Managing and combining discounts can be tricky, but Alpha Sale offers flexible tools to make it easier.
Understanding how discounts are applied
Setting up discounts effectively requires a good understanding of how they work behind the scenes. Discounts in Shopify rely on two key elements: product price settings and the type of discount you apply. Let’s break it down.
Basic price settings
Every product in your Shopify store has two price fields:
Price: This is the current, active selling price of the product.
Compare-at price: This is the original, higher price that is crossed out to indicate a discount.
When the Compare-at price is empty, your product is displayed at its standard price, without any crossed-out discount. To show a discount, you simply fill in both fields:
Set the higher, original price in the Compare-at price field.
Enter the reduced price in the Price field.
Discount types and how they apply
The type of discount described above in Alpha Sale is called Price reduction.
Price reduction discounts automatically adjust the product prices (i.e. the Price and Compare-at price fields) for any number of products.
However, besides Price reduction, Alpha Sale lets you create In-cart discounts. The difference here is that these discounts do not change your product prices, but simply reduce the payment a customer must make.
In-cart product & order discounts do not change your product prices but reduce them at the checkout stage.
Discount strategies for products already on sale
In most cases, when you create a discount in Alpha Sale, your products won’t have any discounts applied yet, which makes the setup straightforward. However, if some of your products already have a discount (i.e., a value in the Compare-at price field), things can get a little more nuanced.
Whether you want to replace the current discount or add a new one on top, Alpha Sale gives you the flexibility to choose how your discounts are applied.
Replace the existing sale with a new Price reduction discount
Replace the existing sale with a new Price reduction discount
Example scenario:
Your products have a standard 10% discount, but for a special event, you want to apply a 20% discount instead. Once the event ends, the original discount should return.
Setup instructions:
1. Select "Price Reduction" as the campaign type.
2. Choose "Compare-at price" for the discount application.
Example:
Before: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90 (10% off).
During: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $80 (20% off).
After: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90 (10% off).
Add a new Price reduction discount on top
Add a new Price reduction discount on top
Example scenario:
Scenario A. Some products already have a 10% discount, but for a limited time, you would like to apply an extra 20% discount. You want the customers to see the total savings from the old and the new discounts.
Scenario B. Some products already have a 10% discount, but for a limited time, you would like to apply an extra 20% discount. However, you want only the new 20% discount visible to your customers on the website, not the combination of the old and the new one.
Setup instructions:
1. Select "Price Reduction" as the campaign type.
2. Choose "Product Price" as the discount application.
3. Clear the checkbox for scenario A, or leave it marked for scenario B.
Example:
Scenario A (Compare-at price is not replaced)
Before: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90 (10% off).
During: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $72 (28% off).
Scenario B (Compare-at price is replaced):
Before: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90 (10% off).
During: Compare-at Price = $90, Price = $72 (20% off).
Exclude sale products from in-cart discounts
Exclude sale products from in-cart discounts
Example scenario:
Some products in your store already have a 10% discount. Plus, for your VIP customers, you'd like to offer a 20% coupon. However, the coupon shouldn’t apply to already discounted products.
Setup instructions:
1. Select "In-Cart Discount" as the campaign type.
2. Choose "Exclude Products Already on Sale."
Example:
A product with Compare-at Price = $100 and Price = $90 (10% off) will not receive the additional 20% discount. The coupon will not be applied to it at checkout.
Stack up your sale with in-cart discounts
Stack up your sale with in-cart discounts
Example scenario:
Some products in your store already have a 10% discount. Plus, for your VIP customers, you'd like to offer a 20% coupon. If the customers try applying this coupon to products on sale, the sale discount should stack up with the coupon.
Setup instructions:
1. Select "In-Cart Discount" as the campaign type.
2. Choose "Product Price" as the application strategy.
Example:
Before: Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90 (10% off).
During: Coupon adds 20% off: Price = $72.
Apply only the largest discount
Apply only the largest discount
To ensure your customers have a truly seamless shopping experience, Alpha Sale allows you to apply only the highest available discount.
Example scenario:
Scenario A: A product with a 10% sale discount is eligible for a 20% coupon. Instead of stacking, you want the total discount to be 20%.
Scenario B: A product with a 30% sale discount is eligible for a 20% coupon. Instead of stacking, only want the total discount to be 30%.
Setup instructions:
1. Select "In-Cart Discount" as the campaign type.
2. Choose "Compare-at Price" as the application strategy.
Example:
Scenario A: Product has a 30% sale discount (Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $70). When a 20% coupon is applied at the checkout, the price remains $70.
Scenario B: Product has a 10% sale discount (Compare-at Price = $100, Price = $90). The 20% coupon applies partially, reducing the final price to $80.
Got questions? Just let us know!
We do hope this guide makes discount application strategies easier to apply, but if unsure - just shoot us a message at [email protected], and we will suggest the optimal campaign setup for your specific use case.