What is Discount – All in One Comprehensive Guide [2025]

I’ve worked with online stores for years, and one thing I’ve noticed is that shoppers never skip a good discount. It often decides whether they leave the cart or go ahead with the purchase.

The problem is, most store owners run discounts without a clear plan. I’ve seen many throw out a flat “40% off” and later realize it hurt their profits more than it helped.

Research shows that 62% of U.S. shoppers actively search for promo codes before buying online.

That means discounts aren’t just a bonus; they’re a big part of how customers shop today.

That’s why I’m going to share with you a comprehensive guide on discounts, so you can use them smartly to boost sales while keeping your profit safe.

So let’s get started,

​TL;DR – Comprehensive Guide to Discount

• Discounts help you sell more and keep your customers coming back.
• Popular types of discounts are percentage-based, fixed cart, BOGO, tiered, bulk, and time-based discounts.
• Using codes can boost first-time orders, repeat purchases, and seasonal sales.
• Plan by setting goals, checking what you can afford, watching competitors, and promoting the offer.
• Seasonal deals like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and summer sales create urgency and attract more buyers.
• Bulk and quantity discounts help to increase your overall sales volume & average cart value.
• Use conditional discounts for products, categories, or customer history to meet your specific business objectives.
• The easiest way to manage all this is with the Dynamic Discount for WooCommerce

​What is a Discount?

​A discount is a reduction in the original price of a product or service, offered to encourage customers to buy. It’s one of the oldest yet most effective sales tactics in business.

For example, if a course normally costs $200 but you offer it for $150 during a launch week, that $50 cut is a discount designed to drive more sign-ups.

In simple terms, discounts make customers feel like they’re getting extra value for less money, while giving you a chance to boost sales and attract more buyers.

​How Discounts Work in eCommerce

​Discounts in eCommerce work by making it easier for customers to say yes to a purchase. A smart eCommerce discount can help you attract buyers, increase order value, and build long-term loyalty.

Here’s how it works:

• Grabs attention: A reduced price compared to the regular price immediately makes your offer more attractive. Shoppers love seeing savings against the marked price.
• Creates urgency: Limited-time offers or clearance sales push people to act faster. When they see the clock ticking, they don’t want to miss the deal.
• Encourages larger orders: Bundle or bulk discounts make customers feel they’re getting more value. This often leads them to add extra items to the cart.
• Reduces cart abandonment: A small discount at checkout can convince hesitant buyers to complete the purchase. It makes them feel they’re getting a better deal than walking away.
• Rewards loyalty: Rewarding loyal customers with personalized coupons builds strong brand loyalty. Repeat customers are more likely to come back when they feel valued.
• Introduces new products: Discounts give people a reason to try something new. It lowers the risk and makes the decision easier.

​Types of Discount to Increase WooCommerce Sales

​Now, let’s take a closer look at the different types of discounts you can use to increase WooCommerce sales and see how each one works in practice.

• Percentage-Based Discounts: Give a simple percent off, like 20% off. Your customers instantly see the savings and feel excited to buy.
• Fixed Cart Discounts: Take a fixed amount off the total, like $10 off $50. It encourages customers to add a few more items to reach the deal.
• Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO): Let customers get one free when they buy one. It’s a fun way to get people to try more products.
• Free Shipping Discount: Remove shipping costs for orders over a certain amount. Customers love this because it lowers their upfront cost.
• Quantity-Based Discounts: Offer a discount when buying multiple items, like 3 for $25. This makes it easy for customers to buy more at once.
• Limited-Time Discounts (Flash Sales): Run short, urgent deals. The time limit pushes people to make quick decisions.
• First-Time Buyer Discount: Give new customers a special deal. It’s a nice way to welcome them and encourage their first purchase.
• Loyalty or Repeat Customer Discount: Reward returning buyers with exclusive savings. It shows them you value their support and keeps them coming back.
• Email Subscription Discount: Offer a small discount for signing up for your newsletter. This helps grow your email list and connect with new buyers.
• Abandoned Cart Discount: Send a discount to customers who left items behind. It can nudge them to complete the purchase and save the sale.

​Discount Code Ideas to Increase Sales for Your Online Store

​Now, I’m going to share some discount code ideas for your online store and explain how each one can help increase sales, attract new customers, and boost repeat purchases.

