How to Create Woo Discount Rules (Without Plugin & Code)

Did you know that 93% of shoppers in the USA use a discount or coupon code at least once a year, with over 60% actively looking for digital coupons before completing a purchase?

Yep, discounts aren’t just sales gimmicks, they’re your strategic power buttons.

Whether you’re trying to move stock, boost average order value, or make your product launch pop, a well-placed dynamic pricing rule can work magic.

Now, here’s the juicy part:

• You don’t need a plugin for this.
• You don’t need a developer either.
• You definitely don’t need another reason to slow down your site.

The default WooCommerce will do the job for you!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to create Woo discount rules, because not all things require a plugin.

Let’s dive in.

6 types of Woo discount rules you can create

So, what kind of storewide discounts can you actually create in WooCommerce without a plugin? More than you’d expect.

Let’s break them down, one use case at a time.

Product based discounts

Say you’ve got a fancy ceramic mug that got tons of traffic but barely any sales.

You know it’s a great product, but it needs a little push. So, you decide to add a discount, just for this mug, without touching anything else in your store.

Here’s how to set this up:

• Go to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon code (like MUG15) and a description.
• Next, under the General tab, set Discount type to Percentage discount.
• Set Coupon amount to 15 (for 15% off).
• Go to the Usage restriction tab and scroll down to find the Products field.
• Here, search and select Ceramic Mug.
• Go to Usage limits, and set Usage limit per user as 1 (so every customer gets the discount just once).
• Click Publish.

And that’s it. But remember, this is not an auto-applied discount.

So you’ll have to clearly post the discount codes everywhere, maybe with a homepage banner or pop-up.

Want your WooCommerce coupons to get noticed and used? Learn how to display them on checkout, cart, and other key pages

Tiered pricing discounts

Let’s say you want to reward your customers with more discounts on higher spending.

A simple way to do that? Tiered cart discounts, like:

• Spend between $500 – $999, get $50 off
• Spend between $1000 – $1999, get $100 off
• Spend $2000 or more, get $200 off

You can’t set all three tiers in a single coupon using default WooCommerce.

But you can create three separate coupons, each with its min and max spend.

Let’s create the first one ($500, get $50 off):

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon code (SAVE50) and a description.
• Set the Discount type as Fixed cart discount and Coupon Amount as 50 (for $50 off).
• Switch to the Usage restriction tab, set the Minimum spend as $500 and Maximum spend as $999.
• Click Publish.

Repeat these steps to create the $100 and $200 coupons with higher spend thresholds.

Simple, effective and great for increasing order size.

Next, let’s talk about seasonal discounts to hype up new collections.

Product category discount

Launching a brand-new summer collection? Seasonal discounts are a great way to hype up fresh arrivals and reward early shoppers.

Here’s how you can offer a 20% discount on an entire product category — like “New Arrivals”:

• Go to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon code (like SUMMER20) and a description.
• Set Discount type to Percentage discount and set the coupon amount as 20.
• Go to Usage Restrictions tab, and there in the Product categories field, select New Arrivals.
• Tick Individual use only if you don’t want this coupon to be used with other coupons.
• Click Publish.

And you are done.

But what about exclusive offers for your loyal customers? Well, that’s where you can use email-based offers.

Email-based exclusive offer

Let’s say you’re already running a storewide sale. But you want to give your loyal customers something extra, like an additional 10% off, just for them.

Here’s how:

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon Code (like LOYAL10) and a short description.
• Set Discount type to Percentage discount and Coupon Amount as 10.
• Go to the Usage restriction tab and scroll down to Allowed email.
• There add the email addresses of your loyal customers (separated by comma).
• Click Publish.

Time-sensitive discounts

You want to run a storewide sale just for Black Friday and Cyber Monday — after that, poof, the coupon disappears.

