[intro]Before you begin this Guide, you need to ensure that you have installed the Discount Management feature on your EKM online shop. When you have completed this Guide, you will have created a Coupon Code to use in conjunction with discounts on your EKM online shop.[/intro]

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Discounts that use Coupon Codes are slightly different to other discounts because effectively, they consist of two parts; the first is the Discount itself, and the second is the Coupon Code. The Discount can run for a specific period of time and refers to one specific offer. The Coupon Code can run for a longer period of time than the Discount, and can also be applied to more than one Discount at once.

Offering your customers Coupon Codes online or on print media is a good way of encouraging new customers to visit your EKM online shop and for existing customers to make additional purchases.

Creating a Coupon Category

A Coupon Category is the name given to a folder of Coupon Codes. Some of your discounts may only use a single Coupon Code, whilst other discounts may require the use of hundreds of single-use codes. In either case, you need to create a Category for your Coupon Codes to reside in. 

It’s a good rule of thumb to create one Category per discount, to begin with. Then if you plan to have similar offers in the future, you can always use an existing Category of Coupon Codes and extend the dates on them to be used on your new discount.

1. Within the Discount Management feature, you need to click Coupon Categories on the top right-hand side:

2. You then need to click the green Add Coupon Category button:

3. Give your Coupon Category a name. This will not be visible to your customers and is used so you can differentiate between different groups of Coupon Codes. You might have advised some codes on print media, such as on leaflets or in newspapers, so you would group these together. 

4. Give your Coupon Category a description, so you know at a glance what the codes within that Category are intended for:

Creating a Coupon Code

5. Now you need to click the green Add Codes button:

6. Add your Coupon Codes into the field provided. Ensure that the Coupon Code consists of only capital letters and numbers - do not use any characters such as % or #. In this example, I’m creating a group of single-use coupon codes, but you can also just add a single code if you want to:

[tips]When creating your Coupon Codes, make them difficult to guess - some online shoppers will experiment with codes on the off chance that they can trigger a discount! You must use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS when creating a Coupon Code, but try to incorporate random numbers in there too which will make your Coupon Codes more difficult to guess. [/tips]

7. Select the Start Date and End Date that the Coupon Code will be active within:

[remember]The Discount can run for a specific period of time and refers to one specific offer. The Coupon Code can run for a longer period of time than the Discount, and can also be applied to more than one Discount at once.[/remember]

8. You then need to decide whether the Coupon can be used multiple times. The majority of the time this will be ‘yes’ unless you are making a code for a specific customer. In my example, the Coupon Codes I am creating are single-use, but if you want the same Coupon Code to be used multiple times, tick the box here, and then click the green Save button on the right-hand side:

9. You’ll then see a summary of your Category and the Coupon Codes within it. Click the green Save button on the bottom right-hand corner:

Adding more Coupon Codes to an existing Category

1. If you have an existing Category that you want to add additional Coupon Codes to, from the Discount Management  dashboard, you need to click the Coupon Categories button on the far right-hand side:

2. This will then reveal your existing Coupon Categories. Click Edit on the far right-hand side for the relevant Category:

3. You then need to click the green Add Code button on the far right-hand side:

4. Add your new Coupon Code to the field provided, then set the Dates and whether you want Multiple Use or not, before clicking the green Save button on the right-hand side:

5. You will then be returned to the Category Page. Click the green Save button in the bottom right-hand corner to save your new Coupon Code to your existing Category:

Applying a Coupon Code to a Discount

1. When you are creating a discount within Discount Management, you will see this checkbox in the Basic Details area. Tick the box:

2. You’ll then see the Coupons element appear. Click the Choose Existing Category button:

3. In the window that appears, you need to tick the box to the left-hand side of the Category Name to apply all of the Coupon Codes within that Category to your discount, before clicking the green Add To Discount button on the right-hand side:

4. You’ll then see the selected Coupon Category display:

5. You can then continue to configure the rest of your discount by following the steps in the relevant Guide:

Are you offering your customers a percentage off their order, based on:


Are you offering your customers a fixed amount off their order, based on:


Are you offering your customers free delivery, based on:


Are you offering your customers free Products, based on:

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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]