All Collections
Discounts and Fees Tab
Create Automated Discounts
Create Automated Discounts

Increase customer loyalty (and sales) by offering discount options!

Samantha Postlethwaite avatar
Written by Samantha Postlethwaite
Updated over a week ago

Activate the Discounts feature in the Apps tab!

To choose which discount best suits your needs, carefully read the description, application, example, and instructions to understand a discount type's behavior and to avoid unwanted outcomes on your clients' invoices.

Want to dive deeper into Discounts? Take our free course on Amilia University!

In this article, we'll review:

1. Choose a Discount Type

In the Discounts and fees > Discounts subtab, click +New discount to select which type of discount to create. After choosing a discount type, you will see an explanation on how the discount works and the setup fields.

Click here for more details on what to expect in the store with each discount type.


2. Configure your Discount

Configuring a discount is easy and the process is the same for any discount type you choose, although some discounts allow for more eligible items, rules and/or criterion than others. When an offer is linked to several discounts, all discounts will apply. If the cost of an offer reaches $0, no further discounts will be applied.

We encourage you to run test purchases (without paying) to ensure your discounts are applied as expected.

Below are steps to set up any type of discount:

  • The discount's Name is visible on the client's invoice when it is applied.

  • Define the Rule of your discount. Some discounts allow you to add multiple rules.

  • Add the eligible items for the discount. Select the category in the drop-down menu, then Add. You can add multiple eligible item types. Some discounts can be applied to more item types than others.

  • After selecting the eligible item types, a new section appears further down the page where you can select which services are eligible to receive the discount.

  • Click the + icon to expand a list (if required). On the right side, click to Add individual items, or Add All to select items in batch.

  • To remove an added item, hover over it and click on Remove (one at a time).

  • You can Add Criterion, which means the discount is only applied on eligible offers if the criterion is met. Select a type and click Add. Scroll down to the new window section to configure each criterion selected. Some discounts have more criterion options than others.

❗ Important

  • Toggle the option to display the discount in the store so clients can see it!

  • You cannot remove an eligible item from a discount after it has been used.

  • You cannot delete a discount if it has already been used. You may deactivate it. We suggest creating a discount for each activity, even if it is repeated.

  • Always Save your discount when you are finished configuring.

  • Discounts begin at 12 am and expire at 11:59 pm on the selected dates (if any).


FAQ

1. How do I apply a discount to a client's invoice after the purchase is made?

Once the checkout is completed, it isn't possible to go back and add a discount to the original invoice.

If a discount wasn't applied to the original invoice for whatever reason, you have two options:

  • Cancel the original invoice ( without refunding the payment), and repurchase the offer in the store, ensuring the discount is applied. If the client has a remaining credit on their account after this is done, you can refund them directly to their credit card (if they paid with it in the store). If they paid by any other means, you can perform an offline refund.

    or

  • Create a credit in the client's billing account using the Operations menu. You can add an explanatory note to specify the credit is being applied in lieu of a discount. You must have a custom rebate invoice item to create the credit.

2. Is there any type of offer in SmartRec that I can't apply a discount to?

You can't apply a discount on an offer priced at $0. These items will not be available for selection in the list of eligible items.

3. Is there a way to offer a discount if someone purchases 2 or more eligible merchandise items?

The discounts available for merchandise items are: Discount Code, Coupon Codes, Early Bird, By Age, By Location, Question, Membership Required, and Loyalty.

If you use the Service add-on option when creating your merchandise item, you can also use the Combo discount.

4. What's the difference between the multi-person discount and the combo discount?

Multi-person, or multi-person (multi-discount) type discounts are based on the number of registered people and/or registrations per person.

Combo, multi-combo type discounts are based on the number of eligible offers purchased.

5. What's the difference between a rebate code and coupon code discount?

A discount code is a discount where clients can get a discount on all eligible items using the same rebate code.

A coupon code is a discount where clients can get a discount on one eligible item (the lowest priced item). The same coupon code cannot be used more than once on the same invoice.

6. Is there a way to apply discounts in a specific order?

You cannot configure the order in which discounts are applied. They are applied in the order in which they were created. The order of discounts never affects the amount of the total amount of the discount as they are always calculated based on the original cost of the item.

7. Do discounts apply to linked merchandise items when purchased in the POS?

Yes.

8. Which discounts can be applied to subscriptions?

All discounts (except Membership Required) can be applied to subscriptions at checkout. Most discounts will continue to be applied to the monthly invoices if the discount criteria is met by the upcoming billing date. The following discounts do not apply to the recurring payment of a subscription: Discount code, Coupon code, Question, Loyalty, External coupon, and Membership Required.

9. Which report(s) can I use to see how discounts were used?

You can see how discounts were awarded in the Summary of awarded discounts and fees report, located in the Reports subtab (in the Sales section). Although you can't assign a ledger code to a discount, this report should provide you with all the information you need, including the total amount of discounts awarded, on which offers (includes their ledger code) and for which client.

10. What does the beginning and end time mean on a discount?

The beginning date starts at 12 am on the date you choose. The expiration date ends at 11:59pm on the date you choose.

11. How do I replace, cancel, or refund an invoice with a discount on it?

12. If two people register to an activity on the same day and a third person registers at a later time, will a multi-person discount apply on the third person?

No. The criterion must be met on the same invoice in order for the discount to apply. This means the purchases must appear on the same invoice.

You might also be interested in:

Did this answer your question?