Here’s how to set it up:

• Go to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon Code (BLACKFRIDAY25) and a short description.
• Set Discount type to Percentage discount and Coupon amount to 25.
• Set the expiry day in the Coupon expiry date section.
• Click Publish.

Great for flash sales and FOMO moments.

Now let’s zoom in on brand-specific discounts.

Brand wise discount

Let’s say you’re partnered with a brand called Adidas and want to give them some extra spotlight.

Here’s how you can offer a special discount just for those:

• Navigate to WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons > Add New.
• Enter a Coupon code (ADIDAS10) and a short description.
• Set Discount type to Percentage discount and Coupon amount to 10.
• In the Usage restriction tab, scroll down till Product brands.
• Here, search and select the brand, say Adidas.
• Click Publish.

A simple way to highlight brand partnerships or favorites.

Congrats, your discounts are live! But the job’s not done yet.

What to do once you create WooCommerce discount rules?

Once your discount rules are live, don’t just forget about them.

Instead, try doing these:

• Track coupon usage under WooCommerce > Marketing > Coupons to see what’s working (and what’s not).
• Double-check that your coupons are visible, add banners, popups, or announce via email and social.
• Review cart abandonment rates. If people apply the coupon but don’t buy, something’s off in the checkout flow.
• Prevent coupon stacking abuse by enabling “Individual use only”.
• Monitor average order value (AOV). A good discount should nudge AOV up, not down.
• Check mobile checkout, make sure coupons apply smoothly across devices.
• Remove or expire old coupons that are no longer relevant.

Want to go beyond the basics? Try advanced discount rules

WooCommerce’s discount features are solid for getting started.

But when you’re ready to move from basic offers to smart, strategic selling.

It’s time for Smart Coupons to jump in.

It doesn’t just create discounts — it auto-applies them exactly when and where they matter.

No codes, no confusion, just perfectly-timed deals that boost conversions without lifting a finger.

With Smart Coupons, you can create advanced WooCommerce discount rules like:

• Tiered discounts by role & region: Give wholesalers in the US 10% off on 100 orders of the stationery, and 15% off above 500. More about tiered discounts.
• BOGO offer by location: Customers in Canada get Buy 2, Get 1 Free on select skincare kits.
• Seasonal tiered pricing combo: In winter, users get $30 off when buying 2 or more jackets, and $75 off on 5 or more jackets.
• Repeat purchase reward: Turn one-time BFCM shoppers into loyal customers. Auto-apply a 30% discount on their next order.
• New user discount: Offer first-time buyers a 15% discount only if they use PayPal or Stripe at checkout.
• Attribute-focused promotions: Run a summer campaign offering 15% off all “Blue” T-shirts to users in warm climate countries.
• Expensive and cheapest discount rule: Apply discount on the most expensive or cheapest product in the cart when multiple products are present in the order.

…and a lot more.

Want to see how Smart Coupons make all this 10x easier?

Check out the live demo

WooCommerce discount rules done right

With just default WooCommerce, you’ve already got enough juice to run solid promos, charm your loyal buyers, and nudge those cart values higher.

And hey, when the basics start feeling, well… basic, you know where to go.

But when you’re ready to go beyond the basics, Smart Coupons by StoreApps has your back.

So don’t wait anymore. Go ahead, set up your first coupon today.

FAQs

1. Can I exclude a product from a discount code in WooCommerce?

Yes, just go to the Usage Restrictions tab and use the “Exclude products” field to select the items you want to leave out.

You can also exclude categories or brands, depending on your promo needs.

2. Can I offer free shipping through a coupon?

Yes! Just enable “Allow free shipping” under the General tab.

But remember, you must have a free shipping method enabled in WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping. For more details, check out this blog.

3. Can I exclude sale items from getting discounts?

Absolutely. Just tick the box that says Exclude sale items in the Usage Restrictions tab.

4. Can I stop users from misusing coupons repeatedly?

Yes! Under Usage Limits, set Usage limit per user and also Limit usage to X items to control coupon abuse.