How to work with the new Discount Coupons function in FastCentrik online stores
Increase the number of your orders: Offer Discount coupons
Discount coupons are very powerful marketing tools. In the West, they have been in use for several years while online store users in the Czech Republic are only just being introduced to them. The recent “economic crisis” years, has meant they have become even more popular and Czech customers are now demanding discount vouchers too. Generally speaking, online purchasing today almost always follows the path: Product search – Price comparison – Discount code search. Online stores which do not offer discounts needlessly lose customers, as many would rather place an order on a site where discounts are offered.
Discount coupons are very popular. Google search results prove it; foto: www.google.com
Which type of discount coupon is the most effective and most popular?
The most effective and popular are discount coupons used in daily news media, which contain a code. This code is then applied by shoppers while purchasing on the internet. They enter this code into the appropriate box on an on-line order (or cut out and use this voucher when purchasing in a physical shop). The popularity of discount coupons in newspapers is followed closely by discount coupons published on the Internet. The third most popular type are coupons handed out or distributed by post. The next position is held by discount coupons sent by email and finally, the least popular are discount vouchers and discount codes sent via text messages.
Discount coupons function can be found in the FastCentrik administration, in the Marketing module section
Discount coupons in FastCentrik online store solutions
The Discount coupon function has been available to all FastCentrik clients since the end of June.
Some of our customers have been asking for more information on how to operate the Discount coupons module, so this article will guide you on your way to setting up Discount coupons correctly.
Access to Discount coupons module in the e-shop administration
Discount coupons: Shop administration settings guide
The Discount coupons module can be found in the e-shop administration in the Marketing section; Marketing > Discount coupons. If you wish to create a new code, it is necessary to firstly generate a discount coupon in administration. To do this click on the “Open coupon generator” button displayed in the bottom right corner. After clicking this button, a window opens with a form where you can enter the various parameters for discount coupons.
Access to Discount coupons module in e-shop administration
Entering parameters for discount codes in e-shop administration
Discount vouchers can be created according to the following criteria:
- Expiration date – enter data, what period the coupon is valid
- Number of uses – set up how many times it is possible to use the discount; If you do not wish to limit the validity of a coupon, enter 0.
- Number of coupons – you can generate a number of coupons at a time.
For example, you can generate 1 coupon for 100 uses, making it ideal for advertisements in the press, whereby the first 100 customers get a discount with this single coupon. Or, on the other hand, you can generate 100 coupons for 1 use if you wish to give these coupons to 100 individual customers, providing them with a single purchase with this discount.
- Coupons can be bound to specific customers by choosing the Select user option
- Type of discount – either a percentage (%) of the total order price with VAT or a specific amount with VAT
- The amount of a discount – percentage of a specific amount
- ATTENTION! The items Discount and Minimum price include VAT
Generate coupon form
Furthermore, the Discount coupons generator offers:
- The option to create a “Mask (MMMM-MMMM-MMMM-MMMM)”, which is a template for the format of the discount code – e.g. using the “mask”, the coupons will be generated, for instance, in the format HJ5P-58RB-5HJI.
- Block coupon (you can always unblock it in the listing of the coupons)
The option to export generated discount coupons to a table
After entering all the parameters, click on the orange button “Generate” at the bottom right corner of the form. Generated discount coupons can be immediately exported to CSV format (table) which can facilitate future work with coupons and the final evaluation of the campaign.
The “Close coupon generation” button can be found in the right bottom corner of e-shop administration.
After finishing the generation of coupons don´t forget to click on the “Finish coupons generation” button which can be found at the bottom right corner..
Briefly: How to create a discount coupon:
| 1. First, in the e-shop administration section, select Marketing > Discount coupons |
| 2. Click on the grey button at the bottom right corner “Open coupon generator” |
| 3. Enter parameters of the discount coupon to the form which opens on the screen |
| 4. Created coupons can be exported to CSV |
| 5. Click on “Close coupon generator” |
Filtering and coupon searches
To maintain a transparent overview of discount coupons and their current state, the Discount coupons module offers a Coupons filter function. This can be found on the left hand side while in Discount coupons module.
The criteria by which you can filter the coupons are:
- Search by data
- By use (used, unused, in the shopping cart, according to a number of uses)
- By validity (valid, invalid)
- By discount type (percentage, amount)
- Blocked, unblocked
- By user (coupon in a specific name)
- By code
Simply enter the parameters according to the coupons you wish to search for and click on the orange “Search” button at the bottom left column of the administration section
The "show generated" button is not bound to the filter but it can be used to view newly generated groups of discount coupons by the coupon generator.
Filter can search for discount coupons by different parameters
A sample of filtering results (search by various parameters) of discount coupons
Discount coupons and collective action listing
To facilitate work with discount codes in e-shop administration it is possible (in the Discount coupons section) to perform collective actions. Collective actions (blocked, unblocked, delete) can be used for either all coupons (when you open the Discount Coupons module in the Marketing section) or only for the coupons filtered by certain criteria (after using the filter, as mentioned above).
With coupons viewed on the result listing it is possible to make different kinds of collective actions (blocked, unblocked, delete)
After opening the Discount coupons module or after using a filter, the listing of all coupons including the following information appears:
- Coupon code
- Application data
- Discount type
- Discount by setting (in percentage or amount)
- The minimum price limit for coupon use
- User, for whom the coupons were generated
- Type of usage (unlimited, number)
- The number of coupons inserted to a shopping cart (not yet implemented order)
- Number of uses (implemented order)
You can block, unblock or delete individual coupons in the listing without the necessity of using collective actions
With coupons which appear in the list you can perform such collective actions as:
- Block all displayed
- Block all filtered
- Unblock all displayed
- Unblocked all filtered
- Delete all displayed
- Delete all filtered
Displaying the discount couponin the e-shop
To allow the customer to obtain the relevant discount while purchasing in your online store, they must enter the discount coupon (i.e. generated code) into the box provided on the order form (before completing the order). If the specified coupon is not valid, the customer is notified and the coupon cannot be entered into the shopping cart.
In cases where the coupon is valid, but the order does not meet the set criteria (for example, the minimum amount of purchase for which it is possible to apply the coupon), the coupon is placed in the shopping cart with a discount of zero.
The discount will only appear when the order is increased (when other products are placed in the shopping cart) to the amount where the required criteria are met. The customer therefore has an overview of their purchase and when the discount is successfully applied. This contributes to the popularity of purchasing on your online store.
Coupons transfer to economics systems
After completing the order, the discount coupon becomes a part of the order information and is consequently forwarded, together with the rest of the order to the information economic systems which are supported by FastCentrik.
Discounts also benefit you
Do business better with a higher turnover and enjoy the wide range of opportunities which the Discount coupon module offers. Your imagination has no limits and using discount vouchers can, for example, attract new registered customers for your email newsletters, motivate clients of a physical shop to buy online, and so on.
Don’t forget the “coupons” websites
Your online store discount coupons can be published on your website or the sites of your partners. They can be sent to customers via email, published in newspapers or magazines or distributed to mailboxes and also advertised on “coupon websites”. Websites which publish lists of discount coupons are becoming very popular among customers and many customers look for discounts on those sites. Some coupon websites even publish coupons for free.
