Key Concepts

this section provides a foundational overview of key concepts essential to the promotions system within our upstart commerce portal these concepts are fundamental building blocks, empowering businesses to create enticing customer offers while ensuring smooth operational execution high level types of promotions our promotions are divided into two high level types, each catering to distinct aspects of your e commerce operations cart level promotions discount applied to the entirety of a customer's shopping cart , ensuring cost savings across all items purchased examples buy more, save more get 10% off on orders over $50, 15% off on orders over $100, and 20% off on orders over $150 gift cart level promotion receive a gift with your cart spend $75 or more and receive a complimentary tote bag with your purchase cart level discount spend at least the specified amount and apply a specified amount or % discount to the order subtotal for example, spend $100 or more and get a discount of 10% on the entire order subtotal item level promotions designed for target specific products within a customer's shopping cart, incentivizing additional purchases the customer receives a discount on one or more qualifying items examples "buy for x, get the most expensive item discounted" purchase any three items and get the most expensive item discounted by 50% "buy 1 get the least expensive" buy any 3 pairs of shoes and get the least expensive pair for free if you want to explore cart level promotions docid\ ehnu1ixfnditaqv7ofpyp , refer to this guide alternatively, if you are interested in exploring item level promotions docid\ g1qgakq1bzshoi4fl4tad , go to this guide types of promotion discounts relative (percentage based) discount definition relative discount is a percentage of the order subtotal or the price of specific items in the cart application this type of promotion is applied at the cart level, where a percentage discount is deducted from the order subtotal , or at the item level, where a discount is applied to specific items in the cart it encourages customers to make larger purchases by offering savings proportional to their spending example "get 20% off your entire purchase " absolute (specific amount off) discount definition absolute discounts are promotions where a fixed monetary amount is deducted from the order subtotal the price of specific items in the cart application similar to relative discounts, absolute discounts can be applied at the cart or item levels they provide customers with a clear monetary benefit, which can be particularly effective in driving sales for higher priced items or incentivizing purchases that meet certain criteria, such as a minimum order value example "save $10 on your order " gift item discount definition this promotion type offers free items as an enhancement to the purchase, either based on cart contents or specific items application gift item discounts are typically applied at the cart level and are used to incentivize customers to spend more or to promote specific products they can be particularly effective in increasing average order value and customer satisfaction by providing an additional item of value at no extra cost example "receive a free tote bag with any purchase over $50 " qualified for promotions "qualified for promotions" signifies that shopping carts must meet specific conditions to avail themselves of discounts or particular promotions this strategic approach empowers businesses to drive sales, foster loyalty, and influence customer behavior, ultimately boosting revenue let's expand on this concept using the example spend $1000 and get $100 off, which means customers must meet the qualification criteria of spending a minimum of $1000 on their purchase to avail of a $100 discount here's how this concept works example "spend $1000 and get $100 off" incentive to spend more encourages customers to increase their cart total to $1000 to unlock discounts discount application a $100 discount is applied upon spending $1000 or more purpose of promotion incentivizes larger purchases, rewards loyalty, and increases the average order value time limits promotions have specific timeframes for qualifying purchases, such as "spend $1000 and get $100 off, this weekend only!" exclusions certain products may not contribute to the spending requirement marketing and communication effective communication of promotion details and conditions to customers through channels like email, social media, and the website the qualifier qualifiers specify the conditions under which a promotion applies, utilizing boolean logic (and, or, nested conditions, etc ) these conditions encompass various prerequisites that customers must fulfill to qualify for a promotion or discount here's a list of some of the qualifiers quantity qualifier/ thresholds set thresholds for item quantities to trigger promotions example "buy 2 shirts, get the 3rd at half price " item pairing trigger promotions for specific combinations of items in the cart example "buy a laptop and get a free laptop bag " cart value items thresholds offer tiered discounts based on the total value of items in the cart example "spend $100 and get $20 off your purchase " subset value of items apply promotions to selected subsets of items in the cart example "get 10% off when you buy any three items from the 'summer collection' " coupon validation activate promotions upon valid coupon application example "enter code spring25 for 25% off your order " promotion compatibility per cart and item specify if discounts apply to the whole cart or individual items to avoid overlap example "20% off the entire cart / 10% off each item " time sensitive promotions activate promotions based on specified dates or times example "flash sale 50% off all items from 6 pm to midnight " customer location targeting tailor promotions based on customer locations example "exclusive offer for customers in new york buy one, get one free " store location targeting activate promotions based on store locations example "in store only buy 2, get 1 free on selected items " shopping history analysis personalize promotions based on past purchases example "based on your past purchases, here's a 15% discount on similar items " customer attribute targeting activate promotions based on specific customer attributes example "happy birthday! here's a special 20% discount just for you " segmentation