How to Create a Coupon Code in WooCommerce? 

What’s one of the easiest ways to boost sales, increase conversions, and reward loyal customers in your online store? WooCommerce coupon codes!

Coupons have proven themselves over the years as a great strategy to drive customer engagement, clear inventory, and increase order value. But the question is, how do you create a coupon code in WooCommerce the right way?

As we see it, there are two ways to do this. The first is the default WooCommerce method, which lets you create basic discount codes without additional plugins. The second is through a WooCommerce coupon plugin, like WebToffee Smart Coupons for WooCommerce, which provides advanced coupon types and discounting rules.

This guide will walk through both methods so you will know how to create a coupon code in WooCommerce the right way.

All set to start with WooCommerce coupon codes? Let’s jump in!

A WooCommerce coupon code is a unique discount code that customers can apply or auto-apply at checkout to receive a discount. These coupon codes can offer percentage-based discounts, fixed cart discounts, free shipping, or even store credits, which can help drive sales and increase retention rates.

Coupon codes are an essential part of any eCommerce marketing strategy as they encourage repeat purchases, reward loyal customers, and create urgency around promotions. They provide customers with an incentive to finalize their purchase, whether it’s through a limited-time discount, a buy two get one offer or an exclusive reward for VIP customers.

Now that we’ve covered what coupon codes are and why they’re important let’s get into the actual process of creating WooCommerce coupon codes. First, we’ll look at how to create a coupon code using the default WooCommerce settings, followed by the advanced approach with a WooCommerce coupon plugin (both free and pro).

WooCommerce makes it easy to create coupon codes, whether you want a simple discount or something more advanced. As we mentioned above, we can do this in two ways: either by using the default WooCommerce coupon system or by using an advanced coupon plugin.

The default coupon system allows you to create basic WooCommerce coupon codes, including fixed price discounts, percentage discounts, and free shipping offers. However, if you need more advanced coupon types, automatic discount applications, or coupon banners, you’ll need to use a plugin like WebToffee Smart Coupons.

The built-in coupon system is ideal for simple discounting strategies. The primary features or settings of the WooCommerce coupon system are:

#1 General

The General tab defines the core coupon settings, including the discount type, coupon amount, and whether the coupon grants free shipping. Store owners can choose between fixed cart discounts, percentage-based discounts, or product-specific discounts.

#2 Usage Restrictions

The Usage Restrictions tab helps control who can use the coupon and under what conditions. Store owners can set minimum and maximum cart values, specify eligible products or categories, and even exclude certain products from the discount. In addition to this, you can also limit coupon usage to specific customer emails to ensure that only selected users can redeem it.

#3 Usage Limits

Here, you can limit how many times a coupon can be used. Store owners can define the number of redemptions allowed and limit how often a customer can use the coupon. These additional restrictions help prevent excessive discount usage and ensure promotions are distributed fairly.

Steps to Create a Coupon Code in WooCommerce

To create a coupon code in WooCommerce, follow these steps:

• Go to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons in your WordPress dashboard.
• Click Add new coupon to generate a new coupon.
• Next, enter a coupon code and an optional coupon description for reference.
• In the General tab, set the discount type to Percentage discount and coupon amount as “10%.”
• Enable the free shipping checkbox to combine the percentage discount with a free shipping coupon.

• Head to the User restrictions tab to define coupon conditions like minimum spend, eligible products or categories, etc. Set the Minimum spend as “50.”

• Go over to the Usage limits tab to set the coupon usage limit. Let’s put the Usage limit per user as “1.”

• Click on Publish to activate the WooCommerce coupon code.

You’ve successfully created a single-use coupon code that offers a 10% discount and free shipping for all orders above $50. As you have seen, this default method works well for simple discounts. However, its granularity is limited, so you need an advanced plugin like Smart Coupons for WooCommerce.

Let’s see how a coupon plugin takes WooCommerce discounting to the next level. The coupon data section in WooCommerce Smart Coupons (free version) provides additional settings to configure coupons effectively.

#4 Checkout Options

The Checkout options tab allows you to apply specific conditions for coupon redemption at checkout. This includes restricting coupons based on user roles (e.g., wholesalers, subscribers), payment methods (e.g., allowing discounts only for PayPal payments), or shipping methods (e.g., discounts only for Flat rate shipping).

