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This WooCommerce coupon guide will show you how to create a coupon code in WooCommerce step by step, covering all the options and best practices. Updated for 2025, this guide reflects the latest WooCommerce interface and features for creating discount coupons.
Coupons and discount deals are one of the biggest promotional campaign tools used by several businesses, including WooCommerce websites, to offer discounts, complimentary products, gift cards, and more.
WooCommerce is a robust eCommerce solution that provides a good coupon management system. However, the in-built WooCommerce coupon code features might not be sufficient at times, depending on your store, the kind of campaigns you want to run, and many other factors.
To bridge the gap, this article will also discuss WooCommerce coupon plugins that offer advanced options for creating WooCommerce coupons.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to create coupons in WooCommerce using the default coupon system.
- The WebToffee Smart Coupons for WooCommerce plugin is a popular WooCommerce coupon plugin to create advanced coupons and discounts.
- Learn different ways to maximize the potential of WooCommerce coupon codes.
Ready to get started on how to create WooCommerce discount codes? Let’s jump in!
As noted above, WooCommerce provides built-in tools for creating and managing coupons. It supports percentage discounts, fixed cart discounts, fixed product discounts, and free-shipping coupons.
Follow the below steps to create coupons in WooCommerce:
Step 1: Create a New Coupon Code in WooCommerce
Go to Marketing > Coupons from your WordPress dashboard. This will take you to the Coupons page. If your store doesn’t have any coupons yet, click on Create your first coupon button. You can also click on Add coupon to add a coupon code.
Quick Stats:
A significant 62% of shoppers look for promo codes before completing an online purchase, and in early 2024, digital discount coupons played a key role in influencing 69% of grocery sales. (Snipp.com)
Now, let’s create a 50% discount coupon using the default WooCommerce coupon sytem.
- On the next page, add a coupon code for the WooCommerce coupon.
- If you do not wish to provide a custom name for the coupon, click on the Generate coupon code button to get a code generated for you.
- Then, add a description to the coupon code.
Pro Tip #1:
Coupon codes are visible to your customers, so go with a catchy yet sensible name. Instead of random codes, you can use something that is related to the discount.
Example: Get50, Summer20, etc.
Step 2: Configure the WooCommerce Coupon Discount
In this step, you have to configure the discounts for the coupon code.
- Go to the General tab under the Coupon data section.
- Choose the Discount type as Percentage discount.
- Enter the value of the discount. We’ll add 50 as we are creating a 50% discount coupon.
- Enable the Allow free shipping checkbox to combine the discount coupon code with free shipping coupon.
- Then, add an expiry date for the coupon. This will restrict users from using the discount coupons after the expiry date.
Step 3: Set Coupon Usage Restrictions
Now go to the Usage restriction tab. Here, you can add different restrictions and conditions to your WooCommerce coupon.
Let’s look at the different usage restrictions available with the default WooCommerce coupons.
- Minimum and Maximum Spend: Specify a minimum and a maximum cart subtotal that a customer should meet to merit the coupon. Setting minimum spending encourages users to buy more, and setting a maximum effectively saves you from sabotaging your profit margin since purchasers have to spend a certain price limit to apply coupons.
For example, create a WooCommerce coupon like “Spend $100 More To Get 30% OFF On All Products, Coupon Code – BIGSAVE.” - Individual use only: Use this checkbox so that no other coupons can be applied with this one.
- Exclude sales items: Check this box if you don’t want to provide extra discounts on items that are currently on sale. This way, the Percentage, Fixed cart, and Fixed product discounts will only be applied to the subtotal of the items that are not on sale.
- Products & Product categories: The coupon can only be used on the products or product categories specified here.
- Exclude products & categories: In the case of Percentage and Fixed product coupons, the discount will not be applied to the products or product categories specified here. In the case of a Fixed cart coupon, the coupon will not be applied when a product or category specified here is added to the cart.
- Allowed emails: Add the email addresses of the customers who should benefit from the coupon. Only the users with these email addresses as their billing addresses can use the coupon.
Pro Tip #2:
The ROI from a sales campaign can be improved with careful usage restrictions on the coupons. For example, you can create a WooCommerce coupon that only apply when a customer purchases $100 or more, thus encouraging your customers to purchase more from your WooCommerce store.