targeting offer promotions to defined customer groups example "exclusive offer for premium members buy one, get one 50% off " product attribute targeting activate promotions based on product attributes example "all red items 10% off this week only " product query filtering trigger promotions based on specific product criteria example "get 30% off all items tagged 'clearance' " inventory management promotions offer discounts on overstock or specific inventory types example "last chance 50% off discontinued items " bulk purchase discounts activate promotions like "buy 3, get 4th 50% off" example "stock up and save buy 5, get 20% off " for detailed information on the types of qualifiers and their usage, go to our qualifiers docid\ s8kfjm4bld5jfdfwyuveg guide the action / effect actions represent the outcomes triggered when customers or carts qualify for promotions these actions encompass a range of possibilities, from applying discounts to items or the entire cart to modifying shipping fees or issuing coupons for future purchases here are some of the actions and their effect as examples apply % discount to an item reduce the item price by a specified percentage example "20% off all shirts " apply fixed discount to an item deduct a fixed amount from the item price example "$10 off all shoes " apply % discount to the cart apply a percentage discount to the entire cart example "15% off the entire purchase " apply fixed discount to the cart deduct a fixed amount from the total cart value example "$25 off your order " apply % discount to the subset of the cart discount specific items within the cart by percentage example "10% off selected electronics " apply fixed discount to the subset of the cart deduct a fixed amount from specific items in the cart example "$5 off each toy " apply % discount on shipping apply a percentage discount to shipping cost example "free shipping with 30% off " apply fixed discount on shipping deduct a fixed amount from shipping fees example "$5 off shipping " apply fixed total cost to shipping set specific shipping costs regardless of items example "flat $10 shipping fee " change of shipping tier upgrade shipping method based on promotion criteria example "upgrade to overnight shipping for free " adjustment of tax modify tax amount based on promotion conditions example "tax waived on all purchases " automatically add an item to the cart include a specific item as a gift with the purchase example "free umbrella with every jacket purchase " waive fees remove additional charges like disposal or handling fees example "no handling fees on orders over $50 " issue coupons for future purchases provide discount coupons for subsequent transactions example "receive a $10 coupon for your next purchase " % off most expensive of the group apply a percentage discount to the highest priced item in the group example "30% off the most expensive tv " $ off most expensive of the group deduct a fixed amount from the highest priced item in the group example "$50 off the priciest watch " % off cheapest of group apply a percentage discount to the lowest priced item in the group example "10% off the cheapest pair of shoes " $ off most expensive of the group deduct a fixed amount from the lowest priced item in the group example "$5 off the least expensive book " get $x for $y spent offer store credit based on the total purchase amount example "earn $20 store credit for every $100 spent " a fixed price for the group set a specific price for the group of items example "buy 5 t shirts for $25 or get 3 jackets for $150 constraints constraints are conditions that restrict a promotion from triggering, even if the customer or cart qualifies these limitations ensure the promotion's eligibility is properly defined and managed single use per customer allow one use per customer example "each customer gets 15% off their first order " max uses per customer set maximum usage limit per customer example "get 20% off up to 3 purchases per customer " max uses total establish a maximum limit for the total number of times the promotion can be redeemed across all customers example "promotion ends after 100 uses across all customers " customer total lifetime spend (or total spend in x timeframe) customer total lifetime spend (or total spend in x timeframe) the total amount spent by the customer over their lifetime or within a specific timeframe messaging messaging is crucial for conveying promotional offers and engaging customers throughout their shopping journey clear and compelling communication ensures that customers are aware of and excited about available promotions closeness qualifier banners show banners based on proximity to promotions example "exclusive deals near checkout shop now!" highlighting for discounted products on plp/pdp spotlight discounted items on product pages example "sale enjoy savings on select items!" cart messaging communicate promotions within the cart example "your cart qualifies for free shipping over $50!" banners on promotions qualification display banners for eligible promotions example "you're eligible for the 'buy 2, get 1 free' offer!" promotion templates promotion templates are pre defined formats in the upstart commerce platform they simplify the process for businesses to create various discount deals, such as discounts or buy one get one free offers these templates assist stores in setting up promotions quickly, ensuring they are consistent and user friendly stores can also customize them to align with their sales objectives and target audience quantity rule while setting up a new promotion for cart and item level promotions, you'll come across the calculate rule section, where you can define the quantity rule the quantity rule sets a minimum threshold for the number of items in the cart to qualify for a discount and specifies the maximum number of times the discount can be applied minimum quantity represents the lowest number of items required in the cart for the discount to apply max application count indicates the maximum number of times the discount can be applied the default value of the max application count is 0, which means there is no limit to the number of times the discount can be applied use case use the quantity rule when you want to offer a discount based on the minimum number of items a customer needs to buy, with a cap on how many times the discount can be applied this is suitable for