• ​First-Time Buyer Discounts: Give new customers a special coupon code. It encourages them to try your store and reduces the upfront cost for their first purchase.
• Repeat Purchase Discounts: Reward returning customers with a discount code. This helps to boost your repeat purchases and strengthen customer retention.
• Seasonal or Holiday Discounts: Run promo codes during holidays or summer events. It drives more customers and can improve your overall business performance.
• Increase Average Order Value Discounts: Offer a cart discount code when customers buy more items. This encourages larger purchase volumes and improves sales volume.
• Social Engagement Discounts: Give a shareable discount code for engaging on social media. It attracts new customers and spreads awareness about specific products.
• Clearance & Inventory Discounts: Provide coupon codes for old or excess inventory. It helps move stock faster and frees up space for new items.
• Personalized & VIP Discounts: Give exclusive discount codes to loyal or VIP customers. It strengthens customer retention and rewards repeat buyers.
• Gamified Discounts: Let customers unlock special discount codes through fun activities, like spin-the-wheel games. It encourages engagement and can improve your overall sales.
• Recurring Discounts: Provide subscription discount codes for repeat purchases. It creates steady sales and predictable revenue over time.
• Product Launch Discounts: Offer a launch coupon code for new products. It motivates early adoption and highlights key items.
• Product-Specific Discounts: Give item-specific discount codes on selected products. This draws attention to key items and boosts sales volume.

~ Learn full guide – Discount Code Ideas to Increase Sales for Your Online Store

​How to Plan a Discount for Your Store

​Before you start giving out discounts or coupon codes, you need to plan a discount for your store. This ensures your offers align with your goals, budget, and marketing strategy.

• ​Step 1 – Define Goal: Decide what you want to achieve with the discount, like more sales or customer retention. A clear goal helps you plan the right type of discount.
• Step 2 – Check Affordability: Figure out a discount that attracts buyers without hurting your profits or full price products. This ensures your store stays profitable while offering value.
• Step 3 – Analyze Competitors: See what similar stores offer and set a competitive rate. It helps you stay attractive without lowering your usual list price too much.
• Step 4 – Align Marketing: Promote the discount via emails, social media, or ads. This ensures the offer reaches the right audience and drives results.

​Best Strategies to Use WooCommerce Discounts

​I will walk you through the best strategies to use WooCommerce discounts and show how each one can help you increase sales and keep your customers coming back.

Just check some points I have included below:

• ​Custom Discount: You can give personalized offers based on customer behavior or purchase history. This helps increase loyalty and repeat purchases.
• Conditional Discount: Apply deals only to certain products or when conditions are met. It helps you sell off surplus stock efficiently.
• One-Day Discount: Run a 24-hour sale to create urgency for your buyers. It encourages quick decisions and boosts sales fast.
• Mystery Discounts: Surprise your customers with random discounts on checkout. It makes shopping fun and keeps people coming back.
• Tiered Discounts: Offer bigger discounts when customers buy more items. This discount strategy encourages bulk purchases and increases overall sales volume.

• Learn more – ​Best Tactics to Use WooCommerce Discounts & Boost Your Sales
• Learn more – How to Plan The Best Discount Pricing Strategies for Your eCommerce Business

​Bogo Discount Strategies (Buy one, Get one Free)

​Now, let’s dive into BOGO discount strategies (Buy One, Get One Free). You’ll see how each approach can boost sales, move more products, and keep customers coming back.

• ​Buy One, Get One Free: Give your customers one free item when they buy another. This encourages them to add more to their cart and drives increased sales volume.
• Buy One, Get One 50% Off: Let the second item be half price. You can keep your margins healthier while still getting people to buy more and compete with the market price.
• Buy X, Get Y (BXGY): Set rules like “Buy 2, get 1 free” for complementary products. It helps you move more stock and increase purchase volume.
• Buy One, Get a Free Gift: Include a small free gift with their purchase. Your existing customers feel valued, which encourages repeat purchases.
• Buy One, Get Free Samples: Add samples of new or slow-moving products. This helps you introduce new items and reduce excess inventory.
• Buy Three, Get One Free: Give one free when they buy your three products. It motivates bulk buying and boosts your AOV.
• BOGO for Limited Categories: Offer the deal only on certain products. This highlights specific products and drives targeted sales.
• BOGO with Minimum Purchase: Activate the deal only after they spend a certain amount. It increases your cart value and encourages larger purchase volumes.
• Buy One, Get a Discount on Next Purchase: Give a discount for their next order. It brings them back and strengthens customer retention.
• Conditional BOGO: Trigger the deal only when they reach a spending threshold. This helps you achieve specific business objectives while boosting revenue.
• BOGO for Loyalty Members: Reserve this deal for loyal customers. It rewards their support and grows your brand loyalty.

