections, you can further define additional cap limits.
Unroll a sample order with a 10% discount coupon applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$2 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$4.5 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$6 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$12.5 |
||
| Total amount | $162.5 |
New price discount: Apply the discount to item subtotal
This effect applies a new price to products or product collections.
Define which products or collections will have new prices when redeeming the discount. The total discount amount is calculated during the validation, and it is a difference between the initial item price and the item price set in the discount settings.
This effect can be combined with additional discount limits – Max units per order item and Max units combined for all matched order lines.
Unroll a sample order with a new price set to $10 applicable to Adventure-branded items
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 2 | $20 -$0 |
| Adventure Poster | $15 | 3 | $45 -$15 |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 | $60 -$30 |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 2 | $50 -$0 |
| Order amount before discounts | $175 | ||
| Total discount | -$45 |
||
| Total amount | $130 |
Choosing discounted products and effects
In the product discounts, you can choose the products covered by the discounts:
For selected product collections, you can choose the following effects:
Besides discounting or excluding the cheapest or most expensive items, you can set additional validation rules that must be met by them. As a result, the chosen item(s) will be validated against pre-defined limits when redeeming the discount.
To access rules, you need to use the rules builder.
Expand the order structure category.
You can see the rules dedicated to the cheapest or most expensive items.
Choose the rule and click Add. Next, choose if you want to set rules for the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart or for the cheapest/most expensive item in the cart that belongs to a specific product collection.
You can define the following limits for the cheapest/most expensive item:
Product SKUs
If the chosen product has SKUs defined, the new price will be set for the product and all product SKUs that are passed in a redemption request.
Reward effects
Prerequisite
This type of discount is based on the items added to the Products section in the Voucherify Dashboard. If you have not uploaded your inventory yet, follow the Products and Product Collections guide first.
The reward category adds a defined quantity of free items from the product inventory to the customer’s cart for free.
Add missing order items to match total discount units count
This effect adds items to the cart only if a customer has fewer free items than offered by the code (the number of the items in the cart is lower than the unit value).
For example, the code gives two free t-shirts:
Always add new units items
This effect adds items to the cart in the number defined by the unit quantity.
For example, the code adds two free t-shirts:
Add many order items
This effect adds multiple items to the cart, each with a custom effect: either Add missing order items to match total discount units count or Always add new units items.
Upgrade Bonus: Replace order items
This effect replaces one order item or an order item from a selected collection with another order item in the defined quantity per replaced unit.
For example, the code can replace a medium-sized coffee with a large coffee.
You can further define additional cap limits:
Unroll a sample order with a replaced one Adventure T-shirt (cheaper product) with one Adventure T-shirt, Limited Edition (more expensive product).
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Adventure T-shirt | $20 | 3 items in the cart -1 replaced item – 2 total quantity |
$60 -$20 – $40 |
| Adventure T-shirt, Limited Edition | $25 | 0 items in the cart +1 bonus item – 1 total quantity |
$0 +$25 – $25 - $20 = $5 discount amount $20 |
| Order amount before discounts | $60 | ||
| Total discount | $5 bonus | ||
| Total amount | $60 |
The discount is calculated as the difference between the amount of the added order items and the amount of the replaced order items. This makes the discount shown as a bonus while the total amount stays the same.
Unroll a sample order with a replaced one Star Thermal Bottle (more expensive product) with one Adventure Mug (cheaper product).
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 3 items in the cart -1 replaced item – 2 total quantity |
$75 -$25 – $50 |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 0 items in the cart +1 bonus item – 1 total quantity |
$0 +$10 – $10 |
| Order amount before discounts | $75 | ||
| Total discount | $0 | ||
| Total amount | $60 |
Because the price of the Adventure Mug is lower than the price of the Star Thermal Bottle, no discount is calculated. However, the total amount is lower than the order amount before discounts, because the price of the replacement item – Adventure Mug – is lower than the price of the replaced item – Star Thermal Bottle.
Unroll a sample order with a replaced one Star Thermal Bottle (more expensive product) with three Adventure Mugs (cheaper products whose price in total is higher than the price of the replaced item).
| Product | Unit price | Quantity | Price and discount |
| Star Thermal Bottle | $25 | 3 items in the cart -1 replaced item – 2 total quantity |
$75 -$25 – $50 |
| Adventure Mug | $10 | 0 items in the cart +3 bonus items – 3 total quantity |
$0 +$30 – $30 - $25 = $5 discount amount $25 |
| Order amount before discounts | $75 | ||
| Total discount | $5 bonus | ||
| Total amount | $75 |
The discount is calculated as the difference between the amount of the added order items (three items with a price of $30 in total) and the amount of the replaced order items (one item with a price of $25). This makes the discount shown as a bonus while the total amount stays the same.
Free shipping
This discount category adds a free shipping discount. Shipping is added as a built-in item in the Products section in the dashboard.
Discount value and additional limits
The discount value field specifies the amount or the percent of the discount. The discount value can be static or dynamic.
Static discounts are applied without any additional conditions. Discounts are static by default.
Dynamic discounts change the discount value based on defined conditions. All discount values (except for the shipping discount) can be dynamic. Click Build formula to open the dynamic discount formula builder.
Additional discount limits
Some discount categories, types, and effects have additional discount limits:
Selected products – caps
The following discount types can be further modified with additional caps to secure the campaign budget:
| Capped by | Description | Examples |
| Maximum discount amount per order line | This limits the amount of the discount for one order line or item subtotal. Applicable to: |
If set to $25: The customer orders five discounted product units in three order lines. A maximum of $25 discount will be applied to each applicable order line. |
| Maximum discount amount per order | This limits the discount amount for the whole cart. Applicable to: |
If set to $100: The customer orders five discounted product units in three order lines. The maximum discount for all order lines will reach $100. |
| Max units per order item |
This limits the number of item units that can be discounted in one order line or item subtotal. Applicable to: |
If set to 3: The customer orders five units of a discounted product. However, only three units will be discounted. |
| Max units combined for all matched order lines | This limits the number of item units covered by the discount across all matching order lines or item subtotals. Applicable to: |
If set to 5: The customer orders two product units in one order line, and four product units in another order line, making six product units in total. The discount applies to all order lines. Only five units are discounted and the remaining unit has a full price. The order of application of discounts is determined by the order sent in the request. |
Note: These limits work together with additional discount limits: Maximum discount amount per order line and Maximum discount amount per order. The lower limit is always applied.
Validation rules
Optionally, discounts can have validation rules, which additionally limit discount application. The validation rules must be met for the discount to be applied.
Use the Search for field to reuse existing validation rules.
Click the plus button to open the validation rule builder in the Campaign Manager. You can also create validation rules in the Validation Rules section in the dashboard for future use.
Validation rules and product discounts
For product discounts, Voucherify creates a validation rule that includes all discounted products. If you want to add further conditions, in the Validation Rules section click With rules and the plus button. If you want to reuse an existing validation rule, select the rule from the Search for field.
The new or cloned rule is assigned to the campaign but you will not be able to remove it in the campaign manager nor in the campaign details. However, you can freely edit the rule to add new or remove old conditions.