Create a percentage discount coupon
Percentage discount coupons allow you to offer a set percentage off a customer’s order total or specific products. They are one of the most effective ways to run seasonal sales, reward newsletter subscribers, or clear out old inventory without needing to calculate fixed price drops for every item.
How to create your coupon
- Log in to your WooShop dashboard and go to Marketing > Coupons.
- Click the Add coupon button at the top of the page.
- Enter a Coupon code. This is what customers will type in at checkout (e.g., SAVE20). You can also add an optional description for your own internal records.
- In the Coupon data section, look for the Discount type dropdown and select Percentage discount.
- In the Coupon amount field, enter the number for your discount. If you want to give 15% off, simply enter
15. Do not include the percent sign. - (Optional) If you want the coupon to expire on a specific day, select a date in the Coupon expiry date field.
- Click Publish on the right side of the screen to make the coupon active.
Practical scenarios
- Store-wide flash sale: Create a coupon named "FLASH10" with a 10% discount. Under the Usage restriction tab, leave all product fields blank so it applies to everything in your shop.
- Category-specific clearance: If you want to move stock in a specific category, like "Winter Gear," scroll to Usage restriction and select that category in the Product categories box. The 20% discount will only apply to those specific items.
- Reward big spenders: Set a 15% discount but enter a "Minimum spend" of $100 in the restrictions tab. This encourages customers to add more to their cart to qualify for the savings.
Troubleshooting common issues
The coupon doesn’t work on items already on sale
By default, WooCommerce allows coupons to be used on top of existing sale prices. If you want to prevent "double-dipping," go to the Usage restriction tab and check the box that says Exclude sale items.
The discount isn’t appearing at checkout
Check the Coupon expiry date. If the date has passed, the coupon will automatically deactivate. Also, ensure the coupon status is set to "Published" and not "Draft."
Customers are using multiple codes at once
If you want to ensure this is the only discount a customer can use, check the Individual use only box in the restrictions tab. This prevents them from stacking this percentage discount with other active codes.
Quick Recap
Percentage coupons scale with the size of the order, making them ideal for encouraging larger purchases. Just set your code, choose "Percentage discount," enter your value, and publish.
Related guides:
- How to offer free shipping
- Creating fixed amount coupons
- Setting up automatic sales for specific products
