Discounts | Automatic vs Code Discounts
Should customers type a code, or should the discount just apply? The choice changes who uses it and how it measures.
Every discount answers one question first: does the customer type a code at checkout, or does the discount apply automatically when its conditions are met?
Codes — marketing you can aim
Only people with the code get it: email subscribers, an ad audience, a printed flyer.
Measurable per channel — give each campaign its own code and usage reports tell you which worked.
The cost of friction: some customers leave to hunt for a code and never return.
Automatic — conversion with no friction
Applies the moment conditions match — everyone eligible gets it without knowing a code exists.
Right for storewide sales, threshold offers and anything you want everyone to use.
No exclusivity and no per-channel measurement — it is a site feature, not a campaign.
The quick rule
Targeted campaign → code. Sitewide offer → automatic. Many stores run both at once: the automatic free-shipping threshold humming in the background while codes drive campaigns on top.
Tips
Check the Combinations settings when mixing the two — decide whether an automatic discount and a code can stack before your customers discover it for you.
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