~ Watch this video to learn how to create BOGO Discount Offers for Boosting Your AOV

Seasonal Discount examples

​Let’s see some exclusive seasonal deals and how they work. I’m going to tell each promotion in short and explain how it can help boost your sales and attract more customers.

• ​Black Friday: Offer big savings on popular products during the last Friday of November. It drives traffic and boosts your sales volume during the biggest shopping day of the year.
• Cyber Monday: Run online-exclusive deals on the Monday after Black Friday. It attracts new customers and encourages online shopping.
• Halloween: Run themed promotions or spooky deals on October 31. It draws attention and encourages fun, seasonal purchases.
• Christmas: Give special holiday discounts on gifts or bundles on December 25. It increases your repeat purchases and helps you clear excess inventory before year-end.
• Easter Sunday: Offer spring-themed promotions or product bundles on Easter Sunday, which falls in March or April. It engages your shoppers and boosts sales during the holiday season.

​How to Drive Sales with WooCommerce Bulk Discounts

In this section, I’m going to walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to set up WooCommerce bulk discounts, so you can boost sales and encourage larger purchases.

• ​Step 1 – Install and Activate Plugin: Start by installing the Dynamic Discount plugin that lets you create bulk discounts. This gives you full control over your WooCommerce pricing and deals.
• Step 2 – Create Discount Rules: Set up rules for how discounts should apply. You can decide who gets the deal and when it applies.
• Step 3 – Select Types of Discount: Choose the discount type that works best, like bulk or percentage. This helps you match offers to your business goals.
• Step 4 – Create WooCommerce Bulk Discounts: Add discounts for multiple items in a single purchase. You can encourage larger purchase volumes and boost sales.
• Step 5 – Set Conditions (Additional Step): Specify any conditions, like minimum cart value or product categories. This ensures the discount applies only when it makes sense for you and your store.

~ Learn full guide – How to Drive Sales with WooCommerce Bulk Discounts

​How To Set Up WooCommerce Quantity Discounts – 3 Easy Steps

​Now, let’s go through 3 easy steps to set up WooCommerce quantity discounts and boost your sales.

• Step 1 – Create New Discount: Start by creating a new offer in the dynamic discount plugin. This is where you define the rules for your store and take control of pricing.
• Step 2 – Choose Quantity Discount Type: Pick the type that works best for your products. Each option helps drive increased sales volume and encourages customers to buy more.
  • Bulk Product Discount: Apply discounts when customers buy multiple units of the same product. It motivates larger purchases and helps you reach your periodic sales goal.
  • Stock-Based Discount: Offer discounts based on available stock levels. This helps you clear inventory faster while keeping customers happy.
  • Bundle (Set) Discount: Give discounts for product bundles or sets. It encourages shoppers to try more items and increases overall revenue.
  • Buy X Get X: Customers get additional items free or at a lower price when they buy a certain quantity. It drives repeat purchases and bigger orders.
• Step 3 – Set the Quantity Discount: Define the quantities and discount percentages. This makes sure customers get the right savings and motivates them to buy more.

~ Learn full guide – How to Set Up WooCommerce Quantity Discounts – 3 Easy Steps

​How to Use Time-Based Discount in WooCommerce

• ​Set Discount Duration: You can choose start and end dates for your discount. This creates urgency and encourages customers to act quickly.
• Schedule Promotions: You can schedule discounts to run automatically for specific times or days. This helps you plan summer sales or seasonal campaigns.
• Flash Sales: You can run short-term discounts, like one-day or weekend deals. This generates excitement and boosts quick purchases.
• Recurring Time-Based Discounts: You can set discounts to repeat weekly or monthly. This keeps customers coming back for periodic sales goals.

Best Discount Plugins for WooCommerce

​I’m going to tell you which WooCommerce discount plugin is the best and why, ranking them according to priority so you can choose the right one for your store.