The usage restriction also helps you limit users/customers from applying coupons on every item in the store. It also allows you to set up a coupon that can only be used when the cart/product satisfies certain criteria.
Step 4: Define Coupon Usage Limits
Go to the Usage limits tab from the Coupon data section.
Usage limit per coupon: Set the number of times the coupon can be used before it expires
Limit usage to X items: Limit the coupon usage for a specific number of products in a purchase. For instance, if you set the value 3 in this option, the coupon will be applicable only for up to 3 items per purchase.
Usage limit per user: Choose how many times an individual user can use the same WooCommerce coupon.
Step 5: Publish the WooCommerce Coupon
After you have configured the coupon according to your needs, click on the Publish button to publish the coupon. The published coupons can now be viewed and managed from the Coupons page
Next, place a test order and apply the coupon code in the Coupon code field at the checkout.
Pro Tip #3:
You can simultaneously run two different discount campaigns to see which gets the best results. Based on that, develop a coupon marketing strategy and provide customers with the finest offers.
To test the WooCommerce coupon:
- Add a product to the cart and paste the coupon code at the checkout.
- Click on Apply coupon.
The WooCommerce coupon will be applied, and the price will be discounted, as you can see in the below image:
Smart Coupons for WooCommerce by WebToffee is a WordPress coupon plugin suitable for online retail businesses looking for advanced coupon management features.
The plugin is available in free and premium versions. The free plugin offers features like auto-apply coupons, BOGO offers, checkout options, product giveaways, URL coupons and more. If you opt for the paid version, you will have access to more advanced features like store credits, gift voucher coupons, purchase history, cart abandonment coupons, etc.
Also read: What Is WooCommerce Smart Coupons?
How To Create Coupons With Smart Coupons for WooCommerce (Free Version)?
The coupon creation with Smart Coupons for WooCommerce is the same as that with the WooCommerce plugin. You can check the above step-by-step instructions for creating WooComerce coupons. However, you will get more customizations with this plugin when compared to the default WooCommerce plugin.
Here are the extra customizations that you will have in the Coupon data panel in addition to the ones detailed in “Create coupons in WooCommerce.”
General Settings With Smart Coupons for WooCommerce
Apart from the basic WooCommerce coupon settings, the smart coupon plugin offers additional customizable coupon features like add coupon start date, applying coupons automatically, and displaying coupons on multiple pages.
- Coupon start date: Schedule the coupon activation with the coupon start date feature.
- Apply coupon automatically: Check the box if you need the coupon to be automatically applied to the products/cart.
Note: You can only set a maximum of 5 coupons to be applied automatically. Additional coupons have to be manually applied by the customer.
- Display coupon in: You can display the WooCommerce coupon you have created on select pages. You can display the coupons on the pages strategically depending on how likely are the customers to convert from that page.
For example, displaying the coupon on the product page can make the customers convert faster. Also, displaying the coupon on the cart page can reduce cart abandonment in your store. A sample screenshot is shown below.
Usage Restrictions With Smart Coupons for WooCommerce
- Product/category restrictions: Enable this option, if you want coupons to apply when all items inside the cart belong to the category specified.
- Individual quantity restriction: Check this box to add minimum or maximum quantity for a product or category condition. The coupon will apply when each of the product/category condition is satisfied.
- Product and category conditions: Choose the product/category restriction, then select the condition Any from below selection or All from below selection to add respective items and their quantities.
Note: Any from below selection – coupon applies when any mentioned product/category is added to the cart. All from below selection – coupon applies when all listed product/category is added to the cart.
- Minimum and Maximum quantity of matching products: The minimum and maximum quantity of the products that match the selected product or category restrictions that have to be added to the cart to trigger the coupon.
- Minimum and Maximum subtotal of matching products: The minimum and maximum subtotal of the products that match the selected product or category restrictions that have to be added to the cart to trigger the coupon.
Coupon/User Usage Limitation with Smart Coupons for WooCommerce
Usage limit per user and coupon: This option works the same as a WooCommerce coupon. It will help you set the maximum usage per coupon or user. This free smart coupon plugin allows you to enter the number of times that coupon can apply to certain conditions. You can use the usage restriction options to create product/category conditions.
