The ecommerce system supports several types of pricing adjustments: promotional discount codes, voucher-style promotions, account-level discounts, group-based special pricing, and item-level sale pricing. Each mechanism serves a different purpose and can be combined to create flexible pricing strategies.
Promotional discounts are codes that customers enter during checkout to receive a discount. They are managed in the Promotional Discounts data table.
To create a new promotional discount, add a record to the Promotional Discounts table with the following fields:
- Code — the text code customers will enter (e.g., "SAVE10", "WELCOME")
- Discount Percent — the percentage discount applied to qualifying items (e.g., 10.0 means 10% off)
- Expiration Date — the date after which the code can no longer be used. Leave empty for no expiration.
- All Items — when checked, the discount applies to all items in the order. When unchecked, only items listed in the Promotional Discount Item Rules are eligible.
- Uses Per Account — the maximum number of times a single account can use this code. Leave empty for unlimited.
- Uses Total — the total number of times this code can be used across all accounts. Leave empty for unlimited.
Limiting a Discount to Specific Items
When the All Items field is unchecked, you must create Promotional Discount Item Rules to define which items qualify for the discount:
- Open the Promotional Discount Item Rules data table
- Add a record for each qualifying item, setting:
- Promotional Discount — the discount code record
- Item — the qualifying item
Only items linked through these rules will receive the percentage discount.
Promotional discounts can also function as vouchers with a fixed dollar value:
- Original Amount — the total dollar value of the voucher
- Amount Spent — tracks how much of the voucher has been used
When a voucher is applied, the discount is deducted from the original amount until the voucher is fully spent. This is different from a percentage discount, which applies the same rate regardless of prior use.
Account-Level Discount Codes
A promotional discount code can be permanently assigned to an account so it applies to every order automatically:
- Open the account from the Accounts page
- On the Details tab, enter the code in the Discount Code field
- Click Save
The help text reads: "This is a promotional discount that is saved with the account and applies to every order."
The code is validated when you save. If the code does not match a valid promotional discount, an error is displayed. Once saved, the discount is applied automatically during order calculation for all purchases on that account.
How Discounts Appear on Orders
When a promotional discount is applied to an order, the following fields are populated:
- Promotion Name — the name of the promotional discount applied
- Promotion Discount Percentage — the percentage applied
- Promotion ID — the ID of the discount record
On individual line items, the Discount Message field describes the discount applied to that specific line item.
Group-Based Special Pricing
The system supports pricing that varies based on the customer's group membership. This is managed through Group Item Pricing Rules:
- Open the Group Item Pricing Rules data table (in the admin editing interface)
- Add a record for each group/item combination:
- Group — the group receiving the special price
- Item — the item to price
- Price — the special price for members of this group
When a customer who belongs to the specified group purchases the item, the special price is used instead of the standard unit price.
Group Discount Percentages
Groups can also have a blanket discount percentage applied to all purchases:
- Commerce Discount — a percentage discount applied to all items for members of this group
- Allow Commerce Special Price — enables special pricing for the group
These settings are configured on the Group record itself.
Item-Level Pricing Options
Each item has multiple pricing fields that work together:
- Unit Price — the standard price for the item
- Sale Price — a reduced price used when the item's On Sale flag is checked
- Special Price — a member price available to customers in designated groups
- Recurring Price — the price used for subscription renewals instead of the unit price
- Unit Retail — the suggested retail price, shown for reference
- Unit Cost — the cost of the item, used for margin reporting
Activating Sale Pricing
To put an item on sale:
- Open the item record
- Check the On Sale field
- Set the Sale Price to the discounted amount
- Save the record
When On Sale is active, customers see the sale price instead of the unit price. Clear the On Sale checkbox to return to standard pricing.
Price Level Discounts
The system tracks whether price level discounts were applied at the time of order completion:
- Price Level Discount — the discount amount applied based on the customer's price level at checkout
- Price Level Free Shipping — indicates the order qualified for free shipping based on the customer's price level
Tips
- Promotional codes, group pricing, and sale pricing can all be active simultaneously — the system calculates the best applicable price during order processing
- Use the Uses Per Account and Uses Total fields to control the distribution of high-value discount codes
- Review the Promotional Discounts data table periodically to deactivate expired promotions or adjust usage limits
- Account-level discount codes persist until manually removed — they are not subject to per-use limits