promotions like "buy 3, get 1 free," where there’s a limit on the number of times the discount can be used example if the minimum quantity is set to 3 and the max application count is 2, then the customer's cart needs to have at least 3 items for the first discount to be applied this discount will then be multiplied by 2, meaning it can be applied up to a maximum of 2 times linear rule while setting up a new promotion for cart and item level promotions, you'll come across the calculate rule section, where you can define the linear rule the linear rule allows for the discount to be applied multiple times, depending on specified parameters it correlates quantity and a repeatable value, determining how often the discount can be applied based on the chosen repeatable value quantity number of items triggering the discount repeatable number of times the discount can be applied the default value of repeatable is 0, which means the discount is applied infinitely as long as the quantity condition is met use the linear rule when you want the discount to be applied repeatedly without a cap, based on the quantity of items this is suitable for promotions like "buy 2, get 10% off on each," where the discount applies to every multiple of the specified quantity example if the quantity is set to 1 and the repeatable is set to 0 in the linear rule, then the discount will be applied to every item individually without any cap this means that for every single item added to the cart, the discount will be applied essentially, the discount is applicable infinitely as long as there are items in the cart for instance, if the quantity is set to 1 and the repeatable is 2, the discount is applicable 2 times if the customer buys 2 pre condition items the discount can be applied infinitely if the repeatable is set to 0 precondition selector while creating a new promotion for the buy x get n discount on p items template on the upstart commerce portal, you'll find a precondition selector section it specifies criteria that must be met before a discount can be applied this ensures that discounts are only activated when relevant conditions are fulfilled, and tailored to target specific products or categories example electronics discount discount activated only when electronics items are in the cart selector while setting up a new promotion on the upstart commerce portal, you'll encounter a selector section this section is present for certain cart and item level promotions, including templates like buy x get n discount on p items, buy 1 get least expensive , as well as cart level promotion, gift cart level promotion, gift item level promotion, and item level promotion the selector section plays a crucial role in determining when the discount should be activated and applied, based on specified conditions it operates alongside the precondition selector to ensure precise and accurate discount applications example 20% discount on electronics applied only when the cart contains eligible electronics totaling over $100 determinant while creating a promotion using the select the cheapest item template, you'll find determinant it is a condition or criterion used to identify qualifying items it establishes the rules or requirements that items must fulfill to be considered eligible for the promotion it allows one to filter and select items from a pool, such as a customer's cart, based on specific criteria defined by the promotion these criteria encompass various attributes such as product type, brand, quantity, and price range example consider a promotion offering a discount on electronic gadgets but only for items priced above $100 in this scenario, the determinant is the price threshold of $100 only gadgets priced at or above this threshold would qualify for the promotion item & sku selector the item selector enables users to choose the product they wish to apply promotions or discounts by selecting its unique identification code (id) once the item is chosen, users proceed to the sku selector to specify the sku id(s) corresponding to the product variant(s) targeted for the promotion qualification selector the qualification selector enables users to select criteria for applying promotions or discounts, enhancing overall campaign effectiveness and alignment with business objectives threshold in the "action" section of product templates, you'll find the threshold feature a threshold is a specified minimum quantity that must be met for a promotion or discount to be activated example suppose there's a promotion offering free shipping for orders exceeding $50 here, the $50 represents the threshold customers whose cart total equals or exceeds $50 will qualify for free shipping, while those below this threshold will not discount in the "action" section of product templates, you'll find the discount feature a discount constitutes a reduction in the price or cost of an item or service, serving as a promotional incentive to encourage sales or reward customers discounts manifest in various forms, including percentage discounts, fixed amount reductions, buy one get one (bogo) offers, or tiered discounts based on purchase volume example for instance, an online store might extend a 20% discount on all apparel items during a weekend sale consequently, customers purchasing clothing items during this promotional period would benefit from a 20% reduction in the listed price at checkout coupons and automatic promotions in e commerce, promotions operate through two primary channels coupons and automatic promotions automatic promotions are preset incentives that activate automatically when specific criteria are met during checkout, simplifying the purchasing process for customers without requiring their intervention conversely, coupons require customers to actively participate by entering a designated code during checkout to unlock discounts while automatic promotions apply universally based on predefined conditions, coupons offer targeted marketing opportunities, allowing businesses to track promotion effectiveness and tailor offers to specific customer segments moreover, coupon code a coupon code is a unique sequence entered during checkout to unlock discounts or special offers uses per customer this refers to the maximum number of times a single customer can redeem a specific coupon uses per coupon indicates the total number of times a coupon code can be redeemed across all customers