1. ​Dynamic Discount for WooCommerce – RexTheme: You can easily set percentage or fixed discounts. It’s perfect if you want straightforward price markdowns without any hassle.
2. WooCommerce BOGO – BeePlugin: Lets you create Buy One Get One deals. This helps you increase sales volume and get customers to buy more in a single order.
3. Discount Rules for WooCommerce – FlyCart: You can set advanced rules for bulk, category, or cart discounts. Ideal for sellers who need control over pricing.
4. Advanced Coupon Plugin: Adds extra coupon features like conditions and schedules. It’s great if you want to reward loyal customers and keep them coming back.
5. WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts – YayPricing: Lets you do tiered pricing, bulk discounts, and bundles. Perfect for retailers wanting to encourage larger purchase volumes.
6. WooCommerce Discount Manager – Barn2: Makes managing multiple discounts simple. Helps you reach your sales goals without stress.
7. WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts – Elex: Offers discounts based on cart total, quantity, or user role. Helps existing customers and encourages repeat purchases.
8. Dynamic Discount for WooCommerce – Orion: Automates discounts for products or categories. Saves you time while growing revenue.
9. WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts – Disco: Flexible rules including bundles and BOGO deals. Works well if you want to run seasonal or special promotions.
10. WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules – PluginRepublic: Lets you create detailed rules with tiered pricing and user-specific deals. Ideal for achieving specific business objectives for your store.

~ Learn more – Best 10 Discount Plugins for WooCommerce

​Comprehensive Guide to Set 7 Conditional Discount

Before diving into the details, you’ll get a quick plugin overview and initial setup so you know how everything works.

After that, you’ll learn about the 7 conditional discounts you can set up to maximize sales in WooCommerce.

​1. Installation & Setup

• Install & Activate Plugin: You can get the Dynamic Discounts plugin ready for your store quickly. This ensures you’re all set to start creating deals right away.

~ Learn more – How to Install & Activate the Dynamic Discounts for WooCommerce

• Create First Discount Rule: You can set up your first discount easily. This helps you understand how the plugin works and gives you a starting point.

​~ Learn more – How to Create A Discount Rule For The First Time

• Basic Plugin Overview: You’ll learn the main features and interface. This makes managing discounts much simpler for you.

​~ Learn more – Dynamic Discounts Plugin Overview

2. Setting Discount Conditions

• Product-Based Discount: You can apply discounts to specific products in your store. This helps you highlight items and boost sales.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Product-Based Discount

• Cart-Based Discount: You can trigger discounts based on cart totals. This encourages your customers to increase their purchase value.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Cart-Based Discount

• Bulk Purchase Discount: You can set rules for larger quantity purchases. This motivates buyers to buy more and increases overall sales volume.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Discount Conditions for Bulk Purchases

• Customer Purchase History: You can give discounts based on past purchases. This helps you retain loyal customers and drive repeat orders.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Discount Conditions Based on Customer Purchase History

• Product Variations: You can apply discounts to different variations of a product. This ensures all options are appealing to your customers.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Discount Conditions for Product Variations

• Cheapest Product Discount: You can discount the lowest-priced item in the cart. This encourages customers to add more items to qualify.

​~ Learn more – How to Apply a discount to the cheapest product in the Cart

• Category & Tag-Based Discount: You can apply discounts based on categories or tags. This helps you run targeted promotions for specific product groups.

​~ Learn more – How to Set Discount Based on Category and Tag

• Learn the full guide – How to Set Different Types of Conditional Discounts

​Conclusion

​Running effective discounts isn’t just about lowering prices. It’s about creating offers that encourage more purchases and repeat customers.

Choosing the right discount strategy can boost sales volume and help your store grow. Each approach works differently depending on your goals.

The right plugin makes managing discounts simple. You can automate rules, set conditions, and save time while increasing revenue.

For most stores, I recommend Dynamic Discount for WooCommerce. It’s easy to use, flexible, and helps you implement all discounts effectively.

** FAQs **

​How can I offer discounts without hurting my profits?

You can use percentage-based or tiered discounts on select products. This way, you encourage larger purchase volumes while protecting your full price items.

Can I give different discounts to new and existing customers?

Yes, you can create rules for first-time buyers or loyal shoppers. It helps keep your existing customers happy and brings in new customers while managing allowances for repeat buyers.

How do I make sure discounts don’t stack and cause losses?

Set clear conditions so only one discount applies per order. This keeps your usual list price safe and ensures profits aren’t affected.

How can I clear slow-moving stock with discounts?

Offer time-limited deals, like summer sales or seasonal promotions. This helps reduce excess inventory and keeps suppliers and distributors satisfied with steady movement.

Can discounts help increase my average cart value?

Definitely. Use bulk or Buy X Get Y deals to encourage bigger orders. This creates a price break for customers while increasing your overall sales volume.