#5 Giveaway Products

This additional setting lets you set up automated product giveaways when a coupon is applied. Store owners can assign specific free products that are to be added to the cart when the coupon is used. This is particularly useful for BOGO offers, bundled promotions, or free gifts with purchases.

Besides these additional settings, you can also see that activating the basic coupon plugin will help you access advanced discount types like BOGO, auto-apply, URL coupon, product and category-specific discounts, bulk generate, etc.

Steps to Create a WooCommerce Coupon Code Using Smart Coupons (Free)

To create a coupon code in WooCommerce, follow these steps:

• Go to Smart Coupons > Add coupon to generate a new coupon.
• Next, enter a coupon code and an optional coupon description.
• In the General tab, set the discount type as Percentage discount and coupon amount as “20%.”
• Enable the Apply coupon automatically option to apply the discount code automatically.

• Head to the User restrictions tab to configure coupon conditions like minimum spend, eligible products, or categories.
  • First, enable the Product/Category restrictions checkbox to set up cart conditions.
  • Next, scroll down to the Category condition and choose “Any from below selection.” This means that the created coupon code applies only if any of the products from the selected categories are in the cart.
  • Add “Hoodies” and “Shirts” as the required Product categories.
  • Next, put the Minimum quantity of matching products as “2.” This means the cart must contain at least two eligible items for the coupon to apply.

• Go over to the Usage limits tab to set the coupon usage limit. Let’s put the Usage limit per user as “1.”
• In the Checkout options tab, set the Applicable Roles as “Customer.”

• To add a freebie to this WooCommerce coupon code, go to the Giveaway products tab and add the Free Product.

• Click on Publish to activate the WooCommerce coupon code.

You’ve successfully created a single-use coupon code that offers a 20% discount, auto-applies at checkout, and includes a free giveaway; however, for the discount to apply, the customer must be logged in, have at least two items in the cart, and ensure that at least one of them belongs to the “Shirts” or “Hoodies” category.

But what if you want even more flexibility and advanced discounting strategies like next-order, 5th order, or 10th order milestone coupons? For WooCommerce store owners looking to implement these purchase milestones, the pro version of Smart Coupons offers a full suite of powerful coupon features beyond what’s possible with the free version.

#6 Purchase History

The Purchase History tab allows store owners to restrict coupon eligibility based on past customer purchases. Conditions can be set based on the number of orders placed or the total amount spent in the store.

How to Reward 5th Order Milestone With Coupon Codes?

Once you’ve selected the Discount type and configured the additional settings,

• Head over to the Purchase history tab to set up the 5th order coupon.
• In the Number of orders field, select “equals” and enter “4” in the adjacent field. This means the user must have four completed orders to qualify for the 5th order milestone reward.
• Add the Order status as “Completed.” As previously mentioned, all past orders must be completed for eligibility.
• You can also add the Total amount spent on previous orders or restrict it to a specific order period to narrow it down further. But for now, let’s keep it simple.

• After reviewing the remaining settings, click Publish to create a WooCommerce coupon code.

You’ve successfully created a 5th order milestone coupon code that automatically applies at checkout. But why stop there? With the Pro version of the coupon plugin, you can access even more granular configuration settings to take your promotions further. Some of them are:

• Create coupon banners with countdown timers
• Create store credit and gift card coupons
• Offer signup coupons to attract new customers
• Recoup lost sales with abandoned cart coupons
• Advanced Buy One Get One (BOGO) module

Creating coupon codes in WooCommerce is just the beginning. To truly maximize their impact, store owners must use them strategically.

By using WooCommerce’s default coupon system, you can set up basic discounts with ease. But if you want to take your promotions further, Smart Coupons unlocks advanced discounting features.

So, what’s your next step? Start experimenting with different coupon types, test what works best for your store, and watch your WooCommerce sales grow! Plus, the Pro version has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free.

So, what’s stopping you from leveraging coupon codes to boost your WooCommerce sales?

Coupons aren’t just about discounts. They’re a powerful sales strategy that can increase conversions, reward loyal customers, and drive repeat purchases. Whether you choose the default WooCommerce method for simple discount codes or opt for the Smart Coupons plugin for advanced promotions, the key is to use coupons strategically for maximum impact.

That’s it, folks! How do you plan to use coupon codes in your WooCommerce store? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!