Everybody loves a good deal! It doesn’t matter if it’s for your store’s anniversary or something else, everyone loves a good sale! Giving your customers a discount is a sure way to increase sales, whether it’s for your own store’s anniversary celebration (or perhaps your annual birthday). A discount can increase customer loyalty, satisfaction, and profitability.

When should you offer coupons and discounts?

Discounts can be viewed from two perspectives. To increase sales, you can offer a promotion during busy times. You can also use a discount to increase sales during slow seasons or to move a product that is not performing well.

There are many good times to sell to customers. You might consider creating discount codes or coupon codes for:

• Holidays. These include the Christmas holiday season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), and other major gift-giving holidays such as Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. (Think late spring to early fall). It’s a great way for you to connect with shoppers on the lookout for gifts, and those who might be struggling with their budget.

• Launch new products. Make an impact with the latest and greatest products. Offer them at a discount rate. Customers will be more inclined to try new products, and they will return for more once they have seen you.

• Sluggish items. Want to free up space in your warehouse? Flash sales are a great way for slow-moving products to be seen and sold. It might increase sales overall as customers may buy other items while they are there.

• Shoppers who abandon carts. To help them get on the right track, why not send them an email perk?

• Customers who have not purchased recently. Giving them a discount code is a great way to get them back in the fold. MailPoet is a great tool for making this happen.

WooCommerce Coupons and Discounts: How do you set them up?

The basics

WooCommerce offers native support for discount codes. From day one, you can offer simple sales to customers.

Step 1. Step 1. Start by going to Marketing – Coupons within your WordPress. You can view a complete list of coupons and then use the Add coupon button for a new code.

Step 2. Step Two. A description can be added, but it is only for your information and will not be visible to customers.

Step 3. In the Coupon Data Section, set the rules for the coupon. You will find the following:

• General tab. Choose whether you want a discount in the form of a percentage (percentage on total cart), fixed cart discount (set dollar amount for the entire cart), or fixed product discount (set dollar amount for all products of a particular type). Then enter the numeric amount. This tab can be used to enable free shipping when you combine this offer with it, or to set an expiration.

• Use the Restriction tab – Set the rules for your coupon, including minimum and maximum spending, exclusions and inclusions of products, and lists of customers who can receive this discount.

• Limits on Tab – This tab limits the number of times a coupon can be used per person.

Step 4. Step Four. Save your coupon and you are ready to promote it on the internet. Your coupon code string and any restrictions should be published on social media, in online ads, or in a newsletter. This will allow you to reach your core audience.

The next level

You can do more with coupon Extensions such as WooCommerce smart coupons add flexibility and functionality to your sales. You will be able:

• You can set up coupons that will automatically apply at checkout without having to enter a code.

• Each coupon comes with its own shipping rules and exclusions.

• After each purchase, offer a unique, auto-generated code.

• You can create “gift card”-style coupons that are fixed in value and can be used multiple times.

• Make coupons that include a gift coupon.

• Make location-based coupons

• Only first-time buyers can use coupons

Your customers will feel more valued if you offer them more options. This will result in more sales. You should take full advantage of every opportunity and try different timings and offers to find the right fit for your audience.

Flash sales?

Sometimes you may want to make sales prices permanent for slow-moving items that you don’t plan on restocking. A sale is usually a one-time event with limited quantities. Impulse buys will be more common the shorter the sale is.

These are the key rules to remember when planning a flash sales

• Offer deeper discounts than normal.

• Reduce your product range. Flash sales are best for a small number of products in a particular type or category. 

• You need to have plenty of inventory. Don’t advertise your sale only to disappoint your customers. You should choose items you have lots of.

• Keep it simple. Make the coupon code and savings easy to remember.

• Promote and promote. Make sure you use all marketing channels, including email, social media, ads online, and collaborations.

Flash sales can boost your online shop’s sales. Consider incorporating them into your overall discounting and sales strategy.

Other powerful discount tools

Discounts do not have to be limited to coupon codes. You can build loyalty and increase sales by offering special offers to your customers.

You could, for example, offer:

• For lost customers, automatic discounts. Send automatically-generated emails with discount codes to customers who abandoned their carts, haven’t purchased in a while, or have let subscriptions lapse with the powerful AutomateWoo extension.

• BOGO deals. Use the WooCommerce BOGO extension to get one item free when your customer buys an item of equal value.

• You get gifts when you purchase. Use the WooCommerce gift extension to select your gift tied to your cart amount

• Shipping is free. You can use the WooCommerce coupon code functionality to create codes that offer free shipping on certain levels of your cart.

• Birthday codes. With the AutomateWoo Birthday Add-on, you can send loyal customers a unique coupon code to use on their birthdays.

• Loyalty points, rewards, and loyalty points. Encourage customers returning to your site to sign up for your points system. They will be eligible for discounts and rewards through the WooCommerce Rewards extension.

Your overall growth strategy should include sales, discounts, coupons, and other promotional tools. You should not be afraid to experiment with different strategies and discover what works best for you. Although it may seem counterintuitive at first, discounts can lead to higher sales and a more healthy online shop. So get a discount and start selling!