Checkout Options With Smart Coupons for WooCommerce
- Shipping methods: You can create WooCommerce coupon that will only be applicable if the user chooses a shipment method that you have specified here. By default, you’ll have the following options: Any shipping method, Free shipping, and Local pickup.
- Payment methods: Limit the availability of the coupon based on the payment method the user chooses. The coupon will only be applicable if the user chooses a payment method that you have listed here.
- Applicable Roles: Manage the applicability of the coupon with user role limits. The available roles include Shop manager, Customer, Subscriber, etc. For example, you can create members-only coupon in WooCommerce using this usage restriction.
Free Giveaway Products With Smart Coupons
Free Products: Select a single product that you want to reward your customers free of charge. When the WooCommerce coupon is applied successfully, the giveaway product will be directly added to the cart. The tax and shipping charges for this item will not be exempted.
At the end, click on Publish to activate the WooCommerce coupons.
Also read: Types of Coupons in WooCommerce Explained
Frequently Asked Questions on WooCommerce Coupons
To generate bulk coupons in WooCommerce, go to Smart Coupons > Bulk generate where you will see options for “No of coupons to be generated“.
Simply enter the count of coupons to generate instantly and choose the conditions to operate bulk coupons as “Add to store,” “Export as CSV,” or “Email to the recipients” for your eCommerce store.
The WooCommerce Smart Coupons plugin lets you create auto-apply coupons in WooCommerce. Go to Smart Coupons > Add Coupons, and create a coupon for your online store. Then choose the coupon position from the “Display coupon in” option as:
1. My Account
2. Cart Page
3. Checkout Page
This will create and display an auto-apply coupon on the chosen page of the WooCommerce store. When the customer clicks on it, then the respective coupon will be applied automatically.
You can create Buy One Get One coupons using both free and paid versions of the Smart Coupons plugin.
– Go to Smart Coupons > BOGO in your WooCommerce dashboard to access the BOGO setup module.
– Select from preset BOGO templates or create a Custom BOGO offer.
– Pick a BOGO type: Buy X, Get X/Y, and assign a descriptive name to the offer. Click Continue.
– Choose what customers will receive as part of the promotion under “Customer Gets” option.
– Define how the BOGO offer is triggered (Step 2). You can create BOGO coupon to apply either by the number of items purchased or a minimum spend requirement.
– Adjust WooCommerce BOGO settings to control how the discount applies at checkout.
– Click Save & Activate to launch the BOGO offer in your store.
With this plugin, you can create different variations of WooCommerce BOGO coupons, such as “Buy Two Get One at 50%”, “Buy Three Get One for Free”, and more.
To create time-restricted coupons in WooCommerce, go to the Add new coupon page to create a coupon. You will find an option for “Coupon expiry date“. Here, you can choose the date to generate a time-limited coupon. This will help you set the expiration for the coupon in the WooCommerce store.
To create a time-limited coupon using the start date, download the free WooCommerce Smart Coupons plugin. This plugin lets you determine the start date of the coupon and so its expiration date of it.
To add a 20% discount coupon in WooCommerce, go to the Add new coupon page in WooCommerce. Add a coupon code, such as coupon example “GET20” and then add a description. Select the coupon type as Percentage discount, and choose Coupon amount as 20%, and then publish the coupon. This will create a 20% discount coupon on your WooCommerce store.
In most cases, the likely cause of WooCommerce coupons not showing up is incorrect settings on your end. Go to WooCommerce > Settings, scroll down to Enable Coupons under General Settings, and enable it if it’s disabled. This should resolve the issue if it’s due to faulty settings.
However, other potential causes include unpublished coupons, applying advanced usage restrictions or limits, or even conflicts with the store’s theme. Carefully review these aspects to identify the root cause.
Wrapping Up
Smart Coupons for WooCommerce offers some of the most efficient coupon creation options in WordPress. They are well received by WooCommerce fanatics and are used by thousands of online retail stores all over the world.
If you are a store owner struggling to find a good WooCommerce coupon creation platform, Smart Coupons for WooCommerce is an excellent solution for you.
We hope this article helped you understand everything you need to know about WooCommerce coupons and how to create coupon codes in WooCommerce. Have you tried creating coupons in your store? What kind of deals worked best for you? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
